CQ Politics | Innovations - Government: September 2008 Archives

NASA Reauthorization Passes, Astronauts to Return to the Moon

September 27, 2008 5:40 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

By Kathryn A. Wolfe, CQ Staff

The House cleared a NASA reauthorization Saturday by voice vote, just one month shy of its 50th anniversary. .

The measure would reauthorize the space agency for one year at an authorized funding level of $20.2 billion. The bill embraces the agency's plan to send astronauts back to the moon in preparation for future missions to Mars and would designate $1 billion for accelerate development of a spacecraft to replace the current shuttle fleet.

Continue reading NASA Reauthorization Passes, Astronauts to Return to the Moon.

Obama Releases Science Funding Plan

September 26, 2008 1:46 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama has released an 11-page "plan for science and innovation." Nature reports that the plan calls for doubling the funding of the National Institutes of Health over 10 years, and spells out science policies in more specific details than had been released previously.

Web pick posted by Neil Savage, Xconomy.com

Is a New Icebreaker on the Horizon?

September 26, 2008 1:00 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

By Caitlin Webber, CQ Staff

A Senate Democratic economic stimulus plan unveiled Thursday would provide the Coast Guard with $925 million for the construction of a new polar ice-breaking ship.

Will this icebreaker be a ship of the past?

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., and Appropriations Chairman Robert C. Byrd, D-W.Va., promote building a new icebreaker to bolster the U.S.'s stake in the oil-rich polar region, among other energy and environmental measures in their $56.2 billion plan.

Continue reading Is a New Icebreaker on the Horizon?.

Obama Addresses Questions About Science

September 25, 2008 1:56 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

The British science journal Nature posed 18 questions related to science and policy to the two presidential candidates, but received written answers only from Democrat Barack Obama. Nature prints his answers, along with statements on the topics from Republican John McCain when they could be found from other sources. Among the issues: appointing a science advisor, how to address climate change, and what to teach children about evolution.

Web pick posted by Neil Savage, Xconomy.com

House Paves the Way for Hybrid Trucks

September 25, 2008 2:00 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

By Kathryn A. Wolfe, CQ Staff

The House passed a bill Wednesday designed to spur the development of plug-in hybrid utility and delivery trucks.

The measure , which passed by voice vote, would create a competitive grant program at the Energy Department to help businesses research, develop and ultimately sell these vehicles.

Continue reading House Paves the Way for Hybrid Trucks.

Grant Aims to Ring New York City With Portable Radiation Detectors

September 23, 2008 5:54 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

By Matt Korade

Terrorists attempting to smuggle a nuclear or radiological "dirty" bomb into New York City could soon be met with a thousand-man mobile radiation-detection net.

The Department of Homeland Security granted $29.5 million to New York's finest, as well as 11 fellow law-enforcement and public-health partners across the Hudson, out east, upstate, and across the Sound, to set up a roving network of portable radiation detecting devices with one goal in mind: to help ensure the devastation seen on 9/11, or worse, never happens again.

Continue reading Grant Aims to Ring New York City With Portable Radiation Detectors.

Bills to Increase Health Research, Treatment Expected to Pass

September 23, 2008 1:00 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

By Drew Armstrong, CQ Staff Writer

The House is scheduled to take up nine public health bills Tuesday under suspension of the rules, in an effort to quickly move non-controversial legislation dealing with topics such as organ transplant funding and infant health promotion.

Continue reading Bills to Increase Health Research, Treatment Expected to Pass.

Candidates Brand Each Other in Online Searches

September 22, 2008 4:30 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Here's yet another way the presidential campaigns are using new technologies in their quest for the White House. Both campaigns are using Google's AdWords program to link their ads to particular searches, says Wired. For instance, the McCain campaign bought the term "Joe Biden" so that users searching for the Democratic vice presidential candidate will see an ad that links to a video of Biden criticizing Barack Obama. The Obama campaign, meanwhile, linked "economic crisis" to an ad that criticizes McCain as being "out of touch."

