Few Kossacks probably know about the Savannah River Ecology Lab, but it has been a critical part of America's toolbox for understanding the effects of nuclear weapons generation on natural systems, AND for furthering the progress of ecological understanding in general. Eugene Odum did his classical work there that essentially set the stage for our modern understanding of Ecosystem Ecology, but the DOE now wants to end its over 50 year legacy....
From this week's issue of Science (subscription):
Researchers from around the world have come to the Savannah River Ecology Laboratory (SREL) near Aiken, South Carolina, since 1951 to study how nuclear waste can affect habitats and wild populations of bacteria, fish, and reptiles. But this month, the Department of Energy (DOE) lowered the budget ax after deciding that those efforts were "not in line" with the agency's needs in waste management...
Darksyde posted about the new Science subcommittee [link fixed] highlighting Representative Brad Miller. Nick Lampson is also on that committee, and much to many people's pleasant surprise, they have released this:
"We are currently unsure why and how the decision was made to terminate the Department’s support for the facility," wrote I&O Subcommittee Chairman Brad Miller (D-NC). "We ask that you continue to provide support to the lab until the Committee can thoroughly review the Department’s actions in this case."
"The Subcommittees deserve a chance to review the logic that led DOE to terminate support for a lab that has been doing world-class research since 1951," added E&E Subcommittee Chairman Nick Lampson (D-TX). "On the face of it, this is a difficult action to understand."
Miller and Lampson called the lab indispensable in tracking the environmental conditions around the Savannah River site and providing unbiased information to the public and the government about those conditions.
Elections have consequences indeed. They are real and they permeate our government. The work we do to elect Democrats to office has many more positive consequences than probably even most of us realize. GO DEMS!!
[UPDATE - ACTION] based on a commenter's suggestion:
This could be an action diary. If you know about SREL or if you answered Yes to the poll question, it might be worth contacting members of the Committee on Science and Technology and thanking them for their efforts on behalf of SREL.
From the Save SREL page:
Please continue to contact Secretary of Energy Samuel W. Bodman (phone: 202-586-6210 or 1-800-342-5363), even though we have learned that your calls may not be returned in a timely manner. If you do place a call, you might first want to preview our talking points page. Your phone call may be routed to the DOE Savannah River Site Public Relations Office, in which case you might request instead to speak directly with SRS Manager Jeffrey Allison.