AMSTERDAM, NY—Congressman Paul D. Tonko delivered a searing review earlier today calling out Trump Administration failures to adhere to basic scientific integrity standards in managing the ongoing national COVID-19 public health crisis. Tonko, lead sponsor of the Scientific Integrity Act in the House, issued his review in a letter to the Director of the Office of Science and Technology Policy (OST... Read more »

“These first-responders and essential workers have kept our communities going under challenging circumstances, and they need to know we have their backs. Our legislation delivers that assurance and puts our region and nation on a more solid footing to weather this storm.” Read more »

ALBANY, NY – Congressman Paul D. Tonko applauded two National Science Foundation (NSF) grants awarded to Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute and the University at Albany (UAlbany) totaling $637,041. The grant for Rensselaer will fund research to better understand and control the characteristics of liquid-vapor phase-change to develop new methods of water desalination, power generation and other energ... Read more »

ALBANY, NY—Congressman Paul D. Tonko announced today that the National Science Foundation (NSF) has awarded Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI) and Union College science grants totaling $73,145.00. Both awards fund interdisciplinary research seeking to measure rock and mineral defects to better understand Earth’s geological history. “Our Capital Region continues to be a national leader in scien... Read more »

WASHINGTON—Congressman Paul D. Tonko cheered the advance of his Scientific Integrity Act to the House floor on strong bipartisan footing following a 25-6 vote of the House Science, Space & Technology Committee today. Tonko’s legislation, which carries the names of 226 House cosponsors, sets baseline standards for scientific integrity policies at federal agencies with the purpose of preventing poli... Read more »

ALBANY, NY – Last week, Representatives Sean Casten (IL-06), Paul Tonko (NY-20), and Mike Quigley (IL-05) introduced the Preserve Science in Policymaking Act of 2019. The bill would prevent the President from unilaterally dissolving Federal Advisory Committees – groups of scientists and academics that advise the executive branch on how to make their regulations evidence-based – without the approva... Read more »

ALBANY—Congressman Paul D. Tonko announced today that the National Science Foundation (NSF) is awarding the State University of New York at Albany (UAlbany) and Union College multiple scientific research grants totaling $2,056,439. This brings the two week total of science grant announcements for Capital Region colleges and universities to nearly 10 million dollars: $9,433,913. “Our Capital Region... Read more »

WASHINGTON – Congressman Paul D. Tonko (D-NY) announced today that his newly-introduced wind energy legislation, cosponsored by Reps. Don Bacon (R-NE). Joseph Kennedy (D-MA), and Jeff Fortenberry (R-NE), has advanced through the Space, Science, and Technology Committee Subcommittee on Energy. Tonko’s bipartisan bill, H.R. 3609, Wind Energy Research and Development Act of 2019, would give formal au... Read more »

WASHINGTON – Congressman Paul Tonko (D-NY) and Senator Brian Schatz (D-HI) introduced the Scientific Integrity Act in the House and Senate today, legislation that would protect public scientific research and reports from the influence of political and special interests, a longstanding concern that has taken on newfound urgency under President Trump. “Independent, rigorous scientific research is on... Read more »

"[T]he proposed rule will limit transparency and undermine the scientific integrity of EPA’s rulemaking process,” the lawmakers wrote, noting it “would implement an opaque process allowing EPA to selectively suppress scientific evidence without accountability and in the process undermine bedrock environmental laws.” Read more »