Friday, 29 Sep 95 Washington, DC
1. AGREEMENT REACHED ON CONTINUING RESOLUTION! TIGHTEN YOUR BELT.
Yesterday, the House approved legislation to keep the government operating for six weeks beyond tomorrow's deadline while Congress tries to agree on the remaining 11 (out of 13) spending bills. The Senate is expected to approve the measure today. President
Clinton has indicated he will sign it. The agreement beats a shutdown, but it reduces the spending rate across the board by up to 10% relative to FY 95. Even agencies expecting an increase, such as NIH and Defense, will be cut 5% during the extension. Worse, in rewriting the appropriations bills to avoid a veto,
Congress must put money back into programs it zeroed out. The tendency will be to take the money from programs that have so far been spared major cuts -- and that means science (WN 1 Sep 95).
2. OTA: THE AGREEMENT WON'T HELP -- IT DIES AT MIDNIGHT TOMORROW.
Ironically, the first agency to be terminated by the Republican- controlled Congress was its own advisory body. It was sacrificed to demonstrate that in its downsizing of the federal bureaucracy
Congress has not exempted itself. But it is also symbolic of the low priority members of Congress accord to objective scientific information when making legislative decisions. Congress did agree to severance pay for OTA employees through November 29.
3. SPACE STATION: HOUSE AUTHORIZES FUNDING BY UNANIMOUS CONSENT.
In a stunning demonstration of what can happen without objective scientific analysis, the House yesterday authorized seven-year funding of the orbiting dormitory by unanimous voice vote.
3. SPACE STATION: HOUSE AUTHORIZES FUNDING BY UNANIMOUS CONSENT.
In a stunning demonstration of what can happen without objective scientific analysis, the House yesterday authorized seven-year funding of the orbiting dormitory by unanimous voice vote.
4. PRESIDENT CLINTON PLANS MAJOR ADDRESS ON SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY.
Although no one can recall Mr. Clinton mentioning science in past speeches (WN 28 Jan 94; 3 Feb 95), he is said to be preparing to use the awarding of the National Science and Technology Medals in mid October as an occasion to break his silence. Two members of the APS, Hans Dehmelt of the University of Washington and Hermann
Haus of MIT, are among the eight winners of the 1995 medal.
5. EMF: SCIENTISTS FILE BRIEF IN CALIFORNIA SUPREME COURT CASE.
A homeowner's suit against a power company alleges that nearby power lines rendered their luxury home uninhabitable. Fourteen scientists, including six Nobel laureates, state that no serious danger from exposure to low frequency electromagnetic fields has been established. The group, which includes cell biologists and physicists, conclude that, "physics and cellular biology combined strongly indicate that it is not scientifically reasonable to believe that 60Hz magnetic fields increase cancer incidence." The
California Medical Association and American Medical Association also filed a brief in the case stating that "a connection between
EMF and health effects has not been shown." Both briefs cite the
APS statement on power line fields and health (WN 5 May 95).
THE AMERICAN PHYSICAL SOCIETY (Note: Opinions are the author's and are not necessarily shared by the APS, but they should be.)
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