Federal Independent Agencies
News releases, reports, statements and associated documents from federal independent agencies.
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NASA Astronaut Jessica Meir Available for Last Interviews Before Space Mission
WASHINGTON, Aug. 22 -- NASA issued the following news release:
NASA astronaut Jessica Meir will be available from 7 to 8:15 a.m. EDT Wednesday, Sept. 4, for her final live satellite interviews before launching on a six-month mission aboard the International Space Station.
The interviews, originating from Star City, Russia, will air live on NASA Television and the agency's website, preceded at 6:30 a.m. by video of Meir's training.
To interview Meir, media must contact Sarah Volkman no later than 5 p.m. Friday, Aug. 30, at 281-483-9071 or sarah.e.volkman@nasa.gov. Media participating in the interviews
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WASHINGTON, Aug. 22 -- NASA issued the following news release:
NASA astronaut Jessica Meir will be available from 7 to 8:15 a.m. EDT Wednesday, Sept. 4, for her final live satellite interviews before launching on a six-month mission aboard the International Space Station.
The interviews, originating from Star City, Russia, will air live on NASA Television and the agency's website, preceded at 6:30 a.m. by video of Meir's training.
To interview Meir, media must contact Sarah Volkman no later than 5 p.m. Friday, Aug. 30, at 281-483-9071 or sarah.e.volkman@nasa.gov. Media participating in the interviewsmust tune to the NASA TV Media Channel (NTV-3). Satellite tuning information is available at: http://go.nasa.gov/1pOWUhR
Meir and her crewmates, Oleg Skripochka of the Russian space agency Roscosmos and Roscosmos spaceflight participant Hazzaa Ali Almansoori of the United Arab Emirates' Mohammed Bin Rashid Space Centre, are scheduled to launch Sept. 25 aboard the Soyuz MS-15 spacecraft from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan.
They will arrive at the space station about six hours after launch and join six other crew members currently aboard the orbital outpost: NASA astronauts Nick Hague, Christina Koch and Andrew Morgan; ESA (European Space Agency) astronaut Luca Parmitano; and Roscosmos cosmonauts Alexander Skvortsov and Alexey Ovchinin. Meir is scheduled to live and work on the space station until spring 2020.
During Expeditions 61 and 62, Meir and her crewmates will support about 250 research experiments not possible on Earth. These pursuits broaden our knowledge of Earth, space, physical and biological sciences in ways that benefit our everyday lives. They also will help enable long-duration exploration into deep space for future Artemis missions to the Moon and eventually on to Mars. Experiments the crew conduct in space also have practical applications on Earth.
This will be the first expedition into space for Meir, who grew up in Caribou, Maine, and was selected for astronaut training in 2013. She earned a bachelor's degree in biology from Brown University, a master's degree in space studies from the International Space University and a doctorate in marine biology from Scripps Institution of Oceanography in San Diego. Before becoming an astronaut, Meir studied the physiology of animals in extreme environments and participated in diving expeditions to the Antarctic and Belize. At the time of her selection as an astronaut, Meir was working as an assistant professor at Harvard Medical School/Massachusetts General Hospital.
Follow Meir on social media at:
https://twitter.com/astro_jessica
https://www.instagram.com/astro_jessica
Jet Propulsion Laboratory: 30 Years Ago Voyager 2's Historic Neptune Flyby
PASADENA, California, Aug. 22 -- NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory issued the following news:
Thirty years ago, on Aug. 25, 1989, NASA's Voyager 2 spacecraft made a close flyby of Neptune, giving humanity its first close-up of our solar system's eighth planet. Marking the end of the Voyager mission's Grand Tour of the solar system's four giant planets - Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus and Neptune - that first was also a last: No other spacecraft has visited Neptune since.
"The Voyager planetary program really was an opportunity to show the public what science is all about," said Ed Stone, a professor
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PASADENA, California, Aug. 22 -- NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory issued the following news:
Thirty years ago, on Aug. 25, 1989, NASA's Voyager 2 spacecraft made a close flyby of Neptune, giving humanity its first close-up of our solar system's eighth planet. Marking the end of the Voyager mission's Grand Tour of the solar system's four giant planets - Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus and Neptune - that first was also a last: No other spacecraft has visited Neptune since.
"The Voyager planetary program really was an opportunity to show the public what science is all about," said Ed Stone, a professorof physics at Caltech and Voyager's project scientist since 1975. "Every day we learned something new."
Wrapped in teal- and cobalt-colored bands of clouds, the planet that Voyager 2 revealed looked like a blue-hued sibling to Jupiter and Saturn, the blue indicating the presence of methane. A massive, slate-colored storm was dubbed the "Great Dark Spot," similar to Jupiter's Great Red Spot. Six new moons and four rings were discovered.
