"James Reilly to Take the Helm at USGS"

"The U.S. Senate has confirmed a former astronaut and petroleum geologist as the next director of the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS). The Senate approved James F. Reilly by a voice vote on Monday to be the director, taking over from William Werkheiser, who has served as acting director since 2017.

Reilly testified at his 6 March confirmation hearing that the agency’s budget and its scientific integrity would be among his top priorities. “I am fully committed to scientific integrity,” he said at that hearing. Reilly, who flew on three NASA space shuttle missions and holds a Ph.D. in geosciences from the University of Texas at Dallas, explained that he would emphasize scientific integrity in his new role because USGS “is an independent organization that is designed to deliver unbiased science to the decision makers.”

He joins the agency at a time when it has just received a reprieve from potential budget cuts. The omnibus spending bill that U.S. President Donald Trump reluctantly signed into law on 23 March reversed the administration’s plans to sharply reduce funding of federal science agencies, including USGS. The spending bill provides USGS with $1.15 billion for fiscal year (FY) 2018, compared with $1.09 billion appropriated by the FY 2017 omnibus bill and $922 million in the administration’s proposed FY 2018 budget."

Randy Showstack reports for EOS April 11, 2018.