AWG E-MAIL NEWS 2006-12

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AWG E-MAIL NEWS 2006-12
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CONTENTS
1) AGI GOVERNMENT AFFAIRS ACTION ALERT: 4-4-06
2) AGI GOVERNMENT AFFAIRS MONTHLY REVIEW - MARCH 2006
3) CONTACT INFORMATION

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Thanks to everyone who contributed to this issue of E-mail News

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1) AGI GOVERNMENT AFFAIRS ACTION ALERT: 4-4-06

*** USGS Mineral Resources Program Threatened With 42% Cut ***

IN A NUTSHELL: The Mineral Resources Program is the sole federal
provider of scientific information for objective mineral resource assessments
and unbiased research results on mineral potential, production,
consumption and environmental effects and would receive a 42% cut, leaving the
program with only $31 million in Fiscal Year (FY) 2007. This reduction
would terminate the collection of nation-wide basic geologic and
mineral deposit data, the internationally coordinated global mineral resource
assessment, and many mineral commodity reports.
Additionally, this cut would eliminate approximately 180 full time
positions within the USGS at facilities in Reston, Reno, Tucson, Denver and
Menlo Park, among others. The $31 million remaining in the program
would continue funding for minerals surveys and studies relevant to
ongoing land management by the Department of the Interior, regulatory, and
remediation activities more oriented to the interests of states, local
governments, and universities.

* * * * * * * * * *
The Mineral Resources Program (MRP) of the USGS provides critical
information about minerals and mineral products that supports the foundation
of the U.S. economy and enhances the quality of life of all Americans.
MRP provides objective mineral resource assessments and equitable
research results on mineral potential, production, consumption and
environmental effects. The estimated value of domestically processed non-fuel
mineral materials totaled $478 billion in 2005.

The MRP has 6 divisions with offices across the U.S. working on a broad
range of initiatives to secure the nation’s economic base and
environmental welfare. The following six examples of ongoing or completed
projects emphasize the vitality of the entire program:

* Each month, the Minerals Information Services of the MRP responds to
2,000 telephone inquiries and more than 90,000 email or facsimile
inquiries from the federal government, state agencies, domestic and foreign
agencies, foreign governments and the general public.

* Cutting-edge research investigates the role of microbes in the
geochemical cycles of arsenic, mercury, lead and zinc. It is vital to
understand the pathways of transport, reaction and accumulation of
health-threatening toxins related to these elements in the near-surface
environment and to distinguish their natural or anthropogenic sources.

* USGS scientists completed a study of the occurrence and distribution
of asbestos-bearing vermiculite deposits in the U.S., in response to
the health problems created by Libby Mine’s asbestos-bearing vermiculite
deposit in Montana. Determining the distribution of mineral resources
or mineral products in the U.S. and elsewhere that might have an
adverse health or environmental effect is essential for our quality of life
and for reducing economic risks.

* A USGS report on the diatomite mining industry concluded that the
U.S. industry is mature and stable, but may be adversely affected by
overproduction in other countries in the future. Diatomite is used for
various applications, including filtration, absorbents, fillers,
insulation, and cement manufacture. In 2001, the U.S. produced about 30% of
diatomite globally and accounted for at least 50% of all the diatomite
exported in the world.

* Mineral industry surveys are published monthly to quarterly on U.S.
production, imports and exports, and production and capacity of other
countries of all economically-important resources from abrasives to zinc.

* The Global Mineral Resource Assessment Project of the MRP provides
unbiased and timely information about the current and future availability
of mineral resources around the world. This assessment is needed to
understand and anticipate economic, health, environmental and political
factors that will affect how these resources are used in this
increasingly interconnected world.

The data and analyses of the MRP are used by the Department of the
Interior, Department of Defense, the Central Intelligence Agency, the
Department of State, the Federal Reserve, other federal, state and local
government entities, foreign governments, private companies and the
general public. Analyses based on the MRP data are essential for guiding
economic and environmental policy and for providing options for land use
decisions posed by industry, government and private land owners.

Funding must be restored for this vital program. Please write a brief
letter to the House and Senate Interior and Environment Appropriations
Subcommittees and your Representative and Senator explaining why the
USGS Minerals Program should not be subjected to major cuts. Contact
information and a sample letter are provided below as a template. Feel
free to cite specific programs and to use examples of the value of
unbiased mineral assessments. Fact sheets on USGS programs are available at
http://www.usgs.gov.

