Research & Developments is a blog for brief updates that provide context for the flurry of news regarding law and policy changes that impact science and scientists today.
Science was on the ballot across the United States in Tuesday’s midterm elections. On federal, state, and municipal levels, hundreds of people with backgrounds in science, technology, engineering, mathematics, and medicine ran for office. Americans also voted on measures related to conservation projects, pollutant abatement, healthcare access, and environmental reviews.
On the basis of their published platforms, the Democratic Party prioritizes environmental and climate mitigation policies more than the Republican Party; with Democrats regaining majorities in both houses of Congress, many science and environmental advocates hope to see legislation that could reverse some of the changes to federal science and environmental policy over the past 2 years.
Here are a few of the midterm outcomes that might shape the future of science and the environment in the United States.
House Science Committee
Because the next House of Representatives will be controlled by Democrats, the current ranking member of the House Committee on Science, Space, and Technology, Rep. Zoe Lofgren (D–Calif.), will become the committee’s chair. The position is currently held by Rep. Brian Babin (R-Texas), a strong Trump supporter.
With Lofgren assuming leadership and new members reconstituting the committee, it may have more power to reverse some of the Trump administration’s changes to science policy.
Those changes have “really taken a sledgehammer to the foundation of science research and innovation, and we’re going to need to try and put the pieces back together,” Lofgren told FYI, the news arm of the American Institute of Physics.
Lofgren and other Democrats told FYI that in a Democrat-controlled Congress, the House Science Committee would focus on stopping a proposal from the Office of Management and Budget to make sweeping changes to the federal grantmaking process. Democrats also said the committee would put science officials, such as Energy Secretary Chris Wright and Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., under greater scrutiny for their actions.
The Republican-to-Democrat flip in the House also means that chairmanship of the House’s Subcommittee on Space and Aeronautics, which covers NASA, will switch from Rep. Mike Haridopolos (R–Fla.) to current ranking member Rep. Valerie Foushee (D–N.C). Industry sources expect Democrats to prioritize combating proposed cuts in NASA science programs and closures of facilities at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Md.
“One of the few issues in Washington I can proudly say we can work together on is space,” Haridopolos said at the Space Economy Summit in Orlando, Fla., on 29 October. “It’s something Republicans and Democrats have locked arms about and really believe is the future of our country.”
Congressional and Statewide Seats
Incumbent Colorado Sen. John Hickenlooper (D) retained his seat. Hickenlooper, a former geologist, has been an advocate for science while in office.
In Michigan’s 7th District William Lawrence (D) challenged incumbent Rep. Thomas Barrett (R) and is projected to win (with more than 95% of votes counted as of publication). Lawrence is an environmental activist and a cofounder of the Sunrise Movement, a youth-driven climate action organization. He ran on a platform to protect Michigan’s natural areas from data center encroachment, to restore wetlands and rivers, and to hold polluters accountable.
The ongoing recovery from Hurricane Helene was among the top concerns for voters in North Carolina. After the 2022 disaster, President Trump tapped Republican Sen. Michael Whatley to coordinate disaster recovery efforts, calling him the “Helene Recovery Czar.” North Carolinians have been generally displeased with his efforts, and responded by voting in Democrat Roy Cooper to replace him. And in the state’s 11th district, which includes Asheville and 16 rural counties that were hardest hit by Helene, voters chose Democrat Jamie Ager, an environmental scientist and fourth-generation North Carolina farmer, to replace one-term Rep. Chuck Edwards (R), who withdrew from the race in August.
“I hate to sound totally partisan, but I know that there’s one party that’s trying to do something about climate change, and there’s one party that is denying it,” one NC-11 voter told Grist. “And so, I vote accordingly.”
In California, two Democrats were on the ballot for the role of insurance commissioner, a position which regulates everything from disaster insurance and worker’s compensation to auto, life, pet, and some types of health insurance. It’s an important role in a state wracked by wildfires that have threatened public health and been worsened by climate change. As of Wednesday morning, the election was still too close to call.