During the encounter, the engineering team carefully changed the probe's direction and speed so that it could do a close flyby of the planet's largest moon, Triton. The flyby showed evidence of geologically young surfaces and active geysers spewing material skyward. This indicated that Triton was not simply a solid ball of ice, even though it had the lowest surface temperature of any natural body observed by Voyager: minus 391 degrees Fahrenheit (minus 235 degrees Celsius).
The conclusion of the Neptune flyby marked the beginning of the Voyager Interstellar Mission, which continues today, 42 years after launch. Voyager 2 and its twin, Voyager 1 (which had also flown by Jupiter and Saturn), continue to send back dispatches from the outer reaches of our solar system. At the time of the Neptune encounter, Voyager 2 was about 2.9 billion miles (4.7 billion kilometers) from Earth; today it is 11 billion miles (18 billion kilometers) from us. The faster-moving Voyager 1 is 13 billion miles (21 billion kilometers) from Earth.
Getting There
By the time Voyager 2 reached Neptune, the Voyager mission team had completed five planetary encounters. But the big blue planet still posed unique challenges.
About 30 times farther from the Sun than Earth is, the icy giant receives only about 0.001 times the amount of sunlight that Earth does. In such low light, Voyager 2's camera required longer exposures to get quality images. But because the spacecraft would reach a maximum speed of about 60,000 mph (90,000 kph) relative to Earth, a long exposure time would make the image blurry. (Imagine trying to take a picture of a roadside sign from the window of a speeding car.)
So the team programmed Voyager 2's thrusters to fire gently during the close approach, rotating the spacecraft to keep the camera focused on its target without interrupting the spacecraft's overall speed and direction.
The probe's great distance also meant that by the time radio signals from Voyager 2 reached Earth, they were weaker than those of other flybys. But the spacecraft had the advantage of time: The Voyagers communicate with Earth via the Deep Space Network, or DSN, which utilizes radio antennas at sites in Madrid, Spain; Canberra, Australia; and Goldstone, California. During Voyager 2's Uranus encounter in 1986, the three largest DSN antennas were 64-meters (210 feet) wide. To assist with the Neptune encounter, the DSN expanded the dishes to 70 meters (230 feet). They also included nearby non-DSN antennas to collect data, including another 64-meter (210 feet) dish in Parkes, Australia, and multiple 25-meter (82 feet) antennas at the Very Large Array in New Mexico.
The effort ensured that engineers could hear Voyager loud and clear. It also increased how much data could be sent back to Earth in a given period, enabling the spacecraft to send back more pictures from the flyby.
Being There
In the week leading up to that August 1989 close encounter, the atmosphere was electric at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California, which manages the Voyager mission. As images taken by Voyager 2 during its Neptune approach made the four-hour journey to Earth, Voyager team members would crowd around computer monitors around the Lab to see.
"One of the things that made the Voyager planetary encounters different from missions today is that there was no internet that would have allowed the whole team and the whole world to see the pictures at the same time," Stone said. "The images were available in real time at a limited number of locations."
But the team was committed to giving the public updates as quickly as possible, so from Aug. 21 to Aug. 29, they would share their discoveries with the world during daily press conferences. On Aug. 24, a program called "Voyager All Night" broadcast regular updates from the probe's closest encounter with the planet, which took place at 4 a.m. GMT (9 p.m. in California on Aug. 24).
The next morning, Vice President Dan Quayle visited the Lab to commend the Voyager team. That night, Chuck Berry, whose song "Johnny B. Goode" was included on the Golden Record that flew with both Voyagers, played at JPL's celebration of the feat.
Of course, the Voyagers' achievements extend far beyond that historic week three decades ago. Both probes have now entered interstellar space after exiting the heliosphere - the protective bubble around the planets created by a high-speed flow of particles and magnetic fields spewed outward by our Sun.
They are reporting back to Earth on the "weather" and conditions from this region filled with the debris from stars that exploded elsewhere in our galaxy. They have taken humanity's first tenuous step into the cosmic ocean where no other operating probes have flown.
Voyager data also complement other missions, including NASA's Interstellar Boundary Explorer (IBEX), which is remotely sensing that boundary where particles from our Sun collide with material from the rest of the galaxy. And NASA is preparing the Interstellar Mapping and Acceleration Probe (IMAP), due to launch in 2024, to capitalize on Voyager observations.
The Voyagers send their findings back to DSN antennas with 13-watt transmitters - about enough power to run a refrigerator light bulb.
"Every day they travel somewhere that human probes have never been before," said Stone. "Forty-two years after launch, and they're still exploring."