Please fax or e-mail a copy of your letter to AGI at Government Affairs
Program, 4220 King Street, Alexandria VA 22302-1502; fax 703-379-7563;
email govt@agiweb.org.

Due to new security procedures for postal mail, the most timely and
efficient means with which to communicate with your Members of Congress is
by faxing letters or utilizing e-mail offered through their websites
(http://www.house.gov/ or http://www.senate.gov). Many thanks for
taking the time to be an active citizen-scientist!

****************************************

Letter to House and Senate Interior and Environment Appropriations
Subcommittees:

Senator Conrad Burns, Chairman
Senator Byron Dorgan, Ranking Member
Senate Committee on Appropriations
Interior and Related Agencies Subcommittee
132 Senate Dirksen Office Building
Washington, DC 20510
Fax: (202) 228-4532

Representative Charles Taylor, Chairman
Representative Norman D. Dicks, Ranking Member House Committee on
Appropriations Interior, Environment and Related Agencies Subcommittee
B-308 Rayburn House Office Building
Washington, DC 20515
Fax: (202) 225-9069

Dear Senators Burns and Dorgan:
Dear Representatives Taylor and Dicks:

I am writing to ask that you support a strong, balanced investment in
science in the Fiscal Year (FY) 2007 budget request. Specifically, I
urge you to support a robust budget request for the U.S. Geological
Survey (USGS), the Nation’s premier geoscience organization, and restore
funding to the Mineral Resources Program.

The central mission of the USGS is to provide reliable, objective earth
science data and analysis from a national perspective. The survey is
widely recognized for providing unbiased data to better manage the
nation's resources, especially its mineral resources. The Mineral Resources
Program is the sole federal provider of scientific information for
objective mineral resource assessments and unbiased research results on
mineral potential, production, consumption and environmental effects and
is slated to receive a 42% cut in Fiscal Year (FY) 2007. This reduction
would terminate the collection of nation-wide basic geologic and
mineral deposit data, the internationally coordinated global mineral resource
assessment, and many mineral commodity reports. Additionally, this cut
would eliminate approximately 180 full time positions within the USGS
at facilities in Reston, Reno, Tucson, Denver and Menlo Park, among
others. Please support a strong budget request so that this agenc
y can fulfill its important mission.

Thank you for your consideration of this letter. If you would like
additional information on the Mineral Resources Program and its value to
our Nation, I would be happy to be of assistance.

* * * * * * * * * *
Alert prepared by Margaret Anne Baker, Government Affairs Staff

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2) AGI GOVERNMENT AFFAIRS MONTHLY REVIEW - MARCH 2006

1. Innovation Roundup
a. PACE Legislation Moving Forward
b. Competitiveness Amendment Included in House College Access &
Opportunity Act
c. House Innovation Legislation Introduced, Preliminary Hearings Held
d. Kennedy, Santorum Introduce Additional Innovation Legislation in
Senate
2. Congress Begins Working on the Budget
3. Senate Climate Conference Coming Up Soon
4. Representatives Voice Support for Science Funding
5. Record Turnout at Congressional Visits Day
6. National Academies Seeks Input on Grand Research Questions in
Solid-Earth Sciences
7. National Earthquake Hazards Reduction Program (NEHRP)
8. Change in Leadership at Department of the Interior
9. USGS Water Data Useful Tools for Hazards and Health
10. Google Mars
11. SSA 100th Anniversary Earthquake Conference Coming Up,
Distinguished Lectureship Nominations Open
12. World Water Forum Held in Mexico
13. AGI Submits Appropriations Testimony to the House
14. AGI Seeking Applications for Fall Internship Program
15. Key Federal Registers Notices
16. New Updates to the Website

1. Innovation Roundup
a. PACE Legislation Moving Forward
Several Senate committees have begun addressing the Protecting
America’s Competitive Edge (PACE) legislation package. After holding a series
of hearings, the Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources
passed the PACE-Energy Act (S.2197) on March 8. The Senate Committees on
Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions and Commerce, Science, and
Transportation have each held a series of hearings on the PACE-Education Act
(S.2198), although no further action has been taken on the bill by
either committee. The PACE-Finance Act (S.2199) is awaiting action by the
Senate Committee on Finance.

