Update for USGS Bee Lab Funding in FY27

[Sydney Shumar]

Good evening everyone,

 

Below are some updates that pertain to the USGS Bee Lab

 

The FY27 President's Budget  has been released and eliminates all funding for the USGS Ecosystem Mission Area (EMA), of which the USGS Bee Lab is a part of.   

•   “Green New Scam” Programs. The Budget eliminates subsidies for programs that proliferate climate radicalism and inefective technologies that harm the American consumer, preventing further misuse of taxpayer money. The Budget saves taxpayers $45 million by eliminating DOI’s “renewable energy” programs, which facilitate unreliable energy to the detriment of American consumers, businesses, and communities. The Budget also eliminates funding for woke climate programs and bureaucratic bloat. The Budget refocuses the Department on critical minerals development and fulflling the President’s energy dominance agenda by opening up more Federal lands and waters for oil, gas, and clean coal development. For instance, the Budget: 
•  "Eliminates the U.S. Geological Survey’s Ecosystems Mission Area, which has supported the woke climate agenda, provided funding for climate research to weaponized universities, and distracted the bureau from its core energy and minerals work" (35)

 

The USGS Budget Justification for FY27 was released and is similar to the President's Budget; the USGS is not anticipating funding the EMA in 2027 and is proposing to close all EMA centers, including ours, the Eastern Ecological Science Center.   

•  "The 2027 budget does not request funding for the Ecosystems Mission Area, which will allow the bureau to focus on higher priority activities, including achieving energy and minerals dominance. Some of the work that has historically been funded through the Ecosystems Mission Area may be continued at the state level and at academic institutions across the country, which are well positioned to focus on issues of regional and local importance." ( 17)
• "In alignment with the budget request, the USGS will prioritize the decommissioning of the Ecosystems Mission Area (EMA) facilities. The USGS EMA primarily operates from a wide variety of centers in over 150 unique locations. Many of these centers have multiple field stations geographically dispersed from the main center. Within the unique locations, centers often share space within other EMA centers. Some of these locations have multiple uses (office, lab, warehouse, and ware yard) and some may be for a single purpose including storage. Below is a list of EMA centers." (73)

 

The Department of Interior has opened another Deferred Resignation Program for DOI employees, which you can read about here: Interior incentivizes more staff departures after already cutting 20% of its workforce - Government Executive

 

To learn more about the work being conducted at the Mission, Center and Lab level, and how this proposed elimination of funding within USGS could impact you, see the links below.

 

For more information about the USGS Ecosystem Mission Areas (EMA) Ecosystems Mission Area | U.S. Geological Survey

For more information about the USGS Eastern Ecological Science Center (EESC): Eastern Ecological Science Center | U.S. Geological Survey

For more information about the USGS Bee Lab: USGS Bee Lab at the Eastern Ecological Science Center | U.S. Geological Survey

Resources: https://www.lcv.org/blog/how-to-call-your-members-of-congress-in-3-easy-steps/ 

The Bee Lab is open, we are still here to support pollinator research and we will update you as we learn more.  

thanks,  

Sam and Sydney