[PCA] Fwd: ESA Policy News: November 11, 2013

[De Angelis, Patricia]

It looks like the University of Maryland has a really awesome listserve for
ESA news...Read on..

Patricia S. De Angelis, Ph.D.
Botanist, Division of Scientific Authority-US Fish & Wildlife
Service-International Affairs
Chair, Medicinal Plant Working Group-Plant Conservation Alliance
4401 N. Fairfax Dr., Suite 110
Arlington, VA  22203
703-358-1708 x1753
FAX: 703-358-2276

Promoting sustainable use and conservation of our native medicinal plants.
<www.nps.gov/plants/medicinal>

Follow International Affairs
> on Twitter  http://twitter.com/USFWSInternatl
> on Facebook   http://www.facebook.com/USFWS_InternationalAffairs


---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: David Inouye <inouye at umd.edu>
Date: Mon, Nov 11, 2013 at 6:26 PM
Subject: ESA Policy News: November 11, 2013
To: ESANEWS at listserv.umd.edu


ESA Policy News: November 11, 2013

WHITE HOUSE: NEW EXECUTIVE ORDER BUILDS ON CLIMATE ACTION PLAN

SCIENCE: LAWMAKERS REVIEW LEGISLATION TO REAUTHORIZE AMERICA COMPETES ACT

WILDFIRES: SUBCOMMITTEE REVIEWS FOREST SERVICE FUNDING SHORTFALLS

AGRICULTURE: CONFEREES NEGOTIATE FARM BILL COMPROMISE

FORESTS: ESA SENDS LETTER TO CONGRESS ON EFFORTS TO LIMIT ENVIRONMENTAL
REVIEW

FOREIGN AFFAIRS: SOCIETIES URGE PRESERVATION OF US BIOSPHERE RESERVES

FWS: NATIONAL WILDLIFE REFUGES GENERATE BILLIONS IN REVENUE

CURRENT POLICY
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Sources: American Association for the Advancement of Science,
ClimateWire, Department of Interior, Energy and Environment Daily,
E&E News PM, Greenwire, the Hill, House Science, Space and Technology
Committee, the National Wildlife Federation, POLITICO, Senate
Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee, US Fish and Wildlife
Service, the Washington Post, the White House

WHITE HOUSE: NEW EXECUTIVE ORDER BUILDS ON CLIMATE ACTION PLAN

On Nov. 1, President Obama issued a new broad Executive Order,
instructing federal agencies to help states strengthen their ability
to cope with increasingly intense storms, severe droughts, wildfires
and other various effects of climate change.

The Executive Order establishes a Task Force on Climate Preparedness
and Resilience to advise the administration on how the federal
government can respond to state and local concerns across the country
on how to increase climate change preparedness. The task force will
be comprised of governors, mayors, tribal leaders and other officials
from across the country. The Executive Order instructs federal
agencies to improve dissemination of tools to address climate change
and help local communities to construct natural disaster-resilient
infrastructure and natural resource and ecosystem resiliency.

The order also establishes a Council on Climate Preparedness and
Resilience, involving 20 federal offices that will be charged with
implementing the Executive Order. The council will be co-chaired by
the Chair of the Council on Environmental Quality, the Director of
the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy and the
Assistant to the President for Homeland Security and Counterterrorism.

View the full Executive Order here:
http://www.whitehouse.gov/the-press-office/2013/11/01/executive-order-preparing-united-states-impacts-climate-change

A special issue of Frontiers in Ecology and the Environment assesses
the impacts of climate change on people and ecosystems this November,
and includes an article on preparing for future environmental flux.
To view the special issue, click here:
http://www.esa.org/esablog/research/president-issues-executive-order-to-prepare-for-impacts-of-climate-change/


SCIENCE: LAWMAKERS REVIEW LEGISLATION TO REAUTHORIZE AMERICA COMPETES ACT

On Oct. 30, the House Science, Space and Technology Committee
convened a hearing to consider a draft bill to partially reauthorize
the America COMPETES Act, legislation to increase US federal
investment in scientific research and innovation. However, there was
debate among committee members over whether the funding authorized in
the bill was sufficient.

