From the President’s Office – 9/20/2012
Congress and the Administration are continuing to move along this week, as the recess for the election rapidly approaches. As anticipated, the House did pass a six-month stop gap funding measure to keep federal agencies working through the end of March 2013. We are still waiting on approval from the Senate, which is expected by the end of this week. What this means for science is agency spending levels of approximately 85-90 percent of 2012 dollars, depending on the agency, until the end of March. Also as expected, the Administration released their sequestration report, outlining the funding impacts of next year’s possible sequestration. According to the report, there would be an 8.2 percent across the board cut for non-defense discretionary programs and 9.4 percent cut for defense. However, there were no details provided on how this would be implemented or the impact it would have on individual programs or projects. We will continue to keep on high alert on this issue and will report any updates to you that arise on how the sequester could affect the ocean science community.
I am sorry to report that Charlie Yentsch, a wonderful colleague and friend to many of us, has passed away. Charlie’s contributions to the ocean science community are immeasurable, and he leaves behind a distinguished career as the founder of Bigelow Laboratory for Ocean Sciences. I met him in the early 70’s when he was in Gloucester, Massachusetts and was so impressed with his vision for the Bigelow Lab. He was a true visionary and leader whose legacy impacts many people. Our thoughts are with Clarice and his family at this difficult time.
Have a pleasant weekend.
Bob