Web pick posted by Neil Savage, Xconomy.com

Obama, McCain Agree on Speeding Generic Medicines to Market

September 22, 2008 2:00 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

By Meghan McCarthy, CQ Staff

No matter who wins November's presidential election, biotech drug manufacturers are unlikely to get the 14-year period of data exclusivity they seek as part of follow-on biologics drug legislation, according to the candidates' top health policy advisers.

At an annual generics industry conference last week hosted by the Generic Pharmaceutical Association (GPhA), Douglas Holtz-Eakin, adviser to GOP nominee John McCain , and Dora Hughes, senior health adviser to Democratic nominee Barack Obama , said both candidates support the shortest time period possible.

Continue reading Obama, McCain Agree on Speeding Generic Medicines to Market .

Chicago Plans to Cut Greenhouse Gases

September 19, 2008 5:35 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

The City of Chicago wants to cut its emission of greenhouse gases to three-quarters of 1990 levels by 2020, and one-fifth of 1990 levels by 2050. The Associated Press reports that the plan includes updating the city's building code to improve insulation and heating and cooling systems in all buildings, increasing recycling and carpooling, and promoting alternative fuels. Chicago emits 34.6 metric tons of greenhouse gases each year.

Web pick posted by Neil Savage, Xconomy.com

National Academy Advises Candidates on Science

September 19, 2008 1:00 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

The National Academy of Sciences has issued a report advising the presidential candidates on how to deal with science-related issues. According to Ars Technica, the NAS says that most major issues for government, including climate, healthcare, and intelligence gathering, have some science and technology components. The group is calling for the next president to appoint a personal science advisor in his early days in office.

Web pick posted by Neil Savage, Xconomy.com

Obama's Science Advisors

September 18, 2008 2:38 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama's campaign tells Wired that the candidate is getting science advice from five noted scientists. Wired has profiles of: Harold Varmus, a Nobel laureate and former head of the National Institutes of Health; Gilbert Ommen, a former president of the American Association for the Advancement of Science; Peter Agre, a Nobel laureate and ardent critic of the Bush administration; NASA researcher Donald Lamb; and Stanford University plant biologist Sharon Long.

The magazine/website said Republican nominee John McCain has ignored repeated requests to identify his science advisors.

Web pick posted by Neil Savage, Xconomy.com

Report: Increased Competition Will Produce Better, Cheaper Medicines

September 18, 2008 3:00 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

By Meghan McCarthy, CQ Staff

More competition among manufacturers of brand name and generic will create better and cheaper biotech drugs, according to a study released Wednesday by the generic pharmaceutical company Teva Pharmaceuticals USA.

Conducted by Boston University Economics Professor Larry Kotlikoff, the study invokes traditional economic theory as it argues that monopolies discourage innovation, which flourishes in a competitive environment.

Continue reading Report: Increased Competition Will Produce Better, Cheaper Medicines .

Should Taxpayers Subsidize the Chevy Volt?

September 17, 2008 2:02 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

General Motors unveiled its much-hyped hybrid electric car, the Chevrolet Volt, this week and was immediately faced with questions about who was going to pay for it, the Los Angeles Times reports. The auto industry is asking the federal government for $25 billion in low-interest loans to help it move toward higher fuel-efficiency standards. Critics call the loans a bailout.

Comparing the Candidates on Science Issues

September 16, 2008 3:55 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Republican presidential candidate John McCain has answered a series of questions posed to him by a group called Science Debate 2008. The New York Times summarizes his positions, along with those of Democratic candidate Barack Obama, who answered them in late August. Not surprisingly, Obama's answers stress the role of government while McCain focuses on business in addressing some of the nation's main science-related challenges.

Web picks posted by Neil Savage, Xconomy.com

New Smithsonian Labs on the Horizon?