The Enabling Innovation for Science, Technology, and Energy in
America (EINSTEIN) Act, the draft bill under consideration, would set
science priorities for the Department of Energy (DOE). "The
discussion draft requires [DOE] to coordinate with other federal
agencies to streamline workplace regulations. This reduces burdensome
red tape and provides the National Labs flexibility to more
effectively and efficiently execute the Department's mission," stated
House Science, Space and Technology Committee Chairman Lamar Smith (R-TX).

Committee Democrats, however, expressed concerns with how the bill
funds the DOE Office of Science.  "At first glance, one might think
that the Majority's bill actually increases funding for the Office,
but a closer look reveals that they are actually cutting funding -
the rate of inflation for research is about three percent, but the
bill only provides year-to-year increases of one to 1.7 percent, in
effect cutting the Office's budget," asserted Energy Subcommittee
Ranking Member Eric Swalwell (D-CA). Democrats also criticized the
bill for prioritizing biological systems and genomics sciences
research over climate science and environmental research.

The original America COMPETES Act was last reauthorized in 2010. That
reauthorization expired Sept. 30. In addition to DOE's Office of
Science, the original bill contained authorizations for the National
Science Foundation (NSF), the National Institute of Standards and
Technology and DOE's Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy.
Republicans are expected to introduce legislation to reauthorize NSF
and other aspects of the original bill in separate legislation, which
falls in line with the piecemeal approach House Republicans have
taken in tackling other issues such as education and immigration.

House Science, Space and Technology Committee Ranking Member Eddie
Bernice Johnson (D-TX) has put forward alternative draft legislation
that would fully reauthorize all the science agencies under the
original America COMPETES Act. Entitled, the America Competes
Reauthorization Act of 2013, the bill includes provisions to
reauthorize the Research Innovation Program and provide grants and
other methods to boost participation in Science Technology
Mathematics and Engineering participation among women and minorities.

While the Senate has yet to introduce its version of the America
COMPETES Act reauthorization, the Senate Commerce, Science and
Transportation Committee held its first hearing on the measure this
week. Senate Democrats are expected to take a comprehensive approach
to reauthorizing the measure in line with their House counterparts.

The Senate legislation stands a good chance of garnering bipartisan
support. Testifying at the hearing, Sen. Lamar Alexander (R-TN), who
worked on the 2007 bill, called for doubling authorization funding
over the original bill. Sen. Alexander asserted that if the US's
investment in scientific research as a percentage of Growth Domestic
Product was on par with China, US investment in scientific research
would be "four times" what it is now. Sen. Alexander called on
lawmakers to tackle the reauthorization with the bipartisan
enthusiasm that moved the original America COMPETES, which passed the
Senate by unanimous consent and the House by an overwhelming
bipartisan vote of 367-57.

View the full House America COMPETES hearing here:
http://science.house.gov/hearing/subcommittee-energy-hearing-providing-tools-scientific-discovery-and-basic-energy-research

View the Senate America COMPETES hearing here:
http://www.commerce.senate.gov/public/index.cfm?p=Hearings&ContentRecord_id=69d33a64-afaf-491f-852f-5f8788c7a530&ContentType_id=14f995b9-dfa5-407a-9d35-56cc7152a7ed&Group_id=b06c39af-e033-4cba-9221-de668ca1978a


WILDFIRES: SUBCOMMITTEE REVIEWS FOREST SERVICE FUNDING SHORTFALLS

On Nov. 5, the Senate Agriculture, Nutrition and Forestry
Subcommittee on Conservation, Forestry and Natural Resources held a
hearing examining how existing federal funding constraints can
increase the risk of wildfires.

