Our Partner

COMMITTEE MEMBERS:

• Tim Johnson (Chairman)
• Barbara Boxer
• John Cornyn
• John Isakson
• Mark Pryor
• Pat Roberts
• Ken Salazar

SHARP Network

Science, Health, and Related Policies

• 
• People
• Committees
• Issues

Recent News Stories

• Pump primed for fall fight on energy
  Politico--There’s a little something for everyone to hate in the energy proposals Speaker Nancy Pelosi articulated over the weekend. [Read more]
• Endangered Process
  Washington Post--In May, the Bush administration reluctantly listed the polar bear as "threatened" under the Endangered Species Act. The facts left it with little choice: the bear's Arctic Sea ice habitat is melting because of global warming. But the administration wasn't happy, because the Endangered Species Act was never intended to be an instrument for [Read more]
• Anti-Regulation Aide to Cheney Is Up for Energy Post
  Washington Post--A senior aide to Vice President Cheney is the leading contender to become a top official at the Energy Department according to several current and former administration officials, a promotion that would put one of the administration's most ardent opponents of environmental regulation in charge of forming department policies on climate change. [Read more]
• We must do more to encourage girls to pursue science careers
  Mercury News--A recent study in the journal Science showcased some very promising results: Girls are measuring up to boys in math from grades two through 11. Yet there is clearly room for growth in the number of young women exploring technology and science as career paths. [Read more]
• AIDS Researchers Shift Focus to Long Haul
  NY Times--Two years have passed since the 16th International AIDS Conference in Toronto, and the contrast between that meeting and the 17th, which ended here this month, was humbling. No major breakthroughs were announced, and cutting-edge research findings were rare. [Read more]
• Boehner: Madam Speaker...Please stand up for energy
  Washington Times (Opinion)--Rep. Boehner on House Republican's energy push. [Read more]
• Coal's toxic legacy to the Arctic
  BBC News--Coal burning in western Europe and North America has been a prime source of heavy metal pollution in the Arctic. [Read more]
• Stuck down here: NASA needs its own launch capability during the next 10 years
  Houston Chronicle (Opinion)--Among the many entities and activities placed in jeopardy by the incursion of Russian troops into Georgia is U.S.-Russian space exploration. [Read more]
• Tougher Laws Needed to Protect Your Genetic Privacy
  Scientific American--Genetic testing will expand quickly and soon, adding highly targeted data to people’s medical records. As those records go electronic, outsiders will find it increasingly easy to peruse an individual’s health information. [Read more]
• Space policy heats up this summer
  Space Review--In the relatively tiny niche of space policy, on the other hand, the last couple of weeks have been as active as any time in recent memory. There has been a flurry of activity from both Democratic candidate Barack Obama and Republican candidate John McCain since the beginning of August. [Read more]
• FCC plans public awareness blitz about digital TV transition
  Government Computing News--The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) today announced a six-month digital TV public awareness marathon that will take commissioners to 80 communities across the country before the Feb. 17, 2009, deadline for ending analog TV broadcasts. [Read more]
• Advocate for Science Diplomacy
  NY Times--An interview with Dr. Nina V. Fedoroff, a member of the National Academy of Sciences and science adviser to the secretary of state and administrator of the Agency for International Development. [Read more]
• Don't know much about math
  Washington Times (Opinion)--Editorial on the need for increased math literacy for teachers. [Read more]
• Debate rages over free wireless spectrum
  CNET News--The debate over new unlicensed spectrum the Federal Communications Commission is considering opening up is heating. [Read more]
• Annual Creationism Conference Takes "Scientific" Approach
  Discover Magazine (Opinion)--Earlier this month, the Sixth International Conference on Creationism took place in Pittsburgh. [Read more]
• Google Plans Big Presence at Summer Political Conventions
  Wired Blog--As Google showcases how politicos use its tools, they also prepare for a large presence at both presidential nominating conventions. [Read more]
• Obama meets oilman who funded '04 attacks on Kerry
  Reuters--White House hopeful Barack Obama talked energy policy on Sunday with T. Boone Pickens, a billionaire oil investor who funded the "Swift Boat" attacks on Democratic presidential nominee John Kerry in 2004. [Read more]
• McCain's health insurance plan: More radical than Democrats'?
  Dallas Morning News-- Democratic health care proposals may have gotten more attention during the primaries, but Republican John McCain's plan just might be more revolutionary. [Read more]
• Evolving Obama now supports $2 billion more for NASA
  Houston Chronicle--In contrast to his earlier views on space exploration, Democrat Barack Obama also says he backs one more shuttle mission before it is retired. [Read more]
• House to Rethink Drilling, Pelosi Says
  N.Y. Times--Dropping her opposition to a vote on coastal oil exploration, Speaker Nancy Pelosi said Saturday that the House would consider expanded offshore drilling as part of broad energy legislation when Congress returns next month. [Read more]
• Russia-Georgia conflict could affect NASA funding
  Houston Chronicle--Russia's military campaign in Georgia could have repercussions far beyond its borders, jeopardizing the U.S.-Russian partnership for manning the international space station over the next decade. [Read more]
• Renewable Power's Growth in Colorado Presages National Debate
  Washington Post--When Colorado voters were deciding whether to require that 10 percent of the state's electricity come from renewable fuels, the state's largest utility fought the proposal, warning that any shift from coal and natural gas would be costly, uncertain and unwise. [Read more]
• Smith discusses energy issues
  Lexington Clipper-Herald--On Monday, Rep. Adrian Smith shared his thoughts on current energy policy and politics and presenting some possible solutions to the pain Americans are feeling at the gas pump. [Read more]
• Md. to Join Others in Alternative Power Deal
  Washington Post--Gov. Martin O'Malley announced a long-term commitment to buy wind power and other renewable energy, as he laid out an aggressive plan to overhaul the state's electricity system. [Read more]
• In Rural New York, Windmills Can Bring Whiff of Corruption
  N.Y. Times--The wind industry has arrived in force in upstate New York, but some residents say they have brought an epidemic of corruption and intimidation, as they rush to acquire enough land to make the wind farms a reality. [Read more]