The PACE Acts can be viewed online at:
PACE-Energy - http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/bdquery/z?d109:s.2197:
PACE-Education - http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/bdquery/z?d109:s.2198:
PACE-Finance - http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/bdquery/z?d109:s.2199:

b. Competitiveness Amendment Included in House College Access &

Opportunity Act
In a 293 – 134 vote, the full House approved the American
Competitiveness Amendment to the College Access and Opportunity Act (H.R.609) on
March 29. Introduced by Representative Cathy McMorris (R-WA), the
amendment seeks to increase the number of teachers qualified to teach Advanced
Placement (AP) courses and the number of qualified math and science
professionals serving as adjunct teachers in secondary schools. Rather
than create new programs, the amendment adds uses of funds to two
provisions in the act: Title II (Teacher Quality Enhancement Grants) and the
Robert C. Byrd Honors Scholarship Program.

The College Access and Opportunity Act was passed by the House on March
30 in a 221-199 vote. The legislation can be viewed online at:
http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/bdquery/z?d109:h.r.609:

c. House Innovation Legislation Introduced, Preliminary Hearings Held
On March 1, 2006, Representative Bob Goodlatte (R-VA) introduced the
Innovation and Competitiveness Act of 2006 (H.R.4845). "The Innovation
and Competitiveness Act is a consensus piece of legislation to get
Congress engaged in the business of promoting innovation in America by
creating additional incentives for private individuals and businesses to
create and rollout new products and services so that America will remain
the world leader in innovation," Goodlatte said in his introduction of
the bill. The bill focuses on education, taxation, liability reform,
and health care reform. Unlike the President's American Competitive
Initiative, the PACE bills, and other competitiveness legislation, H.R.4845
does not include any provisions to increase research funding for
federal agencies.

The text of the bill, a summary, and a link to the press release are
available at: http://www.house.gov/goodlatte/innovation109.htm

In related news, the House Science Committee has begun holding a series
of hearings to aid in the development of legislation related to U.S.
competitiveness. According to the Science Committee website, "The
Committee plans to introduce the legislation next month and hopes to move the
bills to the House floor by May or June."

d. Kennedy, Santorum Introduce Additional Innovation Legislation in
Senate
On March 2, 2006, Senator Edward Kennedy (D-MA) introduced S.2357, the
Right Time to Reinvest in America's Competitiveness and Knowledge Act
(Right TRACK Act). Of primary interest to scientists in the Right TRACK
legislation are increases in research funding of 10 percent per year
through fiscal year (FY) 2013 for the Department of Energy (DOE), the
Department of Defense (DOD), the National Science Foundation (NSF), the
National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), and the National
Institutes of Health (NIH). The legislation also promotes increased use
of renewable energy sources by extending the tax credit for solar
energy and creating tax credits for other forms of "green electricity,"
including wind, geothermal, biomass, biogas, and hydropower sources. The
act also makes permanent the research and development tax credit.

A number of education provisions fall under Title II of the bill, known
as the New National Defense Education Act (New NDEA). In particular,
the New NDEA would require all states to perform science assessments in
the 4th and 8th grades; double funding for education programs at NSF;
provide tuition grants for low- and middle-income students in science,
technology, engineering, and math (STEM) fields; and increase loan
forgiveness for STEM teachers in high-poverty schools. It would also raise
funding for NSF's Math and Science Partnership (MSP) program to $400
million in FY 2007 (funded at $63 million in FY 2006), followed by annual
increase of 10 percent through FY 2011.

A press release with a summary of the legislation is available at:
http://help.senate.gov/Min_press/2006_02_22_a.pdf

On March 15, 2006, Senator Rick Santorum (R-PA) introduced S.2423, the
Securing Excellence in Education for our Kids (SEEK) in Math and
Science Act of 2006. The SEEK legislation focuses on K-12 and undergraduate
education in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM)
fields. The act authorizes the development of teacher recruitment,
training, and retention programs, including a part-time master's degree
program for STEM middle- and high-school teachers; a scholarship program
for undergraduates in STEM fields who receive concurrent teaching
certification and complete a five-year teaching requirement; bonuses for
highly-qualified STEM teachers who teach in high-need schools; and loan
interest payments for STEM teachers and professionals. An additional
provision of the legislation provides grants for schools that pilot a
differentiated compensation for K-12 math and science teachers. The
compensation system would be "based primarily on measures of improvement i
n student academic achievement."