In his opening statement, Conservation, Forestry and Natural
Resources Subcommittee Chairman Michael Bennet (D-CO) noted that
expenses for wildfire fighting have "quadrupled" in recent years at
the expense of other US Forest Service (USFS) programs such as trail
maintenance and timber contracting. The now routine borrowing from
other accounts has happened "for the seventh time over the last
twelve years," according to Chairman Bennett.  He also discussed the
various negative effects of wildfires including damage to land and
water infrastructure, soil erosion, mudslides and flash floods with
many of these effects occurring residually a year after the original
wildfire. Chairman Bennett emphasized the importance of preemptive
mitigation of wildfires, asserting that a report from the nonpartisan
Congressional Budget Office found that for every dollar the federal
government invested in wildfire mitigation and prevention saves over
five dollars in future costs of suppressing wildfire outbreaks.

Ranking Member John Boozman (R-AR) noted that Congress' tendency to
implement repeated short-term continuing resolutions (CR) as well as
omnibus spending measures as opposed to stand alone long-term bills
has made it difficult to plan comprehensive long-term strategies for
managing wildfires. He also called on measuring the effectiveness of
USFS programs in light of the current fiscal constraints. (In
contrast to stand-alone appropriations, omnibus spending measures and
CRs tend not to provide the degree of specific direction that stand
alone bills do).

USFS Deputy Chief Jim Hubbard noted the impact of climate change on
the intensity of wildfires as well as the length of wildfire season.
In response to concerns from Ranking Member Boozman on the time spent
on National Environment Policy Act (NEPA) compliance, Hubbard stated
that the litigation caused by court challenges to NEPA are greater
than any problems in implementing the law. Hubbard asserted that USFS
is working to address concerns with NEPA before the litigation
process starts in an effort to reduce this burden.

The hearing's panelists included Chris Topik with The Nature
Conservancy who touted his organization's work on controlled burns
and seconded Chairman Bennett's earlier remarks regarding the need to
increase funding for hazardous fuel reduction programs and the
Collaborative Forest Landscape Restoration Program. Topik also called
for the establishment of a separate "wildland fire suppression
disaster prevention fund." He also touted the importance of
nonfederal partnerships to collaborate in fire suppression efforts.

For more information on the hearing, click here:
http://www.ag.senate.gov/hearings/shortchanging-our-forests_how-tight-budgets-and-management-decisions-can-increase-the-risk-of-wildfire


AGRICULTURE: CONFEREES NEGOTIATE FARM BILL COMPROMISE

This week, House and Senate conferees resumed negotiations for a
finalized farm bill reauthorization. According to lead negotiators, a
finalized conference report is expected by Thanksgiving of this year.

The conference committee consists of 41 Republican and Democrat
members, most of whom currently serve on the House and Senate
Agriculture Committees. The negotiations are led by Senate
Agriculture Committee Chairwoman Debbie Stabenow (D-MI), House
Agriculture Committee Chairman Frank Lucas (R-OK), Senate Agriculture
Committee Ranking Member Thad Cochran (R-MS) and House Agriculture
Committee Ranking Member Collin Peterson (D-MN).

How the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (food stamps) is
funded is expected to be highly contentious due to the extreme chasm
that separates the House and Senate farm bills on the issue. The
Senate bill cuts food stamps by $4 billion while that House bill
would cut food stamps by $39 billion. The House bill also places work
requirements on food stamp recipients that the Senate bill does not.

A provision in the Senate bill that would require farmers to meet
conservation requirements in order to qualify for federal subsidies
for crop insurance is also among the issues of contention. While
Chairwoman Stabenow strongly supports the language, Chairman Lucas
views it as an unnecessary regulatory burden for farmers. A large
number of conservation groups have been pushing conferees to retain
the conservation provisions. Environmental groups argue that the
conservation requirements are particularly important to include as
both the House and Senate bills eliminate the farm bill's direct
payment program, which had conservation requirements.

