Latest news with #EcosystemsMissionArea
Time of India
4 hours ago
- Politics
- Time of India
Donald Trump's proposed budget cuts 90 per cent funding. Shocking details here
The Trump administration's proposed budget for 2026 slashes about 90 per cent of the funding for one of the country's cornerstone biological and ecological research programs. Known as the Ecosystems Mission Area, the program is part of the U.S. Geological Survey and studies nearly every aspect of the ecology and biology of natural and human-altered landscapes and waters around the country, as per a report. The 2026 proposed budget allocates $29 million for the project, a cut from its current funding level of $293 million. The budget proposal also reduces funds for other programs in the USGS, as well as other federal science agencies, NYT News Service reported. The budget still needs to be approved by Congress and scientists are seizing the opportunity to save the EMA. In early May, more than 70 scientific societies and universities signed a letter to Interior Secretary Doug Burgum, urging him not to eliminate the program. Abolishing the EMA was an explicit goal of Project 2025, the blueprint for shrinking the federal government produced by the conservative Heritage Foundation. That work cited decades-long struggles over the Interior Department's land management in the West, where protections for endangered species have at times prevented development, drilling and mining. The EMA is also a core part of federal climate research. The Trump administration has sharply reduced or eliminated funds for climate science across federal agencies, calling the study of climate change part of "social agenda" research in an earlier version of the budget proposal. Live Events "It's appalling," said Peter Groffman, an ecosystems ecologist at the City University of New York and a leader of the Ecological Society of America. "This is a division that does very important work, and does it very well," Groffman said. Universities and other institutions are unlikely to be able to carry on the work, he said. There are no immediately apparent plans from the administration to transfer EMA research to other federal agencies. The EMA runs dozens of biology and climate science centers, cooperates with universities in 41 states to identify and carry out pressing ecology and environmental health research, and more. Here is a snapshot of its work. FAQs Q1. What does proposed US Budget 2026 state? A1. The 2026 proposed budget allocates $29 million for the project, a cut from its current funding level of $293 million. Q2. What is full form of USGS? A2. The full form of USGS is United States Geological Survey.
New York Times
a day ago
- Business
- New York Times
Trump's Proposed Budget Would Cut a Major Ecology Program
The Trump administration's proposed budget for 2026 slashes about 90 percent of the funding for one of the country's cornerstone biological and ecological research programs. Known as the Ecosystems Mission Area, the program is part of the U.S. Geological Survey and studies nearly every aspect of the ecology and biology of natural and human-altered landscapes and waters around the country. The 2026 proposed budget allocates $29 million for the project, a cut from its current funding level of $293 million. The budget proposal also reduces funds for other programs in the U.S. Geological Survey, as well as other federal science agencies. The budget still needs to be approved by Congress and scientists are seizing the opportunity to save the E.M.A. In early May, more than 70 scientific societies and universities signed a letter to Interior Secretary Doug Burgum, urging him not to eliminate the program. Abolishing the E.M.A. was an explicit goal of Project 2025, the blueprint for shrinking the federal government produced by the conservative Heritage Foundation. That work cited decades-long struggles over the Interior Department's land management in the West, where protections for endangered species have at times prevented development, drilling and mining. Want all of The Times? Subscribe.
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Health
- Yahoo
Trump officials plan to destroy a critical government program they probably know nothing about
Nearly two decades ago, scientists made an alarming discovery in upstate New York: Bats, the world's only flying mammal, were becoming infected with a new, deadly fungal disease that, in some cases, could wipe out an entire colony in a matter of months. Since then, the disease — later called white-nose syndrome — has spread across much of the country, utterly decimating North American bats that hibernate in caves and killing over 90 percent of three bat species. According to some scientists, WNS has caused 'the most precipitous wildlife decline in the past century in North America.' These declines have clear consequences for human populations — for you, even if you don't like bats or visit caves. Bats eat insect pests, such as moths and beetles. And as they decline, farmers need to spray more pesticides. Scientists have linked the loss of bats in the US to an increase in insecticide use on farmland and, remarkably, to a rise in infant deaths. Insecticide chemicals are known to harm the health of newborns. The only reason we know any of this is because of a somewhat obscure government program in the US Geological Survey (USGS), an