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Published: March 2010

Restore funding Congressional Office of Technology Assessment

A coalition of groups signed onto to ask for a return to funding for the Office of Technological Assessment, an independent testing agency used to help Congress make decisions on topics ranging from Alzheimer’s disease to acid rain.

Below is the full text of the letter:

As public health, scientist, whistle blower, environmental, faith-based, civil liberties and transparency organizations that believe good government depends on access to reliable and independent scientific and technological advice, we are writing to urge you to include funding for the Office of Technology Assessment (OTA) in the legislative branch appropriations bill for Fiscal Year 2011.

The public health, national security, and environmental challenges that face our nation can be met only if members of Congress are able to make fully-informed decisions. With the rise of the Internet, more information is available than ever before—yet it is difficult if not impossible to separate facts from agenda-driven spin. Congress needs an independent body of experts to offer guidance on issues directly related to public health and safety, national security, the most efficient use of taxpayer dollars, and how innovation and competitiveness can create viable American jobs.

For 23 years, the OTA provided trustworthy, non-partisan information on scientific and technological issues from Alzheimer’s disease to acid rain. Despite its good work, OTA was the victim of budget cuts in 1995, a move that saved the government a little more than $20 million annually.  Since then, the government has spent billions on new technologies that have not worked as promised.

Revitalizing the OTA would enable Members of Congress to more fully understand the advantages and implications of the science and technologies in which they are asked to invest.

The OTA was never abolished, just stripped of its funding. We urge you to restore its funding to ensure Congress has adequate guidance on emerging science and technology issues.

Lead Organization

Union of Concerned Scientists

Other Organizations

Mary Alice Baish, American Association of Law Libraries | Laura W. Murphy, American Civil Liberties Union | John Arthur Marshall, Arthur R. Marshall Foundation | Barbara A. Brenner, Breast Cancer Action | William Snape, Center for Biological Diversity | Ari Schwartz, Center for Democracy and Technology | Paul Kurtz, Center for Inquiry | Bethany Gravell, Center for Native Ecosystems | David W. Plunkett, Center for Science in the Public Interest | David McCabe, Clean Air Task Force | Dave Werntz, Conservation Northwest | Leda Huta, Endangered Species Coalition | John Richard, Essential Information | Joe Volk, Friends Committee on National Legislation | Peter Saundry, National Council for Science and the Environment | Diana Zuckerman, National Research Center for Women & Families | Amy Allina, National Women's Health Network | Rick E. Melberth, OMB Watch | Patrice McDermott, OpenTheGovernment.org | Steve Pedery, Oregon Wild | Progressive Librarians Guild | Danielle Brian, Project On Government Oversight | Celeste Monforton, Project on Scientific Knowledge and Public Policy | David Arkush, Public Citizen's Congress Watch | Kirsten Moore, Reproductive Health Technologies Project | Ellen Miller, Sunlight Foundation Robert K. Musil, The Scoville Peace Fellowship | Francesca T. Grifo, Union of Concerned Scientists | Sylvia E. Johnson, International Union, United Automobile, Aerospace & Agricultural Implement Workers of America (UAW) | Bruce McIntosh, Western Nebraska Resources Council

More Information

http://www.ucsusa.org/action/OTA.html

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