A press release on the legislation is available at:
http://santorum.senate.gov/public/index.cfm?FuseAction=PressOffice.View&ContentRecord_id=1715&Region_id=0&Issue_id=0

2. Congress Begins Working on the Budget
Last month President Bush released his fiscal year (FY) 2007 budget
request to Congress, and this month Congress has started down a path of
its own for the FY 2007 budget. The House and the Senate Appropriations
committees have held a series of hearing this month on the President’s
budget request. At the same time, the House and Senate Budget
committees have finalized their non-binding budget resolutions that provide an
outline for total federal spending for FY 2007. The final resolution
is not passed on to the White House for enactment; rather it is the
congressional response to the President's budget proposal, a financial plan
that Congress agrees to follow in the appropriations process and in
legislation affecting entitlement programs, taxes and other matters
affecting revenue. It sets the total spending levels that will be available
for the Appropriations subcommittees to spend.

On March 16th, the Senate passed its budget resolution (S. Con. Res.
83) in a partisan 51-49 vote. The Senate resolution provides a total of
$872.5 billion for discretionary spending, with $26.1 billion for the
General Science, Space and Technology account, $3.8 billion for the
Energy account, and $28.2 billion for the Natural Resources and Environment
account. The Senate resolution assumes $3 billion in revenues over the
next five years from oil and gas production in the Arctic National
Wildlife Refuge (ANWR). The accompanying report to the budget resolution
states that “While the budget resolution cannot dictate the contents of
legislation reported by any committee, the FY 2007 Budget Resolution
can and does instruct the Energy and Natural Resources Committee to meet
a reconciliation target totaling $3 billion over the 2007-2011 period.”
The report also supports the President’s request for increased funding
for the National Science Foundation, the Office of Science withi
n the Department of Energy and the National Aeronautics and Space
Administration. The committee differed with the President’s request for
cuts in the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and
resolved that NOAA should be funded at not less than its fiscal year 2006
level.

The House Budget Committee passed its budget resolution (H.Con.Res.376)
on March 29th along party lines (22-17) and it now awaits floor debate.
The House resolution provides $872.8 billion in discretionary spending,
which, similar to the Senate version, does not include $90 billion in
emergency supplemental funding. The House version provides a total of
$25.8 billion for the General Science, Space, and Technology account,
$3.8 billion for the Energy account, and $28.2 billion for the Natural
Resources and Environment account. Floor debate on the budget resolution
should begin the first week in April and it is likely that many
amendments will be introduced to increase mandatory and discretionary
spending.

Once the House and Senate have budget resolutions and have provided
total spending amounts for the appropriations bills, then the
Appropriations subcommittees in both chambers will begin the long work of writing
the details of how these amounts will be divided between federal
programs. As House Budget Committee Chairman Jim Nussle (R-IA) said in his
opening statement last week, “it’s important to note the while our budget
sets the overall number, it is the work of the Appropriations Committee
to determine how that money is allocated.”

3. Senate Climate Conference Coming Up Soon
The Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources will hold a
day-long Climate Conference on April 4 in Room G50 of the Dirksen Senate
Office Building. Topics to be discussed include business perspectives on
climate policy decisions (9:40 am – 10:50 am), analysis of domestic
design options (11:00 am – 12:10 pm), perspectives on domestic design (2:30
pm – 3:40 pm), and trading and international competitiveness (3:45 pm –
5:00 pm). Panelists to speak at the conference include representatives
from industry, government, and non-profit groups.

The conference schedule and list of participants are available at:
http://energy.senate.gov/public/index.cfm?FuseAction=IssueItems.View&IssueItem_ID=38

4. Representatives Voice Support for Science Funding
On March 9, Representatives Vernon Ehlers (R-MI), Rush Holt (D-NJ), Bob
Inglis (R-SC), and Dan Lipinski (D-IL) began collecting signatures for
a Dear Colleague letter circulating in the House that requests
increased funding for the National Science Foundation (NSF). Specifically, the
letter asks Congress to provide NSF with the full $6.02 billion
requested by the administration for fiscal year 2007. As of March 31, 156
representatives had signed the letter. The letter, which closed on April
3rd, will now be sent to the House Appropriations Subcommittee on
Science, State, Justice and Commerce. The full text of the letter was
originally sent out as an AGI Action Alert on March 16 and is available
online at http://www.agiweb.org/gap/legis109/nsfdearcolleague_alert.html.

