Despite Defeat, Activists Seek 40 Percent Nanotech Funds Increase

摘要

Environmentalists are pushing senators to mandate a 40 percent funding set-aside to boost federal research into the environmental and health risks of nanotechnology in a pending nanotech bill, even after lawmakers abandoned activists' previous effort for a 10 percent funding set-aside due to White House and GOP resistance. A coalition of activist groups sent a July 24 letter to Sen. John Kerry (D-MA) urging him to earmark 40 percent of all funds for the National Nanotechnology Initiative (NNI), the multi-agency nanotechnology research program, for environmental, health and safety (EHS) research. The groups are pushing for the set-aside in a bill to reauthorize the NNI that the Senate Commerce, Science & Transportation Committee is slated to markup in September. Relevant documents are available on InsideEPA.com. The coalition's push marks an increase from a 10 percent set-aside called for previously by many advocates. That notion garnered support from environmentalists; industry and some Democratic lawmakers and House lawmakers originally intended to include it in their version of the NNI reauthorization bill. But the language was ultimately stripped following GOP and Bush administration opposition. The House passed its version of the bill, H.R. 5940, in June without the set-aside, and several sources said the provision would remain out of the Senate companion, S. 3274. As introduced by Kerry, the Senate bill does not mandate a set-aside but both versions of the legislation would create an advisory system aimed at helping NNI prioritize its EHS research.