September 16, 2008 3:00 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

by Molly Hooper, CQ Staff

Barro Colorado is the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute's primary site for the study of lowland moist tropical forests.

The House is ready to act as early as Tuesday on a bill that would allow the Smithsonian Institution to build laboratory space for environmental research centers in Maryland and Panama.
The bill would authorize the Smithsonian Board of Regents to create a new facility at the Environmental Research Center in Edgewater, Md., and to build a new lab for expanded study in Gamboa, Panama, for the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute.
Up to $41 million over three years would be authorized for the Maryland facility and up to $14 million would be authorized for the building in Panama.
Bush administration officials have not issued a position on the bill.
The measure will be considered under suspension of the rules, which limits debate, bars amendments and requires a two-thirds vote for passage.

Tax Breaks Proposed for Hybrids, Wind and Solar Energy, Biofuels

September 12, 2008 2:00 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

By Richard Rubin, CQ Staff

The leaders of the Senate Finance Committee are trying yet again to extend tax breaks for renewable energy, revealing on Thursday another attempt to break a continued logjam.

Chairman Max Baucus and ranking Republican Charles E. Grassley released a new tax package that will top $40 billion once revenue estimates are finalized.

"Here we are again," said Baucus, D-Mont. "I'm starting to feel like Don Quixote, except I'm not jousting at windmills. I'm jousting for windmills."

Continue reading Tax Breaks Proposed for Hybrids, Wind and Solar Energy, Biofuels.

Cities Cooperate to Fight Climate Change

September 11, 2008 6:00 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

San Francisco and its neighbors, Oakland and San Jose, are working together to develop a regional climate change compact. The agreement, not yet done, will include pledges to use more renewable energy and generate more "green" jobs, reports the San Jose Mercury News. Web pick posted by Neil Savage, Xconomy.com

Software Could Aid in Hurricane Evacuations

September 10, 2008 2:22 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Researchers at MIT are testing new software that uses vast amounts of information to guide officials in planning how and when to evacuate a city if a hurricane is coming. After Katrina, officials at the Federal Emergency Management Agency started using software that estimates how long it would take to evacuate a city. But according to Technology Review, the new MIT computer model goes much further, combining information about current weather conditions and projected hurricane paths with data on how many elderly, hospital patients, and tourists have to be moved, and makes recommendations based on those inputs.

Web pick posted by Neil Savage, Xconomy.com

Direct Democracy, Wiki-Style

September 10, 2008 10:00 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

from Governing.com Idea Center

Come November, presidential, gubernatorial, legislative and local races won't be the only items on the ballot. Initiatives and referenda will top ballots in more than a dozen states, and a new Web site, Ballotpedia, aims to help voters navigate these measures.

Ballotpedia is a wiki-style encyclopedia on everything connected with "citizen initiatives, ballot access, petition drives, initiative and referendum for political change, recall elections, school district bond issues and associated subjects."

Continue reading Direct Democracy, Wiki-Style.

Bigger Rewards -- And Stronger Penalties -- May Help Improve Health Care Quality, Experts Say

September 10, 2008 2:00 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

by Mary Agnes Carey, CQ Staff

Paying health care providers more to do quality work and insisting they abide by a set of minimum quality standards would go a long way toward improving the quality of medical care that patients receive, witnesses told the Senate Finance Committee Tuesday.

After his testimony, William Roper, chairman of the board of directors of the National Quality Forum, said he would tie as much as 5 to 10 percent of a provider's payment to the quality of care they delivered. Roper told the Finance panel that changing the health care industry's attitude about quality will take time but be well worth it.

Continue reading Bigger Rewards -- And Stronger Penalties -- May Help Improve Health Care Quality, Experts Say.

How Secure Are the Country's Utilities? Government About to Find Out

September 9, 2008 2:00 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

by Daniel Fowler, CQ Staff

The water sector is set to become the first of the country's 18 critical infrastructure and key resource sectors to gauge security progress under the National Infrastructure Protection Plan framework.

