The administration moves forward with offshore plans for the Gulf of Mexico and Alaska, but its removal of an Atlantic lease sale sparks sharp responses from industry.
Randy Showstack
Randy Showstack, senior news writer for Eos.org, reports on policy, politics, and discovery in the areas of Earth and space science and the environment. His coverage ranges from climate change and frontiers of ocean and space research to actions by federal and international agencies, the White House, Congress, and the Supreme Court.
Posted inNews
Florida Mayors Spotlight Climate Change as U.S. Election Issue
In the run-up to presidential primaries today in Florida, a bipartisan group of mayors there raised the issue by convincing moderators to pose questions about it in national debates and in other ways.
Posted inNews
NOAA's 2017 Budget Would Support Observational Infrastructure
The Obama administration's budget request includes funding for an initiative to vastly boost the number of water-monitoring sites used to forecast floods, droughts, and other hydrological impacts.
Posted inNews
Congress Tussles over Bill to Provide Stability to NASA
Witnesses at a congressional hearing highlighted the need to provide stability to NASA but were lukewarm in supporting specific provisions of the proposed Space Leadership Preservation Act.
Posted inNews
McNutt Breaks Barriers as Incoming Science Academy President
Two traditions fall to the wayside as the U.S. National Academy of Sciences selects its first woman ever as president and, in choosing her, elevates its second consecutive geoscientist to the helm.
Posted inNews
Court Delay on U.S. Climate Plan Won't Stop Clean Energy Efforts
While many states wait for judicial clarity, analysts predict that the move toward clean energy and emissions reductions will continue.
Posted inNews
USGS Budget Plan to Advance Earth Observations, Hazards Measures
The request for across-the-board increases in fiscal year 2017 also seeks to improve water monitoring and terrain mapping, downsize infrastructure, and grow operations in support of scientific work.
Posted inNews
White House Showcases Earthquake Alerts, Federal Quake Readiness
A prototype ShakeAlert early warning system approaches alert-ready status as the administration issues an executive order on federal earthquake standards.
Posted inNews
Proposed 6.7% NSF Budget Increase Depends on Mandatory Funds
If Congress does not approve a new funding strategy pursued by the Obama administration, called mandatory funding, the proposed fiscal year 2017 amount for the agency would grow by only 1.3%.
Posted inNews
Mandatory Funding Would Boost U.S. Science Budget
Much of the White House's proposed 4.2% increase for federal research and development funding next year depends on Congress agreeing to a new "mandatory" funding category not subject to a budget cap.