A second Dear Colleague letter began circulating in the House on March
6. Written by Representatives Judy Biggert (R-IL), Adam Schiff (D-CA),
and Ellen Tauscher (D-CA), the letter requests that Congress provide
the Department of Energy (DOE) Office of Science with $4.1 billion in
fiscal year 2007, the amount requested by the administration. As of March
31,
103 representatives had signed the letter. A similar letter was
circulated in the Senate by Senators Lamar Alexander (R-TN) and Jeff Bingaman
(D-NM). As of March 31, 51 senators had signed the letter. Both letters
closed on March 31.

5. Record Turnout at Congressional Visits Day
A record number of geoscientists attended the eleventh annual
Science-Engineering-Technology Congressional Visits Day on March 28 and 29.
Sixty-nine earth scientists and geo-engineers from AGI member societies
conducted more than 200 visits in the House and the Senate. The
geoscientists joined over 300 scientists and engineers in a two-day effort to
raise support for federal investments in science and engineering.
Participants from the American Geophysical Union, the American Association
of Petroleum Geologists, the Association of Environmental and
Engineering Geologists, the Association for Women Geoscientists, the Geological
Society of America, the National Association of Geoscience Teachers, and
the National Speleological Society spent a day learning about the
proposed fiscal year 2007 budget for geoscience research and education,
followed by a day sharing their concerns with their representatives and
senators. Geoscientists also attended a reception at the Capitol Hill
Club to honor Representative Frank Wolf (R-VA), Chair of the House
Appropriations Subcommittee on Science, State, Justice, and Commerce and a
breakfast that featured Representative Bob Inglis (D-SC) and John
Culberson (R-TX).

The annual CVD event is sponsored by the Science-Engineering-Technology
Work Group, an information network comprising professional scientific
and engineering societies, higher education associations, institutions
of higher learning, and trade associations. The two-day event is a
great opportunity for scientists, engineers, researchers and educators to
speak with their representatives on Capitol Hill about the importance of
the sciences. For more information, please visit the CVD website at
http://www.aas.org/policy/cvd/index.html.

6. National Academies Seeks Input on Grand Research Questions in
Solid-Earth Sciences The National Academies’ Board on Earth Sciences and
Resources has formed a committee to identify key research questions in the
solid-Earth sciences. Preliminary questions being considered by the
committee include:
1. How did the Earth and planets form?
2. What happened during Earth’s dark age (the half billion years before
the oldest known rock formed)?
3. How did life begin on Earth?
4. Why plate tectonics?
5. How has Earth’s interior evolved, and how has it affected the
surface?
6. Why does Earth have a magnetic field?
7. How do life and Earth co-evolve?
8. How has Earth’s climate changed, and why?
9. Can we understand and predict catastrophic natural events?
10. How do material properties control planetary processes?
11. How do air, water, land, and life processes interact to shape our
environment?

The committee is seeking input on these questions and suggestions for
other questions. Feedback can be submitted online through August 2006
at: http://dels.nas.edu/besr/grq_input.php

7. National Earthquake Hazards Reduction Program (NEHRP)
NEHRP has created a new web site dedicated to the program. The web
site is www.nehrp.gov.

NEHRP is requesting public comments on its existing strategic plan for
2001-2005, which is being updated for 2006-2010. Comments may be
submitted via the web, email, fax, or regular mail. The process for
submitting comments is available on the NEHRP web site at
http://nehrp.gov/public_comments.html. All comments must be received
by 5 pm EDT on Friday, May 26, 2006.

NEHRP will hold an overview session at the 100th Anniversary of the
1906 San Francisco Earthquake Conference on Monday, April 17, 2006, at
4:00 pm at the Westin St. Francis Hotel in San Francisco, CA. At this
session, the NEHRP agencies will provide a brief overview presentation on
implementation of changes required by the NEHRP Reauthorization Act of
2004 and the process for updating the NEHRP Strategic Plan. Attendees
at this session will be provided an opportunity for community
discussion of the plan.

NIST will develop and maintain an email list server for NEHRP to send
out information of interest about the program to the earthquake hazards
community from time to time. If you would like to be added to the list
server, please send an email to info@nehrp.gov with the word
"subscribe" written in the subject line or you can complete the "NEHRP
Information Registration Form" at http://nehrp.gov/register/NEHRPRegform.asp.