The Ecological Society of America recently joined over 275
organizations in sending a letter to farm bill conferees requesting
support for the conservation compliance provisions as well as the
sodsaver provision, which limits crop insurance, disaster payments
and other federal benefits for newly broken land. In touting the
sodsaver provision's importance in preserving native grasslands, the
letter states that "Most of the land that is being converted from
native ecosystems to cropland is marginal, highly erodible, or prone
to flooding. Bringing this marginally productive land into crop
production provides little benefit to taxpayers, increases long-term
costs due to erosion and nutrient loss, and ultimately leads to
reduced water quality, less capacity to reduce flooding and the loss
of valuable wildlife habitat."

A finalized conference report would need to pass the
Republican-controlled House, the Democratic-controlled Senate and be
signed by the president. In the event the president vetoes the
measure, two-thirds of the House and Senate would be needed to
override the veto. While leaders are not anticipating reaching an
agreement that the president would oppose, the last farm bill
reauthorization from 2008 was enacted through Congress overriding a
presidential veto.

To view the farm bill organizational letter, click here:
http://www.esa.org/esa/?post_type=document&p=9965


FORESTS: ESA SENDS LETTER TO CONGRESS ON EFFORTS TO LIMIT ENVIRONMENTAL
REVIEW

On October 29, the Ecological Society of America (ESA) penned a
letter to the House Natural Resources Committee in response to an
increasing number of legislative proposals that would limit National
Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) reviews.

The letter outlines the important role NEPA plays in ensuring federal
environmental policy decisions are informed by public input,
including commentary from the scientific community. "Since its
enactment in 1970, NEPA the law has played a critical role in
providing an important channel of communication for the general
public to inform federal agency decision-making," the letter notes.
"Through NEPA, public knowledge of environmental risks are improved
as are federal agencies' ability to make policy decisions informed by
the local communities who would be most affected by a suggested proposal."

The letter comes as the Natural Resources Committee has been moving
on legislation that would ease forest harvesting capability at the
expense of the NEPA review process. In September, the House passed
H.R. 1526, the Restoring Healthy Forests for Healthy Communities Act,
which would exempt certain logging projects from review under NEPA as
well as the Endangered Species Act. H.R. 3188, the Yosemite Rim Fire
Emergency Salvage Act, would exempt timber harvests after forest
fires from environmental review requirements in the aforementioned
laws. The House Natural Resources Committee has held hearings on the
latter bill.

Both bills are unlikely gain traction in the Democratic-controlled
Senate. ESA's letter cites a guidance memorandum released by the
Council on Environmental Quality as a partial starting point for
policymakers to improve implementation of NEPA. "Instead of pushing
legislation to curtail NEPA, we request that Members of Congress work
in a bipartisan manner to improve the law's functionality," asserts the
letter.

View the letter here: http://www.esa.org/esa/?post_type=document&p=9962


FOREIGN AFFAIRS: SOCIETIES URGE PRESERVATION OF US BIOSPHERE RESERVES

In a joint letter to federal biosphere reserve administrators on
October 29, the Ecological Society of America, the George Wright
Society, and Organization of Biological Field Stations requested that
administrators complete the paperwork required to allow the United
States to continue its participation in the World Network of
Biosphere Reserves.

The United States, which has the world's largest number of biosphere
reserves, has been tardy in carrying out its periodic review
requirements and delivering them to the US State Department.
Biosphere reserves that fail to submit these review requirements
before the end of calendar year 2013 will be delisted by the United
Nations Educational Scientific and Cultural Organization, which
oversees the program. The joint letter emphasizes the biosphere
reserves' importance in fostering collaborations across various
sector of the general public in the advancement of ecological research.

"Biosphere reserves provide a cooperative framework for facilitating
and sustaining a multitude of activities in ecological research,
conservation, and education that, when integrated, further our
understanding of natural reserves and the landscapes containing them
while maintaining vital ecosystem services for economic and
recreational use by human communities," states the letter. "Such
services benefit federal, state and local natural resource educators
and managers, private landowners, and the scientific community."