agency nested within the Interior Department. That program, known as the Ecosystems Mission Area, is the biological research division of Interior. Among other functions, it monitors environmental contaminants, the spread of invasive species, and the health of the nation's wildlife, including bees, birds, and bats. The Ecosystems Mission Area, which has around 1,200 employees, produces the premier science revealing how animals and ecosystems that Americans rely on are changing and what we can do to keep them intact — or risk our own health and economy. This program is now at an imminent risk of disappearing. Are you a current or former federal employee with knowledge about the Trump administration's attacks on wildlife protections? Reach out to Vox environmental correspondent Benji Jones on Signal at benji.90 or at or at benjijones@ The Trump administration has asked Congress to slash USGS funding by $564 million in its preliminary 2026 budget request. And while the proposal doesn't specify cuts to Ecosystems Mission Area, an email obtained by Vox indicates that his administration had proposed eliminating funding for the program. (The email was originally reported by Science.) Such cuts are also in line with Project 2025, the Heritage Foundation's conservative policy roadmap, which calls for the government to 'abolish' Interior's Biological Research Division, an outdated name for the Ecosystems Mission Area. USGS has requested that the White House maintain at least some funding for the program, according to a current senior Interior Department employee with knowledge of the Ecosystems Mission Area. Whether or not Trump officials heed that request will be made clear when the White House releases a more detailed budget proposal in the coming days. The employee spoke to Vox on the condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to talk with the press. Meanwhile, the Trump administration is also reportedly trying to fire government employees in the Ecosystems Mission Area, though a federal judge has so far blocked those efforts. View Link Eliminating biological research is not good. In fact, it's very bad. For a decade now, EMA's North American Bat Monitoring Program, or NABat, has been gathering and analyzing data on bats and the threats they face. NABat produces research using data from hundreds of partner organizations showing not only how white-nose syndrome is spreading — which scientists are using to develop and deploy vaccines — but also how bats are affected by wind turbines, another known threat. Energy companies can and do use this research to develop safer technologies and avoid delays caused by wildlife regulations, such as the Endangered Species Act. The irony, another Interior Department employee told me, is that NABat makes wildlife management more efficient. It also helps reveal where declines are occurring before they become severe, potentially helping avoid the need to grant certain species federal protection — something the Trump administration would seem to want. The employee, who's familiar with Interior's bat-monitoring efforts, spoke on the condition of anonymity for fear of retaliation by the Trump administration. 'If they want to create efficiencies in the government, they should ask us,' yet another Interior employee told Vox. 'The damage that can be done by one administration takes decades to rebuild.' In response to a request for comment, an Interior Department spokesperson told Vox that 'USGS remains committed to its congressional mandate as the science arm of the Department of the Interior.' The White House did not respond to a request for comment. In a Senate appropriations hearing last week, Interior Secretary Doug Burgum refused to commit to maintaining funding for EMA. 'There's no question that they don't know what EMA does,' said the senior Interior employee. Ultimately, it's not clear why the administration has targeted Interior's biological research. EMA does, however, do climate science, such as studying how plants and animals are responding to rising temperatures. That's apparently a no-go for the Trump administration. It also gathers information that sometimes indicates that certain species need federal protections, which come with regulations (also a no-go for President Donald Trump's agenda). What's especially frustrating for environmental advocates is that NABat, now 10 years old, is starting to hit its stride. 'We should be celebrating the 10-year anniversary of this very successful program that started from scratch and built this robust, vibrant community of people all collecting data,' said Winifred Frick, the chief scientist at Bat Conservation International, an environmental group. 'We have 10 years of momentum, and so to cut it off now sort of wastes all that investment. That feels like a tremendous loss.' Meanwhile, the cost of maintaining the program is less than 1 percent of Interior's overall budget. The government's wildlife monitoring programs are 'jewels of the country,' said Hollis Woodard, an associate professor of entomology at University of California Riverside who works with USGS on bee monitoring. 'These birds and bats perform services for us that are important for our day-to-day lives. Literally everything I value, including food, comes down to keeping an eye on these populations. The idea that we're just going to wipe them out is just terrifying.'