8. Change in Leadership at Department of the Interior
Secretary of the Interior, Gale Norton, submitted her letter of
resignation on March 10th to President Bush. Her resignation is effective at
the end of the month. Norton cited the desire to return to the West
and to pursue a path in the private sector in her letter of resignation.
She also said in the letter that “one aspect of Washington that I will
not miss is the divisiveness that too often prevails.” Norton’s tenure
at the Department of the Interior (DOI) has been controversial at
times, because of her support for opening more federal lands to energy
exploration and revising the Endangered Species Act.

President Bush has nominated Idaho Governor Dirk Kempthorne as a
replacement for Norton. As governor for eight years, Kempthorne is a part of
the court case to challenge the Clinton-era Roadless Area Conservation
Rule that limits road building and access to national forest land. He
also has worked to broker a deal over water rights between the federal
government and the Nez Perce Indian Tribe. Senators from both parties
have indicated that the confirmation process for Kempthorne, who served
as a senator representing Idaho for one term, will be relatively quick.

9. USGS Water Data Useful Tools for Hazards and Health
The U.S. Geological Survey held a congressional briefing on March 17th
to highlight the role of streamgages in mitigating flooding hazards.
The well-attended briefing provided an opportunity for the agency to
bring in some of its partners to talk about the type of information that
streamgages provide and how that information is used at the federal and
local levels. Speakers at the event included Peter Gabrielsen, from
the National Weather Service, Steve Fitzgerald, from the Harris County
Flood Control District, and David Ford, from the David Ford Consulting
Engineers, Inc.. USGS Associate Director for Water Robert M. Hirsch
opened the briefing by saying that the streamgage network is critical for
saving lives and mitigating flooding hazards across the country.
Gabrielsen discussed how the National Weather Service uses streamgage
information to provide flood prediction to state and local level governments
to help mitigate against flood damage. Fitzgerald and Ford provided
more detailed examples of how streamgage data are used by decision
makers, citing an example of a parking garage near a river that uses the
information to decide when they should close due to possible flood
conditions. Information on the briefing and USGS streamgage programs is
available at http://www.usgs.gov/solutions/floods_17march06.html

In related news, the USGS released a report on pesticides in the
nation’s streams and groundwater resources. The report concludes that
pesticides are frequently present in surface waters in urban and agricultural
areas but that pesticides are much less common in groundwater. The
ten-year study was done in association with the U.S. Environmental
Protection Agency (EPA) in part to provide data to the EPA’s exposure risk
assessments for regulating the use of pesticides. The study focuses on 51
major basins and aquifer systems and did not focus on testing at
drinking-water intakes. A copy of the report is available at
http://water.usgs.gov/pubs/circ./circ1291. Additional information on
the pesticide assessment is available at http://water.usgs.gov/nawqa

10. Google Mars
On March 13, 2006, Google, in collaboration with planetary scientists
at Arizona State University, introduced a new web site called Google
Mars. The web site contains three different types of global maps of Mars:
1. A shaded relief map, generated with data from the Mars Orbiter Laser
Altimeter on NASA's Mars Global Surveyor spacecraft, 2. a mosaic of
visible images taken by the Mars Orbiter Camera on Global Surveyor, and 3.
a mosaic of infrared images taken by the Thermal Emission Imaging
System on NASA's Mars Odyssey spacecraft. You can change the resolution of
the maps, move to different areas of the map and locate features such
as craters, mountains and spacecrafts. You can find the martian maps at
http://www.google.com/mars/. The site may be expanded in the future
with more data and more maps.

11. SSA 100th Anniversary Earthquake Conference Coming Up,
Distinguished Lectureship Nominations Open
The Seismological Society of America (SSA) is celebrating its 100th
anniversary this year. The society's Centennial Annual meeting will be
held in San Francisco from April 18 - 22 and will commemorate the 100th
anniversary of the 1906 San Francisco earthquake. The meeting is joint
with the Earthquake Engineering Research Institute's Eighth U.S.
National Conference on Earthquake Engineering and the Disaster Resistant
California Conference of the California Office of Emergency Services.

AGI, the American Society of Civil Engineers and the Incorporated
Research Institutions for Seismology (IRIS) have organized a policy session
on Wednesday, April 19 and a tutorial session on Friday, April 21. The
tutorial will provide information, exercises and discussion about how
government works and how to communicate with policymakers.
Congressional members, congressional staff and state legislators will participate
in our discussion. In addition, scientists and engineers, who have
worked for a member of Congress for one full year as Congressional Science
Fellows, will share their perspectives. The tutorial session is
entitled "How to Communicate with Policy-Makers".
You may sign-up for this free session on the conference website after
you have registered for the conference.

