Management

Agriculture Dept. Announces Lease for Permanent Kansas City Location for Science Agencies

Relocation of the Economic Research Service and National Institute for Food and Agriculture still faces potential roadblocks from Congress.

Management

Trump Interior Nominee Fast-Tracked a ‘Deficient’ Drilling Permit

Oil lobbyists’ answer to regulatory roadblocks is “We’ll call Kate” – as in Kate MacGregor, nominee for the No. 2 job at Department of the Interior.

Oversight

Viewpoint: The EPA Disbanded Our Clean Air Science Panel. We Met Anyway – and Found that Particle Pollution Regulations Aren’t Protecting Public Health

Scientists who were appointed to advise the EPA on air pollution kept meeting independently after the agency dissolved their panel. They say current regulations aren't strict enough.

Management

More Than 30 Lawmakers Urge Appropriators to Block Funding for USDA Science Agency Relocations

With most employees at the two research agencies declining to move to Kansas City, Democrats in both the House and Senate are urging appropriators to adopt House-passed language prohibiting spending on the move.

Management

The Forest Service Is About to Set a Giant Forest Fire—On Purpose

A man-made blaze on a remote Utah mountainside could provide valuable insights into the behavior of the powerful wildfires growing more and more common out West.

Oversight

Employees Report Threatening Anti-LGBT Harassment, Retaliation at National Science Foundation

An outside investigator recently substantiated allegations that a career manager made sexually explicit jokes and bullied LGBT employees.

Management

Trump’s Undermining of Federal Scientists Signals Need for Systemic Overhaul, Bipartisan Group Says

Career federal scientists are increasingly prohibited from doing their jobs freely, report finds, imperiling U.S. democracy.

Oversight

Trump’s USDA Is Letting Factories With Troubling Safety Records Slaughter Chickens Even Faster

Workers are getting injured, but the Department of Agriculture says their safety is not its responsibility.

Management

Repealing the Clean Water Rule will Swamp the Trump Administration in Wetland Litigation

Importantly, EPA does not dispute any findings of the peer-reviewed scientific studies that the Obama administration cited to support its approach.

Management

Here’s How a USDA Science Agency’s Relocation Will Reduce Its Productivity

Most Economic Research Service mandatory reports will go out on time, albeit with less information, but other reports will be delayed or discontinued, internal memo says.

Workforce

EPA Chief Says He's 'Absolutely' Concerned About Brain Drain at the Agency

While EPA has consistently pushed to slash its own workforce, administrator says he wants to prevent a mass exodus.

Management

Senate Panel Would Not Block USDA Science Agency Relocations in Spending Bill

Democrats vow to continue to fight to stop the Economic Research Service and National Institute of Food and Agriculture from moving to Kansas City later this year.

Management

Days Before Planned Move, USDA Delays Relocation Date for Some Science Agency Employees

Feds at two research agencies have begun receiving letters pushing back the report date to Kansas City, but that decision could imperil employees' $10,000 buyouts.

Management

How a CDC Program Is Changing Behavior to Reduce Mine Worker Injuries

Thousands of miners are injured each year; scientists at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention sought to learn why, and then do something about it.

Oversight

Lawmakers Call On Commerce Chief to Resign Over Alleged Threats to Fire Top NOAA Officials

Ross is said to have threatened to fire officials if they would not fix a statement contradicting the president’s claims Hurricane Dorian was likely to hit Alabama.

Management

Analysis: NOAA Politicized the Weather Report

The scientific agency sided with the president’s inaccurate forecast over the work of its professional staff.

Tech

Why Soviets Sent Dogs to Space While Americans Used Primates

Researchers didn’t know how people would react to weightlessness. So they sent animals first.