View the full letter here:
http://www.esa.org/esa/?post_type=document&p=10025


FWS: NATIONAL WILDLIFE REFUGES GENERATE BILLIONS IN REVENUE

On Nov 5, the US Fish and Wildlife Service released a report
documenting the economic contribution of national wildlife refuges.

The report concludes that in Fiscal Year (FY) 2011, the nation's 561
wildlife refuges contributed $2.4 billion to the economy and
supported over 35,000 jobs. According to the report, 75 percent of
this money comes from "non-consumptive" recreational activities such
as picnicking, hiking and photography. The remaining economic
activity is generated through "consumptive uses" such as hunting,
trapping and fishing.

The report, entitled Banking on Nature, finds that these refuges
generated an average of $4.87 in economic output for every $1
appropriated in FY 2011. It also notes that spending by wildlife
refuge visitors generates $343 million in federal, state, county and
local tax revenue.

Encompassing over 150 million acres of land, the National Wildlife
Refuge System is the nation's largest network of lands dedicated to
wildlife preservation. Interior Secretary Sally Jewell, who touted
the report during a visit to the Minnesota Valley National Wildlife
Refuge, hopes it will encourage lawmakers to invest in federal
conservation initiatives.

View the full report here:
http://www.doi.gov/news/loader.cfm?csModule=security/getfile&pageid=380921


CURRENT POLICY

Approved by House Committee

H.R. 3316, the Grant Reform and New Transparency (GRANT) Act -
Introduced by Rep. James Lankford (R-OK), the bill would require
posting of grant applications and peer reviewers on a public website.
The bill, introduced during the previous Congress, has received
concern from the scientific research community. The House Oversight
and Government Reform Committee approved the bill Oct. 29 by a vote of
19-15.

The GRANT Act, which was also introduced in the previous Congress,
has been opposed by scientific societies. To view the Coalition for
National Science Funding organizational letter on the GRANT Act, click here:
http://www.esa.org/pao/policyStatements/Letters/GRANTActletterfeb2012.pdf

Passed House

H.R. 2640, the Central Oregon Jobs and Water Security Act -
Introduced by Rep. Greg Walden (R-OR), the bill would allow new
hydropower development in Prinevielle, Oregon. The bill passed the
House Oct. 29 by a voice vote and has been referred to the Senate
Energy and Natural Resources Committee.

Introduced in Senate

S. 1650, to exempt certain Alaska Native articles from prohibitions
against sale of items containing non-edible migratory bird parts -
Introduced Nov. 5 by Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-AK), the bill would
exempt the prohibition of sale of migratory bird parts that are used
in some traditional and customary handicrafts made by Alaska Natives.
The bill has been referred to the Senate Environment and Public Works
Committee. Companion legislation (H.R. 3109) has been introduced by
Rep. Don Young (R-AK).

S. 1641, the West Virginia National Heritage Area Act of 2013 -
Introduced Nov. 4 by Sen. Jay Rockefeller (D-WV) the bill would fund
National Park Service assistance for the Wheeling National Heritage
Area and the National Coal Heritage Area. It would also designate the
Appalachian Forest Heritage Area in West Virginia and part of
Maryland as a National Heritage Area. The bill has been referred to
the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Send questions or comments to Terence Houston, Policy Analyst,
Terence at esa.org.

If you received Policy News from a friend and would like to receive
it directly, please send an e-mail to listserv at listserv.umd.edu with
the following in the body of the message: sub ESANEWS {your first and
last name}

If you wish to unsubscribe to ESANEWS and your biweekly Policy News,
send the command "signoff ESANEWS" to listserv at listserv.umd.edu

Visit ESA's website at www.esa.org to learn more about our activities
and membership.
See past editions of ESA's Policy News at http://www.esa.org/pao/policyNews/
-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: <http://lists.plantconservation.org/pipermail/native-plants_lists.plantconservation.org/attachments/20131112/acf6c547/attachment.html>