U.S. environmental science programs cut in fiscal year 2005 budget proposal uite a few programs of interest to environmental science researchers are slated for reductions in the budget for fiscal year 2005 (FY ’05) proposed by the Bush Administration in early February. However, there are a few bright spots in what Rita Colwell, former director of the National Science Foundation, calls a “sea of mixed opportunity and constraint.” As a whole, Bush proposes cutting spending on the envionment by 4.1% in the FY ’05 budget, according to the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS). This issue includes information about the budgets for the U.S. Department of Energy, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, the National Science Foundation, and the U.S. Geological Survey. Please see the March 15 issue for an analysis of how the U.S. EPA fares in the proposal (p 104A). For more information on funding sources, check out the budget documents available at www.whitehouse. gov/omb/budget/fy2005. The AAAS provides an analysis of the budget at www.aaas.org/spp/rd.
Clean coal, hydrogen, and nuclear energy fare well in DOE budget President Bush’s $24.3 billion request for the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) for fiscal year 2005 (FY ’05) is 4.5% more than was requested for 2004 but only 1.2% more than was approved by Congress last year. Programs for clean coal, hydrogen, and nuclear energy earned big increases as a result of budgetary reshuffling. Overall funding for DOE’s Office of Science is down 2%, or $68 million, but the allocations have been substantially restructured. Funds for biological and environmental science research, such as studies of the human genome and climate change, were cut by 21.8% to $502 million. Hydrogen research is a big winner in the request; the Administration proposed an overall 30% increase—to $228 million—for hydrogen research and development, according to the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS). However, the gains for hydrogen, which include programs to generate the energy source from coal and nuclear power, are offset by what AAAS calls “steep cuts” in energy efficiency and renewables. Compared to last year’s appropriation, the biomass budget is down by 11% to $89 million, and a number of energy efficiency programs are taking
President Bush is proposing to give 10% more to DOE’s Generation IV nuclear energy systems initiative in fiscal year 2005.
hits. The vehicle technologies program, which includes the president’s FreedomCAR program to design the hydrogen-powered cars of the future, was cut by 12% to $157 million. DOE’s request includes $447 million for the president’s Coal Research Initiative, 18% more than in 2004. This includes 60% more— a total of $287 million—for DOE’s Clean Coal Power Initiative to support Bush’s FutureGen project for creating the world’s first emissions-free power plant using coal. Nuclear programs, which have increased a modest 1.2%, do not appear to fare well in the 2005 budget, but the Office of Nuclear Energy’s science and technology budget has been dramatically restructured. The $6 million set
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aside for a program to generate hydrogen using nuclear technology represents 41% more than the 2004 appropriation. DOE’s Generation IV nuclear energy systems initiative gets $31 million (10% more). The request for DOE’s environmental management budget is $7.4 billion. The main purpose of the 6.1% increase is to accelerate environmental cleanups and to establish a permanent nuclear waste repository, according to DOE Secretary Spencer Abraham. The $60 million budget for technology development and deployment is down 9% from this year’s appropriation and is nearly half the amount appropriated in 2003. —KELLYN BETTS
NSF budget gets 3% proposed increase The President requested $5.7 billion for National Science Foundation (NSF) for fiscal year 2005 (FY ’05). Although this year’s proposal increases the budget 3% over FY ’04 appropriations and provides money for environmental research equipment, the request falls far short of the numbers outlined in the NSF Doubling Act of 2002. “We have had to make informed choices in a sea of mixed opportunity and constraint,” explained Rita Colwell, who was director of NSF when she presented the re-
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Environmental▼News quest. However, two weeks later, Colwell announced that she was resigning her position to join Canon U.S. Life Sciences. The President has requested an increase for NSF when other agencies are facing budget cuts, Colwell stressed. In the FY ’05 request, Bush would provide research and related activities a 4.7% increase over current appropriations, while major research equipment funds would jump 38%. Within this line, $47.35 million is slated to continue Earthscope, a nationwide geological observation network, and $16 million to start up the National Ecological Observation Network, a series of centers to detect abrupt environmental changes and monitor long-term trends. Among NSF’s priority areas, Nano Science and Engineering
would increase 20% to $305 million, whereas Biocomplexity in the Environment would remain at FY ’04 levels. Graduate student fellowships would plateau in the FY ’05 request, but the number available would increase to 5500. In addition, the average grant size would increase by $3000 to $142,000. To provide American scientists and engineers with opportunities to engage with the world’s top researchers and access the best facilities, Colwell says, the request also includes a 21% increase to funding for NSF’s Office of International Science and Engineering. NSF’s request came within days of the National Science Board’s report to Congress required under the Doubling Act, which states that NSF would need $19 billion to address “budgetary and program-
matic growth” through FY ’07. “Despite signing [the Doubling Act] to glowing reviews, the President has sent us two successive budgets that fall far short of reaching that goal. With this budget submission we stand $3 billion below the doubling path,” wrote research subcommittee ranking member, Rep. Eddie Bernice Johnson (D-TX). “The only thing more surprising is the 18% cut to the [NSF] education and human resources budget account from an Administration that has claimed education of our youth as one its rhetorical hallmarks.” However, history shows that more money could still come to NSF. Last year, Congress appropriated $5.57 billion to NSF, which was $97 million more than the President’s request. —RACHEL PETKEWICH
NOAA gets less money
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and Atmospheric Research (OAR) program, which falls $60 million The fiscal year 2005 (FY ’05) redecisions related to climate change.” from congressional levels to $350 quest for the National Oceanic However, environmentalists disputmillion. Within OAR, climate change and Atmospheric Administration ed those claims, pointing out that research is slated for a $13.5 million (NOAA) is higher than the Bush the National Ocean Service—the increase—Lautenbacher highlighted Administration’s FY ’04 budget for agency that manages coastal waters the sustained ocean observation the agency—jumping $147 miland habitats—faced a $215 million program to look at climate influlion, or about 5%, to $3.4 billion— (35%) cut from 2004 enacted levels ence, which garners an extra but about 8% less than the $11 million, $6.6 million $3.69 billion Congress is more for a 5-year study of estimated to have authohow aerosols affect climate rized for 2004. Hard hit are change, and another $6.5 many of the agency’s scimillion for a carbon cycle atentific programs, including mospheric observing system. those that study climate Lautenbacher also anchange and coastal water nounced $5.5 million more protection, which the for twice-daily air quality American Association for ozone forecasts, which begin the Advancement of in the northeastern states Science says drop overall this year and will spread by $21 million to $611 milnationwide by 2008. EcoNOAA’s National Marine Fisheries program, which is lion. system protection and charged with protecting marine mammals like this NOAA’s administrator, restorations overall were endangered manatee, is slated for a $22 million cut Conrad Lautenbacher, also slated for a $145 million in FY ’05. praised the budget, saying, gain to $1.16 billion, accord“This budget request allows us to $379 million, and the National ing to Lautenbacher, but that is to develop the science necessary Marine Fisheries—which conserves below Congress’s 2004 estimated to improve weather, water, and fish stocks and marine mammals— budget of $1.4 billion. ecosystem forecasts of the future, is slated for a $22 million (3%) drop For more information, go to as well as give policy makers the to $623 million. www.publicaffairs.noaa.gov/ data they need to make important Also facing cuts is the Oceanic budget2005. —ALAN NEWMAN
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