Vox
3 days ago
- Health
- Vox
Trump officials plan to destroy a critical government program they probably know nothing about
is an environmental correspondent at Vox, covering biodiversity loss and climate change. Before joining Vox, he was a senior energy reporter at Business Insider. Benji previously worked as a wildlife researcher. President Donald Trump stands on the South Lawn of the White House on May 22. Samuel Corum/Politico/Bloomberg via Getty Images Nearly two decades ago, scientists made an alarming discovery in upstate New York: Bats, the world's only flying mammal, were becoming infected with a new, deadly fungal disease that, in some cases, could wipe out an entire colony in a matter of months. Since then, the disease — later called white-nose syndrome — has spread across much of the country, utterly decimating North American bats that hibernate in caves and killing over 90 percent of three bat species. According to some scientists, WNS has caused 'the most precipitous wildlife decline in the past century in North America.' These declines have clear consequences for human populations — for you, even if you don't like bats or visit caves. Bats eat insect pests, such as moths and beetles. And as they decline, farmers need to spray more pesticides. Scientists have linked the loss of bats in the US to an increase in insecticide use on farmland and, remarkably, to a rise in infant deaths. Insecticide chemicals are known to harm the health of newborns. Related The astonishing link between bats and the deaths of human babies The only reason we know any of this is because of a somewhat obscure government program in the US Geological Survey (USGS), an agency nested within the Interior Department. That program, known as the Ecosystems Mission Area, is the biological research division of Interior. Among other functions, it monitors environmental contaminants, the spread of invasive species, and the health of the nation's wildlife, including bees, birds, and bats. White-nose syndrome, a fungal disease, has caused massive declines in a handful of bat species, including the tricolored bat, shown here in flight. J. Scott Altenbach/Bat Conservation International The Ecosystems Mission Area, which has around 1,200 employees, produces the premier science revealing how animals and ecosystems that Americans rely on are changing and what we can do to keep them intact — or risk our own health and economy. This program is now at an imminent risk of disappearing. Send us a confidential tip Are you a current or former federal employee with knowledge about the Trump administration's attacks on wildlife protections? Reach out to Vox environmental correspondent Benji Jones on Signal at benji.90 or at or at benjijones@ The Trump administration has asked Congress to slash USGS funding by $564 million in its preliminary 2026 budget request. And while the proposal doesn't specify cuts to Ecosystems Mission Area, an email obtained by Vox indicates that his administration had proposed eliminating funding for the program. (The email was originally reported by Science.) Such cuts are also in line with Project 2025, the Heritage Foundation's conservative policy roadmap, which calls for the government to 'abolish' Interior's Biological Research Division, an outdated name for the Ecosystems Mission Area. USGS has requested that the White House maintain at least some funding for the program, according to a current senior Interior Department employee with knowledge of the Ecosystems Mission Area. Whether or not Trump officials heed that request will be made clear when the White House releases a more detailed budget proposal in the coming days. The employee spoke to Vox on the condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to talk with the press. Meanwhile, the Trump administration is also reportedly trying to fire government employees in the Ecosystems Mission Area, though a federal judge has so far blocked those efforts. Eliminating biological research is not good. In fact, it's very bad. For a decade now, EMA's North American Bat Monitoring Program, or NABat, has been gathering and analyzing data on bats and the threats they face. NABat produces research using data from hundreds of partner organizations showing not only how white-nose syndrome is spreading — which scientists are using to develop and deploy vaccines — but also how bats are affected by wind turbines, another known threat. Energy companies can and do use this research to develop safer technologies and avoid delays caused by wildlife regulations, such as the Endangered Species Act. The irony, another Interior Department employee told me, is that NABat makes wildlife management more efficient. It also helps reveal where declines are occurring before they become severe, potentially helping avoid the need to grant certain species federal protection — something the Trump administration would seem to want. The employee, who's familiar with Interior's bat-monitoring efforts, spoke on the condition of anonymity for fear of retaliation by the Trump administration. A northern long-eared bat with white-nose syndrome. Steve Taylor/University of Illinois A dead bat infected with white-nose syndrome under UV light. USGS 'If they want to create efficiencies in the government, they should ask us,' yet another Interior employee told Vox. 'The damage that can be done by one administration takes decades to rebuild.' In response to a request for comment, an Interior Department spokesperson told Vox that 'USGS remains committed to its congressional mandate as the science arm of the Department of the Interior.' The White House did not respond to a request for comment. In a Senate appropriations hearing last week, Interior Secretary Doug Burgum refused to commit to maintaining funding for EMA. 'There's no question that they don't know what EMA does,' said the senior Interior employee. Ultimately, it's not clear why the administration has targeted Interior's biological research. EMA does, however, do climate science, such as studying how plants and animals are responding to rising temperatures. That's apparently a no-go for the Trump administration. It also gathers information that sometimes indicates that certain species need federal protections, which come with regulations (also a no-go for President Donald Trump's agenda). What's especially frustrating for environmental advocates is that NABat, now 10 years old, is starting to hit its stride. 'We should be celebrating the 10-year anniversary of this very successful program that started from scratch and built this robust, vibrant community of people all collecting data,' said Winifred Frick, the chief scientist at Bat Conservation International, an environmental group. 'We have 10 years of momentum, and so to cut it off now sort of wastes all that investment. That feels like a tremendous loss.' Meanwhile, the cost of maintaining the program is less than 1 percent of Interior's overall budget. The government's wildlife monitoring programs are 'jewels of the country,' said Hollis Woodard, an associate professor of entomology at University of California Riverside who works with USGS on bee monitoring. 'These birds and bats perform services for us that are important for our day-to-day lives. Literally everything I value, including food, comes down to keeping an eye on these populations. The idea that we're just going to wipe them out is just terrifying.'
