House Committee on Science, Space and Technology

{{uspolitics}}The '''House Committee on Science, Space and Technology''', unsurprisingly, is the [[United States]] [[House of Representatives]] committee that deals with issues related to [[science]], [[space]], and technology. The committee was established in 1958 after the launch of Sputnik gave a sense of urgency to the question of scientific research.<ref>[http://science.house.gov/history History of the Committee]</ref>

According to its website, the committee:

{{cquote|...has jurisdiction over all energy research, development, and demonstration, and projects therefor, and all federally owned or operated non-military energy laboratories; astronautical research and development, including resources, personnel, equipment, and facilities; civil aviation research and development; environmental research and development; marine research; commercial application of energy technology; National Institute of Standards and Technology, standardization of weights and measures and the [[metric system]]; [[National Aeronautics and Space Administration]]; National Science Foundation; National Weather Service; [[outer space]], including [[space exploration|exploration]] and control thereof; science scholarships; [[scientific method|scientific research]], development, and demonstration, and projects therefor. The Committee on Science, Space, and Technology shall review and study on a continuing basis laws, programs, and Government activities relating to non-military research and development.<ref>http://science.house.gov/jurisdiction</ref>}}

Some of the government agencies that the committee oversees include the United States [[Geology|Geological]] Survey, the Department of Energy, the National Science Foundation, and the [[environmentalism|EPA]].

==Otherwise known as the Brain Slug Party==
At least two representatives who were members of the committee in 2012 have important conflicts between their understandings of how science works and the committee's mandate. [[Paul Broun]] is a [[young Earth creationist]] and a [[global warming denialism|global warming denialist]]. [[Todd Akin]] seems to have [[rape apologists|no grasp of basic human anatomy]].

[[Republican]]s have packed the Committee with climate change deniers. The Chairman, Ralph Hall, says that scientists "[[Global warming conspiracy theory|concoct evidence to obtain grants]]"<ref>[http://news.sciencemag.org/scienceinsider/2011/12/ralph-hall-speaks-out-on-climate.html Ralph Hall Speaks Out on Climate Change], ''Science''</ref> and said of the Deepwater Horizon disaster, which killed 11 men and caused more [[pollution]] than the Exxon Valdez:
{{cquote|As we saw that thing bubbling out, blossoming out – all that energy, every minute of every hour of every day of every week – that was tremendous to me. That we could deliver that kind of energy out there – even on an explosion.<ref>[http://thinkprogress.org/climate/2010/12/27/207261/new-science-committee-chair-ralph-hall-r-t-threatens-to-subpoena-climate-scientists/ New House Science Committee chair Ralph Hall (R-TX) threatens to subpoena climate scientists]</ref>}}

It gets worse. Vice-chair, Jim Sensenbrenner, believes the [[Earth]] is [[global warming denial#Hierarchy of global warming denial|cooling]] and not warming up. He also doesn't believe that CO<sub>2</sub> is a pollutant. If it were, he says, we'd all "need to put catalytic converters on all our noses. The fact that people think CO<sub>2</sub> is a pollutant … [[Dunning-Kruger effect|basically goes into propaganda]]."<ref>[http://thinkprogress.org/climate/2012/05/22/488572/sensenbrenner-co2-is-a-natural-gas-does-this-mean-that-all-of-us-need-to-put-catalytic-converters-on-our-noses/ Sensenbrenner: ‘CO2 Is A Natural Gas. Does This Mean That All Of Us Need To Put Catalytic Converters On Our Noses?’]</ref>

==References==
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[[Category:United States politics]]
[[Category:Government incompetence]]
[[Category:Science]]

Categories: United States politics, Government incompetence, Science