Author Topic: Shelby and Space Policy  (Read 3521 times)

Offline mr. mark

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Shelby and Space Policy
« on: 12/31/2010 04:13 am »
Here's the latest in a long line of antics as relating to NASA operations. :(
http://thinkprogress.org/2010/12/28/shelby-nasa-pork/

Offline simonbp

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Re: Shelby and Space Policy
« Reply #1 on: 12/31/2010 03:09 pm »
That's a bit unfair; the language the article mentions was written before the White House decided to up and make radical changes to NASA without actually asking Congress first, precisely the situation that Shelby's language was trying to prevent (and why the language was passed in the Democrat-controlled Senate). Remember how much Sen. Nelson (D-Florida) lambasted the Holden for language that "canceled Constellation". This is far from just Shelby, and just Republicans.

If anything, the claim of "antics" better applies to White House NASA staffers who created the mess that was NASA in 2010. They created a plan that really nobody in Congress liked, without talking to Congress, and just before the Congress became became even more hostile to them in the midterms. Dumb, Dumb, Dumb. And NASA's the one who pays...

Offline marsavian

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Re: Shelby and Space Policy
« Reply #2 on: 01/01/2011 07:41 am »
http://blog.al.com/space-news/2010/12/nasas_new_year_will_start_a_lo.html

That leaves NASA governed by language Shelby inserted in an earlier law requiring it to keep funding Constellation until a new budget is approved, NASA Headquarters says. "We were hoping that language was going to be removed in the (stop-gap funding bill)," NASA spokesman J.D. Harrington said Tuesday. "It wasn't." Some published estimates say NASA could have to spend as much as $500 million on Constellation, a program Congress has agreed to kill.

But Shelby's spokesman says that's not true. There's no reason NASA can't use 2010 Constellation funding to start on the new heavy-lift rocket, Graffeo said. "The continuing resolution doesn't muddy the waters for them; it continues for the next couple of months the direction from Congress NASA has attempted to ignore for the last couple of years," Graffeo said. "The Shelby language is unambiguous and sends a clear message to NASA: Use the money Congress appropriates as intended - to build a rocket that will maintain our leadership in space." That's not how Harrington saw it. "Unfortunately, we are still in a holding pattern," he said.



Ares V is also part of Constellation and variants of it can satisfy all previous Senate Authorization/Appropriation Bills which is all pretty obvious unless one has no serious intentions of following the Senate Bills voluntarily.
« Last Edit: 01/01/2011 09:51 am by marsavian »

Offline marsavian

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Re: Shelby and Space Policy
« Reply #3 on: 01/04/2011 12:51 pm »
 ... and this is why the very public game of chicken that the Administration is playing with Congress with all the prevarication about getting started with an Ares V variant which satisfies all Congress language (CxP/SLS) may end up drawing a bullseye on their budget with no HLV being funded at all and a permanent reduction in funding !

http://www.spacepolitics.com/2011/01/02/that-cant-be-too-hard-to-undo/

'I’m looking at about two hundred billion. As the amount that we can either identify and eliminate the waste or at least begin the process and I’ll give you one that’s pretty easy. It’s been in the papers. In the last days of last congress they funded five hundred million dollars for a rocket program at NASA that’s already been shut down. That can’t be too hard to undo.'

The potential problem for NASA is that Issa and like-minded fellow members of Congress could see that spending not as an artifact of FY10 appropriations language that needs to be updated to allow the agency to instead fund other programs, like the new heavy-lift Space Launch System included in the authorization act, but as waste to simply be cut entirely.
« Last Edit: 01/04/2011 01:03 pm by marsavian »

Offline DougL

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Re: Shelby and Space Policy
« Reply #4 on: 01/05/2011 03:13 pm »
Perhaps someone with deeper Congressional wisdom could help me out here. Why does the Shelby Constellation protection clause still apply?

"Provided, That notwithstanding section 505 of this Act, none of the funds provided herein and from prior years that remain available for obligation during fiscal year 2010 shall be available for the termination or elimination of any program, project or activity of the architecture for the Constellation program nor shall such funds be available to create or initiate a new program, project or activity, unless such program termination, elimination, creation, or initiation is provided in subsequent appropriations Acts."

The clause refers to "funds provided herein". The continuing resolution funds aren't. Also, Constellation is no longer authorized. The authorization for Constellation was in an Act that was not referring to FY11.

It would be useful to understand this, as the Shelby language has proven to be a slick trick, appropriations-wise.


Offline marsavian

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Re: Shelby and Space Policy
« Reply #5 on: 01/23/2011 11:42 am »
http://blog.al.com/space-news/2011/01/looming_nasa_funding_fight_cre.html

Shelby has been catching media criticism for inserting language in an earlier appropriation law requiring NASA to keep spending money on the Constellation rocket program until a new budget is passed. That will waste up to $500 million this year, says the NASA Office of Inspector General, which wrote Congress last week urging an immediate fix to stop Constellation spending.

Cook isn't buying that NASA is handcuffed or forced to waste a half-billion dollars. If Shelby hadn't acted to assure some continued funding, he said, NASA wouldn't be be able to spend any money on any rocket program right now. And it has plans to spend more than $1 billion in Constellation money this year on work that will translate to the new rocket.

Shelby's offices says NASA can move forward with heavy-lift, because "it was appropriated in previous years as a part of an existing program of record (the Ares V Project of the Constellation Program). It is not a new start and therefore not subject to the restrictions on such activities inherent in a (continuing budget resolution)."


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