Minority Statement

• Senator John R Thune

  Ranking Member

  U.S. Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation
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  Minority Statement

  Senator John R Thune

  Mr. Chairman, thank you for holding this hearing today to consider the nominations of Bob Simon and Jo Handelsman to be Associate Directors at the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP), and the nomination of Kathy Sullivan to be both Under Secretary of Commerce for Oceans and Atmosphere and Administrator of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).  I want to thank our nominees for being here and for their willingness to serve the nation. 

  The OSTP has the important role of leading and coordinating interagency efforts to develop and implement science and technology policies and budgets across the federal government.  This often means managing dozens of agencies’ participation and input on a single policy issue, which can be a difficult task.  The OSTP also has the job of working with the private sector to ensure that federal investments in science and technology contribute to our nation’s economic prosperity. 

  Dr. Simon, who will cover the areas of environment and energy at OSTP, is no stranger to the Senate.  His 20-year career on the Energy and Natural Resources Committee will, I hope, help facilitate productive relationships between the Executive Branch and Congress.  I am interested in hearing Dr. Simon’s thoughts on forest health R&D, which he mentioned as a topic of interest in his meeting with Committee staff, and the subject of mining education and research, which are key components of the energy value chain.  

  Our other OSTP nominee, Dr. Handelsman, has impressive credentials and is a prolific author on technical subjects within the field of microbiology, as well as science education.  In particular, I would like to hear her opinions about how agricultural R&D might contribute to the food supply and food security.  I am hopeful that, in her position covering the science and STEM portfolio at OSTP, she can provide leadership on the issue of STEM education and work with members of Congress to improve coordination of these programs across the federal government.

  I also hope both of these nominees will work with this Committee as it considers legislation to reauthorize the America COMPETES Act later this year.

  After serving at the helm of NOAA as Acting Administrator for nearly seven months now, I am pleased to see that Dr. Kathy Sullivan has been nominated to lead this important agency. 

  In areas such as weather forecasts, severe storm warnings, fisheries management, and support for marine commerce, NOAA impacts the readiness and livelihoods of Americans on a daily basis. 

  As Administrator, Dr. Sullivan will be responsible for all of this and more. 

  And while she has already made significant strides in providing steady leadership through this tough and uncertain fiscal environment, I look forward to hearing Dr. Sullivan’s views today and learning more about her vision for NOAA moving forward.

   I would also like to take this opportunity to personally extend an invitation to all of you to visit South Dakota.  We have some exciting, cutting edge research going on back home.  At the Sanford Underground Research Facility (SURF), which is located in the old Homestake mine in Lead, South Dakota, physics researchers are leading the Large Underground Xenon (LUX) experiment to detect the existence of dark matter.  And the South Dakota School of Mines and Technology (SDSMT) in Rapid City is collaborating with our land grant South Dakota State University in Brookings   to constitute the Center for BioProcessing Research and Development (CBRD), which is making discoveries in feedstock development, bioprocessing microbes and enzymes, and  biofuels that will enable bio-industries to meet U.S. energy needs.

  Mr. Chairman, I expect that we can advance these nominations through the committee and hopefully the Senate in a timely manner.  Thank you for holding this important hearing, and I look forward to the testimony from our witnesses.

Testimony

• Dr. Jo Handelsman

  to be Associate Director for Science

  Office of Science and Technology Policy, Executive Office of the President
  Download Testimony (173.96 KB)

• Dr. Robert Simon

  to be Associate Director for Environment and Energy

  Office of Science and Technology Policy, Executive Office of the President
  Download Testimony (79.28 KB)

• Dr. Kathryn Sullivan

  to be Under Secretary for Oceans and Atmosphere, Department of Commerce

  and Adminstrator of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
  Download Testimony (84.46 KB)