On April 17, a special session on the National Earthquake Hazards
Reduction Program (NEHRP) has been added to the schedule of events. This
session will bring together representatives from the four agencies
responsible for NEHRP to discuss the formation of an advisory committee and
the updating of the strategic plan. There may also be a field hearing
organized by the Senate Subcommittee on Disaster Prevention and
Prediction on April 18 and several members of Congress have been invited to
speak at the conference throughout the week.

More information about the joint conference is available at:
http://www.1906eqconf.org

12. World Water Forum Held in Mexico
The World Water Council held the 4th triennial World Water Forum in
Mexico City on March 16-22, 2006. The forum brought together over 5,000
representatives from 148 countries to discuss global supplies of potable
freshwater. Five thematic topics were addressed in the forum:
providing water for growth and development, implementing integrated water
resources management techniques, addressing water sanitation issues,
managing water resources for food and the environment, and managing
water-related risks.

A major issue addressed at the forum was privatization of drinking
water, including the use of bottled water in countries lacking adequate
supplies of potable water. Last year in Mexico alone, citizens spent over
$3.4 billion on bottled water, a product one delegate called “a stealth
privatization.” The issue brought nearly 10,000 demonstrators to
Mexico City to protest against privatization of drinking water services.
Official representatives at the forum sided with the protestors and voted
to release a statement affirming that governments should be responsible
for providing citizens with potable water, not private companies.

A report on the proceedings of the World Water Forum will be available
online at http://www.worldwatercouncil.org/index.php?id=32&L=0.#739.

13. AGI Submits Appropriations Testimony to the House
On March 16th, AGI submitted testimony to four House Appropriation
subcommittees highlighting the budget of key federal geoscience agencies
and programs. The testimony provides AGI with the opportunity to inform
the committee on how the presidential budget request affects the Earth
sciences. The testimony for the House Energy and Water Appropriations
Subcommittee stressed the importance of continued funding for the
Department of Energy’s Office of Fossil Energy and voiced support for the
increased funding for the department’s Office of Science Basic Energy
Research. Similarly, the AGI testimony for the House Interior
Appropriations Subcommittee stressed the importance of federal support for the
Mineral Resources Program and the National Cooperative Geologic Mapping
program as well as other programs at the USGS. AGI also provided
testimony to promote increased funding for Earth science programs at the
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and NASA, and to support
the President’s request for the National Science Foundation. The full
text of the testimony provided to the four subcommittees is available
at http://www.agiweb.org/gap/gapac/testimony.html

14. AGI Seeking Applications for Fall Internship Program
AGI is seeking outstanding geoscience students with a strong interest
in federal science policy for a fourteen-week geoscience and public
policy internship in the fall 2006. Interns will gain a first-hand
understanding of the legislative process and the operation of executive branch
agencies. They will also hone their writing and Web publishing skills.
Stipends for the semester internships are funded by a generous
contribution from the American Association of Petroleum Geologists.
Applications must be postmarked by April 15, 2006. For more
information, please visit www.agiweb.org/gap/interns/internse.html.

15. Federal Register Notes
Below is a summary of Federal Register announcements regarding federal
regulations, agency meetings, and other notices of interest to the
geosciences community. Entries are listed in chronological order and show
the federal agency involved, the title, and the citation. The Federal
Register is available online at
http://www.access.gpo.gov/su_docs/fedreg/frcont05.html. Information on
submitting comments and reading announcements are also available online
at http://www.regulation.gov.

DOI: The Mineral Management Service announced its intent to prepare an
environmental impact study (EIS) on the tentatively scheduled 2007-2012
oil and gas leasing proposals in the Western and Central Gulf of
Mexico, off the States of Texas, Louisiana, Mississippi, and Alabama.
Comments on the scope of the EIS, significant issues that should be addressed,
and alternatives that should be considered can be submitted at
https://ocsconnect.mms.gov. [Federal Register: March 7, 2006 (Volume
71, Number 44)].