While State Senator Ben Allen ran on the platform that a comprehensive wildfire mitigation plan was the way to improve the availability and affordability of disaster insurance, former San Francisco supervisor Jane Kim proposed something more radical: natural disaster insurance for all. If elected, Kim has said she would divert insurance premiums homeowners already pay into a public program that automatically covers all homes in the state. On her website, Kim argued that “a public system would address the climate disaster instead of avoiding it.” Allen’s website argued that Kim’s plan is too risky, threatening to “bankrupt the state and send costs even higher.”
State-Level Ballot Issues
Voters in Rhode Island elected to establish the $55 million Environment and Watershed Protection and Development Bond. The bond will distribute funds to improve and add to statewide water infrastructure, restore and protect the Narragansett Bay watershed, and preserve agricultural land and natural areas for recreation.
Massachusetts voted to establish the Nature for All Fund. The new law will direct into the fund 50% of the tax revenue collected from the sale and use of sporting goods, recreational vehicles, and golf courses before 1 July 2028 (and 100% of the tax collected thereafter). It also establishes a 15-member board consisting of state officials and members of the public, including representatives of underserved communities, Indigenous peoples, and at least one person with expertise or experience in natural resource conservation. The board will direct the use of those funds to natural resource conservation projects across the state.
In Arkansas, voters passed a measure allowing the Arkansas Natural Resources Commission to issue up to $500 million in bonds for water infrastructure projects, including water treatment, pollution abatement, irrigation, flood control, and wetland conservation. This reflects a federal-state infrastructure partnership that has grown since the 2021 Infrastructure and Investment Act.
In Michigan, voters chose to support Proposal 2, which, among other changes, amends Michigan’s campaign finance laws to prohibit some electric and gas utilities, as well as utility-funded political action committees (PACs) from making campaign contributions. The proposal also bans people with “substantial connections” to such utilities from running for or holding offices that impact their businesses.
The ballot initiative was led by Michiganders for Money Out of Politics, a coalition of various advocacy groups, including the Michigan League of Conservation Voters. The coalition hopes that Proposal 2 will make it easier for state lawmakers to regulate these large utilities and work towards clean energy implementation.
Monopoly utility companies “have opposed commonsense clean energy solutions in the Legislature, like community solar and removing unnecessary caps for rooftop solar,” Nick Dodge, senior director of programs at the Michigan League of Conservation Voters, told Eos in an email. “By putting the power back in the hands of Michiganders, not powerful corporate interests, Michigan can pursue common-sense clean energy solutions that bring down energy costs, improve reliability and service, and benefit Michigan communities.”
Related:
• Democrats Outline Priorities for Next Congress’s House Science Committee
• Midterm election to test bipartisan support for NASA
• Hurricane Helene haunts the midterms in North Carolina
• Michigan Utility Interests Spend $215K to Fight Political Spending Ban
• Amendment 82, which would add “right to natural gas” to Colorado Constitution, appears unlikely to pass
• Get Involved: AGU Science Policy Action Center
In Colorado, an amendment to add the right to purchase and sell natural gas to the state constitution seemed unlikely to pass as of Wednesday morning, with only 46% in favor and 55% required for passage. If passed, Amendment 82 would make Colorado the first state with the constitutional right to buy and sell natural gas.
Also as of Wednesday morning, 54.1% of Californians had voted against a proposal to amend the California Environmental Quality Act, with 57% of the expected votes tallied. Proposition 45 proposed expediting environmental review for most housing, transportation, water, and health projects. The proposal would limit the duration of environmental reviews to one year and would require courts to resolve litigation related to reviews within 270 calendar days. Proponents argued that the bill would cut red tape and make California more affordable, while opponents, such as Deja McCauley of Physicians for Social Responsibility, argued that the initiative would mean “more toxic pollution in the air we breathe, the water we drink, and the land we live on.”
—Kimberly M. S. Cartier (@astrokimcartier.bsky.social), Staff Writer; Grace van Deelen (@gvd.bsky.social), Staff Writer; Emily Gardner (@emfurd.bsky.social), Deputy Editor
These updates are made possible through information from the scientific community. Do you have a story about how changes in law or policy are affecting scientists or research? Send us a tip at [email protected].
