Friday, 13 April 1990 Washington, DC
1. PORK-BARREL REGS TARGET ACADEMIC LOBBYISTS--BUT HIT BYSTANDERS
as well. Back in August (WN 11 Aug 89),
Sen. Byrd (D-WV) scuttled
an $18M science project at the University of West Virginia after
the University hired Cassidy Associates to represent it. He also
put through an amendment to curb the growing practice of earmarking
science funds for specific university projects, which threatened to
undermine the peer review process. The amendment bars recipients
from paying lobbyists out of federal grants and requires disclosure
of lobbyists' names. Cassidy, who specialized in getting big
projects for second-rate schools that stand little chance in open
competition (his clients include the University of Utah in its bid
for a $25M Federal cold-fusion center), has found the pork to be
pretty lean lately and has reportedly shifted his emphasis to other
kinds of clients. According to the Wall Street Journal, earmarks
this year are down to $37.5M from $128M two years ago. In December,
the Office of Management and Budget published interim guidance to
implement the Byrd Amendment. Final rules, now being prepared
agency-by-agency, follow the OMB model. Some university groups are
concerned the new rules will inhibit contacts between researchers
and their agency counterparts. A visit to an agency to report
progress on a grant, during which the subject of renewal comes up,
could violate the law if Federal funds were used for the trip.
2. THE WHOLE CONTROVERSY OVER MANNED VS. UNMANNED SPACE EXPLORATION
has been reopened by the issue of excessive EVA
(WN 30 Mar 90). The
estimate by a NASA panel that astronauts would be required to spend
2,200 hours in space suits annually to perform maintenance on space
station Freedom is forcing a redesign; that much "extra vehicular
activity" is far too hazardous. The solution is likely to be a
robot that can be sent out to make repairs. An NRC panel earlier
recommended the use of robot shuttles in assembling space vehicles.
So who needs astronauts? Many in Congress were dismayed that the
space station had not been better thought out, and it is likely
that the authorization for space station Freedom will be cut back
from three years to one. The congressional scrutiny into NASA's
planning process led one NASA official to testify poignantly that
at times he "wished they could just paint the windows black."
3. A DEFENSE SCIENCE BOARD REPORT ON "BRILLIANT PEBBLES"
is being
read differently by proponents and skeptics. Pebbles was originally
conceived as a system of thousands of highly autonomous space-based
interceptors capable of surveillance, communications, acquisition
and interception. The concept has become somewhat less autonomous
with time, but optimists quote a passage in the DSB report that "no
fundamental flaws have been found in the concept." SDI opponents,
including Reps. Charles Bennett (D-FL) and Tom Ridge (R-PA), would
rather highlight passages such as "Several critical issues do exist
and have yet to be resolved." Bennett and Ridge teamed up last
year to lead a successful fight to slash SDI funding in the House
(WN 23 Jun 89)--and they seem
prepared to do so again this year.
|