EPA: The Environmental Protection Agency announced a plan and schedule
for the review of the air quality criteria and national ambient air
quality standards (NAAQS) for lead. This review will take into account
newly emerging research on the effects of airborne lead on human health
and the environment. The schedule for this review incorporates Clean
Air Scientific Advisory Committee (CASAC) review and will be completed by
September 1, 2008. [Federal Register: March 8, 2006 (Volume 71, Number
45)]

DOI: The Bureau of Land Management and the Minerals Management Service
request comments and suggestions to assist in preparing a proposed rule
governing carbon dioxide injection for increased production and
recovery of oil and natural gas. Comments will be accepted at
http://www.regulations.gov until April 7, 2006. [Federal Register:
March 8, 2006 (Volume 71, Number 45)]

DOI: The Bureau of Land Management and the Minerals Management Service
request comments and suggestions to assist in the preparation of
proposed regulations governing Gas Hydrate Production Incentives. Comments
will be accepted at http://www.regulations.gov until April 7, 2006.
[Federal Register: March 8, 2006 (Volume 71, Number 45)]

DOI: The DOI Minerals Management Service will hold a panel discussion,
entitled ``The Energy Policy Act of '05--What Lies Ahead,'' on April
25, 2006, in Houston, Texas. The intent of the panel discussion is to
bring together some of the leading experts from the Department of the
Interior who are responsible for implementing the provisions of the Act.
The panel will discuss major provisions of the Act and will provide the
latest implementation status regarding the provisions, including
alternate energy related uses on the outer continental shelf (OCS); coastal
impact assistance; royalty incentives; royalty credits; and streamlined
oil and gas permit processing. For additional information see
http://www.mms.gov/awards. [Federal Register: March 17, 2006 (Volume
71, Number 52)].

NSF: The NSF Polar Programs Advisory Committee will hold a meeting on
May 18-19, 2006, in Arlington, VA, to advise NSF on the impact of its
policies, programs, and activities of the polar research community, to
provide advice to the Director of OPP on issues related to long-range
planning. [Federal Register: March 20, 2006 (Volume 71, Number 53)].

DOI: The Bureau of Land Management North Slope Science Initiative
(NSSI), Science Technical Group will hold a meeting on April 25-26, 2006, in
Fairbanks, AK to discuss Energy Policy Act and NSSI, foreseeable
developments over the next 20 years by member agencies, expectations of
Oversight Group and Science Technical Group members, and priority issues and
projects for NSSI. [Federal Register: March 21, 2006 (Volume 71,
Number 54)].

NSF: The NSF Advisory Committee for Environmental Research and
Education will hold a meeting on May 12-13, 2006, in Arlington, VA to provide
advice, recommendations, and oversight concerning support for
environmental research and education. [Federal Register: March 27, 2006 (Volume
71, Number 58)].

DOE: The DOE Office of Fossil Energy Methane Hydrate Advisory Committee
will hold a meeting on April 24-25, 2006, in Washington, DC, to discuss
major interagency issues, including activities in other nations, FY2007
budgets, reauthorization, interagency coordination and Interagency
Roadmap; the Energy Policy Act of 2005 requirements; and recommendations to
DOE regarding planning and future activities. [Federal Register: March
27, 2006 (Volume 71, Number 58)].

NSF: The NSF Engineering Advisory Committee will hold a meeting on May
3-4, 2006, in Arlington, VA, to provide advice, recommendations and
counsel on major goals and policies pertaining to engineering programs and
activities. [Federal Register: March 31, 2006 (Volume 71, Number 62)].

16. New Updates to the Website
Innovation and US Competitiveness (3-31-06) Hearings on Volcanic
Hazards (3-20-06) Hearings on Nuclear Waste Management (3-20-06) Hearings and
Briefings on Climate Change (3-20-06) Hearings on Innovation and U.S.
Competitiveness (3-16-06) Hearings on Energy (3-16-06) Action Alert:
Support Increased Funding for NSF (3-16-06)
FY2007 Department of Agriculture Appropriations (3-9-06)
FY2007 NASA Appropriations (3-7-06)
FY2007 Appropriations Hearing Summaries (3-7-06) Hearings on Wind
Hazards (3-3-06)

* * * * * * * * * *
Monthly Review prepared by Linda Rowan, Director of Government Affairs,
Margaret Anne Baker, Government Affairs Staff and Jenny Fisher, 2006
AGI/AAPG Spring Intern.

Sources: Washington Post, Greenwire, World Water Council, Senate
Committee on Energy and Natural Resources, National Academies Board on Earth
Sciences and Resources, Seismological Society of America, Senate and
House Press Releases, House Science Committee, Senate Budget Committee,
House Budget Committee, Department of the Interior, U.S.
Geological Survey, Google.

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