Uncommon Ground

Uncommon Ground

Tag Archive: Science policy

Proposed revisions to regulations implementing the US Endangered Species Act

The US Fish & Wildlife Service and the National Marine Fisheries Service are charged with implementing the US Endangered Species Act. On Wednesday, they will publish three proposed rules in the Federal Register that modify existing regulations by which they implement the act. The proposed rules deal specifically with

  • Criteria for listing of species as endangered or threatened and for designation of critical habitat,
  • Aligning the way in which protections to threatened species are applied between USFWS and NMFS, and
  • Changing requirements and procedures associated with interagency cooperation on activities that affect endangered species.

If you are interested in how the Endangered Species Act is implemented in the United States, I urge you to read the proposed changes. If you want to comment on them, you have two options (on or after Wednesday, 25 July):

  1. Go to the Federal eRulemaking Portal (http://www.regulations.gov), enter FWS-HQ-ES-2018-0006 in the search box, click on the “Proposed Rules” link, click on “Comment Now!”, and submit your comment.
  2. Deliver a hard copy of you comments by US mail or hand delivery to
    • Public Comments Processing, Attn: FWS–HQ–ES–2018–0006; U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service, MS: BPHC, 5275 Leesburg Pike, Falls Church, VA 22041–3803
    • National Marine Fisheries Service, Office of Protected Resources, 1315 East West Highway, Silver Spring, MD 20910.

If you submit comments, they will be posted at http://www.regulations.gov.

I expect to review the proposed changes over the next few weeks and to post my comments on each of the proposals here. Then I’ll collect them into a single comment and post them at http://www.regulations.gov. If you read my comments and disagree, please explain how and why you disagree in the comments. Your comments will make my the comments I share with USFWS and NMFS much better.

July 23, 2018 Endangered species 0 Read more >

AIBS Emerging Public Policy Leadership Award

The American Institute of Biological Sciences works to ensure that the public, legislators, and others have access to the best scientific information available, especially in the fields of environmental and organismal biology. In addition to individual members, more than 100 professional societies are organizational members. One of the most interesting programs AIBS offers is its Emerging Public Policy Leadership Award. Here is the text of an e-mail I recently received announcing this year’s award.

Each year, the American Institute of Biological Sciences (AIBS) recognizes graduate students in the biological sciences who have demonstrated initiative and leadership in science policy. Recipients obtain first-hand experience at the interface of science and public policy.Winners receive:

  • A trip to Washington, DC, to participate in the AIBS Congressional Visits Day, an annual event that brings scientists to the nation’s capital to advocate for federal investment in the biological sciences, with a primary focus on the National Science Foundation. The event will be held on April 17-18, 2018. Domestic travel and hotel expenses will be paid for the winners.
  • Policy and communications training, including information on the legislative process and trends in federal science funding.
  • Meetings with congressional policymakers to discuss the importance of federal investment in the biological sciences.
  • A one-year AIBS membership, including a subscription to the journal BioScience and a copy of “Communicating Science: A Primer for Working with the Media.”
    The 2018 award is open to U.S. citizens and U.S. permanent residents enrolled in a graduate degree program in the biological sciences, science education, or a closely allied field. Applicants should have a demonstrated interest in and commitment to science policy and/or science education policy.

Applications are due by 11:59 PM Eastern Time on 9 January 2017. The application can be downloaded at http://www.aibs.org/public-policy/eppla.html.

November 13, 2017 Biology 0 Read more >