"We've got a lot of great stories and anecdotes about utilities that are really doing a lot to safeguard not just the hazardous materials they have, but to enhance their 'all hazards' security posture," said L. Vance Taylor, manager of security policy for the Association of Metropolitan Water Agencies. "But there's nothing that's been developed to date that allows us to get a sector-wide measure of these [efforts]."

Continue reading How Secure Are the Country's Utilities? Government About to Find Out.

Panel Seeks to Bring Down Medical Imaging Costs

September 6, 2008 11:02 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

By Leah Nylen, CQ Staff

The Medicare Payment Advisory Commission discussed several options to reduce the ballooning costs associated with medical imaging services during a panel discussion with researchers Friday.

The use of medical imaging services, such as MRI and CT scans, have dramatically increased in recent years, according to a Government Accountability Office report released last month. In 2000, Medicare paid nearly $7 billion for medical imaging procedures; by 2006, that amount had increase to more than $14 billion.

Continue reading Panel Seeks to Bring Down Medical Imaging Costs.

Industry Goes on Offense on Medical Device Approvals

September 5, 2008 12:04 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

By Meghan McCarthy

A new report from the Advanced Medical Technology Association, or AdvaMed, aims to stress the safety and efficacy of the current Food and Drug Administration (FDA) process for approving medical devices to counter criticism of the process that could appear in an upcoming Government Accountability Office (GAO) report.

GAO reports released in January and May of this year have been highly critical of the FDA's medical device approval processes. The reports found that the agency has not met requirements to inspect domestic plants manufacturing medical devices every two years, and that FDA also faces major challenges inspecting foreign establishments. The new GAO report is expected to be released in September.

Continue reading Industry Goes on Offense on Medical Device Approvals.

Boston Turns Out the Lights to Save Electricity

September 4, 2008 1:39 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

The City of Boston is starting a two-month trial of a program to turn off the lights in 34 skyscrapers as a way to save energy. The city estimates that turning off all the lights above the 30th floor between 11 p.m. and 5 a.m. should cut the amount of electricity used for lighting by about 25 percent, according to the Boston Globe. If the program is deemed successful, it could continue year-round.

Web pick posted by Neil Savage, Xconomy.com

Candidates Offer Answers on Biomedicine Questions

September 3, 2008 6:18 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Barack Obama and John McCain have provided answers to 17 questions related to healthcare and medical research posed by a group promoting health care as a higher national priority. Science News reports several similarities in the candidates' responses to questions from Research! America, of Alexandria, VA. Both believe in funding for the National Institutes of Health, support stem cell research, and let in more foreign workers with medical skills. The site links to the complete set of answers, and is seeking answers from third party candidates such as Ralph Nader and Bob Barr.

Web pick posted by Neil Savage, Xconomy.com

Obama Answers Science Debate Questions

September 3, 2008 2:00 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama has responded to 14 questions about science and technology policy, posed by a group that had been calling on candidates to debate science issues. Wired summarizes his answers, which include a promise to increase funding for basic research and to lift the Bush administration's restrictions on stem-cell research. Republican candidate John McCain has said he will answer the same questions, but has not yet done so.

Continue reading Obama Answers Science Debate Questions.

GOP Platform Calls for Congressional Intel Panels to Combine Forces

September 1, 2008 1:35 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

By Tim Starks, CQ Staff

The most ambitious Sept. 11 commission plan to overhaul congressional oversight of intelligence -- to create a joint committee -- got a thumbs-up in the Republican platform.

The platform, which is set for adoption during Monday's truncated opening session at the national convention, calls for Congress to create a joint committee in line with the Sept. 11 commission's 2004 recommendation to create a panel modeled after the Joint Atomic Energy Committee.

Continue reading GOP Platform Calls for Congressional Intel Panels to Combine Forces.