What you can do

• We will be holding a webinar for our Op-Ed Project (Building a Better Society Through Science) on November 9 at 1 pm EST/10 am PST. See details here.
• EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt is preparing to prevent scientists who have received EPA funding from serving on EPA scientific advisory committees, and replace them with industry representatives--a dangerous and unprecedented move. If you have an advanced degree in earth, environmental, or health science, click here to sign an open letter from the Union of Concerned Scientists opposing this move and urging Congress to hold oversight hearings into science at the EPA.
• The deadline to submit a public comment to the FCC on the proposed takeover of Tribune Media by the controversial Sinclair Broadcast Group is this Thursday, November 2. Comments can be submitted here (see more instructions here).

Tech companies face hearings on Russian election interference

Representatives of Facebook, Google, and Twitter are appearing before a Senate Judiciary subcommittee on Tuesday, October 31, and the House and Senate Intelligence Committees on Wednesday, November 1. They are facing questioning about both paid advertisements and unpaid content from Russian sources during the 2016 presidential campaign. Facebook and Twitter have already announced new internal advertising and transparency policies designed to prevent disinformation campaigns by foreign operatives. While some Internet industry representatives advocate for self-regulation alone, there is bipartisan support for government involvement. The Honest Ads Act, introduced by Senators Amy Klobuchar (D-MN), Mark Warner (D-VA), and John McCain (R-AZ), would require any digital platform serving more than 50 million users to report on any campaign that pays it $500 or more per year to run political ads. Klobuchar described foreign election influence via social media as a national-security issue, saying "Russia attacked us and will continue to use different tactics to undermine our democracy and divide our country, including by purchasing disruptive online political ads."

Trump declares opioid emergency, but provides no funding

On October 27, President Trump declared the ongoing opioid abuse epidemic a public health emergency, but not a national emergency, which would have sped up availability of federal funds to combat the problem. Trump's declaration was welcomed by Republican members of the Senate Appropriations Committee, but slammed by the committee's Democrats, who pointed out that Trump's FY18 budget actually cuts funding available to anti-drug programs. Trump's claim that "really tough, really big, really great advertising" will solve the opioid problem has also drawn fire; past research on similar advertising campaigns has found them ineffective at discouraging drug use by young people.

Leaked Interior Department strategic plan favors oil and gas, ignores climate science

A five-year strategic plan drafted in September by the Department of the Interior was leaked to the Investigative Fund of the Nation Institute and published on October 25. The plan includes no mention of climate change or climate science, a sharp departure from the 2014-2018 plan, which included 46 mentions of climate change and a commitment to ameliorate its effects on heavily-affected areas. Instead, the proposed 2018-2022 plan emphasizes increasing U.S. "energy dominance" by making more public lands available to the oil and gas industries and speeding up the process of awarding drilling permits.

GAO agrees to study scientific integrity at federal agencies

The Government Accountability Office (GAO) has agreed to study whether federal agencies are complying with policies that protect research integrity. A letter sent in late September by Senator Bill Nelson (D-FL), the ranking member on the Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee, asked the GAO to report on how well federal scientists understand their right to do research without political interference. This follows reports of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) removing a climate change information webpage and forbidding its scientists to speak at a conference, and of the Interior Department reassigning scientists who had spoken out about climate change. Senator Nelson, who in January introduced a bill to protect the independence of government scientists, also asked GAO to investigate whether the Trump administration has suppressed scientific communication or interfered with research grants.

Senate hearing announced for NASA Administrator nominee Bridenstine

The Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation has announced that it will hold a hearing on Wednesday, November 1, for Rep. James Bridenstine (R-OK), who has been nominated to lead the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA). His will be one of eight presidential nomination hearings held by the committee over two days. Bridenstine has been a controversial pick for this role due to his lack of experience or background in science research, attracting criticism from both sides of the aisle. Bridenstine has shown a desire to move NASA's focus away from science research and toward military and commercial space development, much at odds with the role NASA currently serves in the space sphere.

Senate Democrats ask EPA for documents on Clean Power Plan repeal

Nineteen Senate Democrats, led by Environmental and Public Works Committee ranking member Tom Carper (D-DE), have sent a letter to EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt requesting all documents related to the cost-benefit analysis for its 2017 Repeal of the Clean Power Plan no later than December 1, 2017. The strongly worded letter states that Pruitt's "rejection of the scientific consensus that greenhouse gas pollution causes global warming is well-known" and expresses concern about "significant deficiencies associated with the cost-benefit analysis" used to support the repeal. It charges that "fabricating the math" will not "satisfy the requirements of the law," nor will it slow the ongoing effects of climate change. It also mentions that the Senators are still awaiting a response from Pruitt to their previous letter (sent on April 7) that asked him to state his views about the cause of global warming.

Quick takes

• The EPA released a strangely hostile statement, calling New York Times coverage of industry-EPA ties "elitist clickbait".
• The Republican chair of the House Appropriations subcommittee that funds the NIH is trying to block President Trump's proposed 10% cap on indirect costs.
• NATO nations and officials are working on cooperative arrangements to defend against Russian cyberattacks.
• President Trump has directed the Transportation Department to create a pilot program that would make it easier for companies to test and deploy drones.
• Michael Griffin, who served as NASA Administrator under George W. Bush, has been nominated by the Trump administration to be Principal Deputy Undersecretary of Defense for Acquisition, Technology, and Logistics.

Highlights from partner organizations

• In July 2017, RISE Stronger, 500 Women Scientists, the Union of Concerned Scientists (UCS), and the Engaging Scientists and Engineers in Policy (ESEP) Coalition joined together to launch our Op-Ed Project: Building a Better Society Through Science. We called on individuals to speak up for science by writing an op-ed in support of government funding for science, technology, and the programs that help build our society, support our local communities, and make the world a better place. Many concerned citizens answered the call, and they helped get the word out about the importance of non-defense discretionary spending for their local communities. To date, 11 op-eds from the project have been published in local papers across the U.S. Check out our most recent update on the Op-Ed Project to view these op-eds and find out how you can get involved.
• The Union of Concerned Scientists has launched the Science Network Mentor Program, which will connect motivated early career scientists with experienced scientist-advocates. Mentor-mentee pairs will each design a science-advocacy project with guidance and support from the Science Network team. You can find more information and eligibility requirements here. The application deadline is Friday, November 17. Questions can be addressed to Shreya Durvasula at [email protected]

Have comments or something to add? Contact the RISE Stronger Science & Technology Policy Working Group at [email protected].

Want to learn more? Check us out online at risestronger.org/groups/rise-science-technology, and sign up for the RISE S&T Newsletter at tinyletter.com/rise-science-tech.