ASME International Capitol Update
January 10, 2002


1. Town Hall Meeting to be Held with Representative Holt
-Sponsored by ASME and AIChE

2. Daschle Endorses Doubling of Civilian R&D
-Also Cites Need for Balance in Federal R&D Portfolio
 
3. State of Technology in Maryland to be Held in Annapolis 
-Focus on Technology-Based Entrepreneurship

4. OMB Report Targets List of Agency Regulations
-List Includes EPA and DOE Regulations 

5. A Day at the Capitol to be Held in California
-Agenda Will Focus on Energy, Transportation, and Engineering Licensing
	
6. DOT Proposes Rule To Reduce Effects Of Natural Gas Pipeline Accidents
-Agency's Goal to Protect Highly Populated Areas

7. Appropriations Wrap Up Continued
-NSF, NIST, and DOD FY2002 Budgets Summarized

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TOWN HALL MEETING TO BE HELD WITH REPRESENTATIVE HOLT

ASME, in conjunction with AIChE, will host a Science, Engineering, and Technology Town Hall meeting with Congressman Rush Holt (D-NJ) on Tuesday, January 22, 2002, at the Ramada Inn in East Brunswick.  This forum will provide an opportunity to discuss with a member of Congress current public policy issues involving science, engineering, and technology.

Registration deadline is January 16, 2002.  Contact Patti Snyder at snyderp@asme.org for program and registration details.


DASCHLE ENDORSES DOUBLING OF CIVILIAN R&D

Senate Majority Leader Tom Daschle called for doubling of civilian R&D funding and making the R&D tax credit permanent in a speech on the economy Friday.  Calling for a "balanced research portfolio," he noted that the National Institutes of Health "should not be the sole objective of U.S. science and technology policy."

His speech can be found at http://democrats.senate.gov/%7Edpc/releases/2002-1-4a.html
For more information, contact Melissa Murray at murraym@asme.org. 



STATE OF TECHNOLOGY IN MARYLAND TO BE HELD IN ANNAPOLIS

ASME will join with the Technology Council of Maryland in co-sponsoring an annual gathering of Maryland lawmakers and industry leaders to discuss technology-based economic development.  This year's program will feature technology-based entrepreneurship.  Hear about challenges, accomplishments and opportunities from successful Maryland technology start-ups as well as examine how schools and universities are preparing future engineering, science and technology entrepreneurs. 

The summit will be held in Annapolis on February 4.  For program and registration details, go to http://www.asme.org/gric/
If you have additional questions, please contact Reese Meisinger at meisingerr@asme.org.


OMB REPORT TARGETS LIST OF AGENCY REGULATIONS
The Office of Management and Budget (OMB) recently published a report that lists federal regulations (including several environmental regulations like the new source review regulations under the Clean Air Act) it believes should be reviewed for possible changes.

The report also compares the cost and benefit of complying with health, safety, and environmental regulations, and proposals to improve the regulatory process.
For more information, please contact Kathryn Holmes at holmesk@asme.org. 


A DAY AT THE CAPITOL TO BE HELD IN CALIFORNIA

ASME's Region IX will host the 5th Annual Day at the Capitol in Sacramento, California on February 5.   The program will focus on three issues: energy, transportation, and engineering licensing.  Visits will also be scheduled for the participants with Chairman and Ranking Members of the appropriate committees of jurisdiction, as well as some individual visits with Assemblymen and Senators.  

For program and registration details, go to http://www.asme.org/gric
Additional information is available from Melissa Murray at murraym@asme.org.


DOT PROPOSES RULE TO REDUCE EFFECTS OF NATURAL GAS PIPELINE ACCIDENTS

On January 9 The Department of Transportation published the first portion of a proposed rule aimed at reducing the harmful effects of natural gas pipeline accidents. 

DOT's Research and Special Programs Administration (RSPA), published a note in the Federal Register, to define areas of high consequence where significant or considerable human or property harm would result from a gas transmission pipeline accident.

The proposal is addressing integrity management programs for natural gas pipelines with a two-part rule.  The majority of the rule should be published sometime later this year. Integrity management refers to the periodic inspection, testing, and repair of all pipeline segments that could affect high consequence areas. 

RSPA's philosophy toward gas pipelines builds on current class location regulations that require the operator to know what people would be affected by a pipeline rupture.  The agency's primary goal is to protect highly populated areas from a gas release.

Public comment on the proposed rule will be accepted until March 11, 2002.  For information, contact Francis Dietz at dietzf@asme.org.


APPROPRIATIONS WRAP UP CONTINUED

Last week, R&D funding at the Department of Energy and NASA were detailed.  This month, the highlights of the FY2002 National Science Foundation (NSF), the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), and the Department of Defense (DOD) budgets are summarized.


National Science Foundation

The NSF Task Force, of ASME's Inter-Council Committee on Federal Research and Development, provided testimony to the appropriate House and Senate Appropriations Subcommittees.  The testimony can be found at: http://www.asme.org/gric/ps/2001/01-23.html
In addition, ASME joined 80 engineering, scientific and professional societies; corporations; and universities in asking Congress for a 15 percent increase in the NSF budget for FY 2002, which would continue the momentum toward doubling the agency's budget by 2006.  

In the end, Congress increased NSF's budget 8.4 percent ($373 million) to $4.8 billion, still significantly more than the 1.3 percent that had been requested by the Administration.  Of the total budget,  $3.6 billion will be allocated to the Research and Related Activities (RRA) budget line, an increase of 7.6 percent, or $256 million.  Within the RRA budget, engineering programs will receive $468 million (8.5 percent), a significant boost over the President's request of $431 million.


Department of Defense (DOD) 

For the second year in a row, the DOD Task Force, of ASME's Inter-Council Committee on Federal R&D, delivered oral testimony before the House and Senate Defense Appropriations Subcommittees.  Copies of the testimony can be found at: http://www.asme.org/gric/ps/2001/01-16.html

Basic Research and Applied Research, which provide a significant share of federal support for several key science and engineering disciplines, both received significant increases in funding.  Basic Research increased 5.5 percent to $1.389 billion, while Applied Research increased 12.5 percent ($459 million) to $4.135 billion.  The Advanced Technology Development line of the budget increased 11.4 percent ($457 million), for a total of $4.456 billion.


National Institute of Standards and Technology

The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) Task Force, of ASME's Inter-Council Committee on Federal R&D, provided written testimony on the Fiscal Year (FY) 2002 appropriation to the appropriate House and Senate Appropriation Subcommittees.  Copies of the testimony can be found at: http://www.asme.org/gric/ps/2001/01-10.html 

The Advanced Technology program, which provides matching grants to corporations to fund high-risk research, was increased 26.9 percent ($39.1 million), for a total of $184.5 million in new funds.  Combined with carryover funds from last fiscal year, the program will have $217.6 million in fiscal year 2002.

While the administration had attempted to suspend the ATP program unsuccessfully, it requested a significant increase (11.3 percent) for the Scientific and Technical Research and Services (STRS) budget, which funds the NIST in-house laboratories and the Baldridge National Quality program.  In the final bill, Congress provided only a 2.9 percent ($9.2 million) increase for this budget, for a total of $321.1 million.


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Melissa R. Murray
Government Relations
ASME International
1828 L Street, NW, Suite 906
Washington, DC  20036
Phone:  202.785.7380
Fax:  202.429.9417
Email:  murraym@asme.org



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