House Commitee Cuts Earth Sciences Funding

[bobabode]

http://thehill.com/opinion/op-ed/240...have-a-problem

[donquixote99]

Earth sciences provides data--both practical data of immediate and vital use, and scientific data that increases understanding.

So the majority is against increasing understanding? So against it they will sacrifice vital tracking of real-time events to prevent it?

Make no mistake--NASA isn't in the business of environmental regulation that might impact someone's capital portfolio somewhere. This is purely a vote against data and understanding. A vote against knowledge. A vote against truth.

[mpholland]

Sounds about right to me. Get rid of all those climate change ideas and at the same time, keep educated people from being able to use their skills for employment. Win/win for the GOP.

[CarlV]

I was reading about that. From your article:

By Rep. Eddie Bernice Johnson (D-Texas) - 04/29/15 05:22 PM EDT

Just a few months ago we marked up and passed out of the House a bipartisan NASA authorization. That bill was negotiated on a bipartisan basis, voice voted out of the Committee on Science, Space and Technology, and then passed by the full House in a similar fashion.

Today, my committee, the Science, Space and Technology Committee, is marking up H.R. 2039 — a NASA reauthorization act that the Democrats on the committee did not even know existed until late last Friday. Needless to say, there was no bipartisan negotiating. After we saw the bill, we understood why.

In addition to other problems in the bill, it cuts earth science funding by more than $320 million. Earth science, of course, includes climate science. Despite the fact that in January NASA announced 2014 was likely the warmest year since 1880, it should come as no surprise that the majority wants to cut funding for climate science. Embarrassingly, just last week, every single Republican member of this committee present voted against the notion that climate change might be caused by people.

Of course, NASA’s earth science program is much, much more than just climate science. The research is used by the Department of Defense to help keep our troops safe. It is used to improve electric and gas utility load forecasts and to document the variability of water available for agricultural use. It helps us understand the implications of thinning ice cover in the Arctic. It helps us predict floods, droughts and hurricanes. And it helps us track wildfires and volcanic ash. Basically, NASA’s earth science program provides critical measurements and research on planet Earth as a system and how it is changing over time.

It’s hard to believe that in order to serve an ideological agenda, the majority is willing to slash the science that helps us have a better understanding of our home planet.

A great day for the Canadian tar sand kings, the Koch Bros. cha-ching!


Carl

[Wasillaguy]

D.O.D. uses the data to keep troops safe? Well then it's time to celebrate, you just cut some defense spending!

[bobabode]

Originally Posted by Wasillaguy

D.O.D. uses the data to keep troops safe? Well then it's time to celebrate, you just cut some defense spending!

Dood...