For more information about the Voyager mission visit:
https://voyager.jpl.nasa.gov/
For more images of Neptune taken by Voyager 2 visit:
https://voyager.jpl.nasa.gov/galleries/images-voyager-took/neptune/
Giant Panda Bei Bei Celebrates His Fourth Birthday at the Smithsonian's National Zoo
WASHINGTON, Aug. 22 -- The Smithsonian's National Zoo issued the following news release:
Bei Bei (BAY-BAY) turned 4 years old today, Aug. 22. The Department of Nutrition Science at the Smithsonian's National Zoo made him a panda-friendly frozen cake as a birthday treat.
Keepers placed the cake made of his favorite foods including diluted apple and grape juice, leaf-eater biscuits, applesauce, apples, pears, bananas, carrots, cooked sweet potatoes and sugar cane in his yard at 9 a.m.
Bei Bei was born at the Zoo but will move to China now that he is 4 years old as stipulated in the Zoo's giant
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WASHINGTON, Aug. 22 -- The Smithsonian's National Zoo issued the following news release:
Bei Bei (BAY-BAY) turned 4 years old today, Aug. 22. The Department of Nutrition Science at the Smithsonian's National Zoo made him a panda-friendly frozen cake as a birthday treat.
Keepers placed the cake made of his favorite foods including diluted apple and grape juice, leaf-eater biscuits, applesauce, apples, pears, bananas, carrots, cooked sweet potatoes and sugar cane in his yard at 9 a.m.
Bei Bei was born at the Zoo but will move to China now that he is 4 years old as stipulated in the Zoo's giantpanda breeding agreement.
The preparations for his move are well underway and include working with other federal agencies, researching travel logistics, coordinating with colleagues in China and preparing Bei Bei for the move. A date for his move has not been finalized, but it will occur in the coming months.
Federal Reserve Announces Results of Offering of Seven-day Term Deposits on August 22
WASHINGTON, Aug. 22 -- The Federal Reserve issued the following news release:
On August 22, 2019, the Federal Reserve conducted a floating-rate offering of term deposits through its Term Deposit Facility. The operation offered seven-day term deposits with the rate set equal to the sum of the interest rate paid on excess reserves plus a fixed spread of 1 basis point.
Following are the results of the operation:
TDF Operation ID: F74
Total Amount Awarded: $1,668,000,000
Number of Participants: 18
The awarded deposits will settle on August 22, 2019, and will mature on August 29, 2019. The operation
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WASHINGTON, Aug. 22 -- The Federal Reserve issued the following news release:
On August 22, 2019, the Federal Reserve conducted a floating-rate offering of term deposits through its Term Deposit Facility. The operation offered seven-day term deposits with the rate set equal to the sum of the interest rate paid on excess reserves plus a fixed spread of 1 basis point.
Following are the results of the operation:
TDF Operation ID: F74
Total Amount Awarded: $1,668,000,000
Number of Participants: 18
The awarded deposits will settle on August 22, 2019, and will mature on August 29, 2019. The operationeffective rate will apply to all awarded deposits.
For media inquiries, call 202-452-2955.
Federal Green Challenge Winners in the Pacific Northwest Save Taxpayers' Money and Promote Efficiency
WASHINGTON, Aug. 22 -- The Environmental Protection Agency issued the following news release:
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is recognizing federal facilities in the Pacific Northwest and nationwide for conserving resources and saving taxpayers' money as part of the Federal Green Challenge. The challenge is a national effort under the EPA's Sustainable Materials Management Program, which encourages federal agencies to lead by example in reducing the federal government's environmental impact.
"We applaud our federal partners for implementing innovative, sustainable practices," said Chris
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WASHINGTON, Aug. 22 -- The Environmental Protection Agency issued the following news release:
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is recognizing federal facilities in the Pacific Northwest and nationwide for conserving resources and saving taxpayers' money as part of the Federal Green Challenge. The challenge is a national effort under the EPA's Sustainable Materials Management Program, which encourages federal agencies to lead by example in reducing the federal government's environmental impact.
"We applaud our federal partners for implementing innovative, sustainable practices," said ChrisHladick, Regional Administrator for EPA's Pacific Northwest Region. "The commitment by federal employees to conserve water, reduce waste and be more energy efficient, inspires other facilities to follow their example, and helps protect our environment for years to come."
In 2018, Federal Green Challenge participants nationally reduced their environmental impact, including:
* Sending more than 235 tons of end-of-life electronics to third-party certified recyclers.
* Reducing transportation costs by more than $23 million.
* Using approximately 536 million fewer gallons of potable water.
* Decreasing paper purchasing by nearly 2,800 pounds.
* Diverting an estimated 675,000 tons of waste from landfills.
EPA is recognizing these top performers with regional Federal Green Challenge awards for their efforts to improve the efficiency of their facilities:
* Waste: The Department of Energy's Bonneville Power Administration's (Portland, Oregon) waste recovery efforts resulted in a 63.5% increase of recycled materials from 2017 to 2018 and a 94% overall diversion rate.
* Electronics: The Department of Energy's Bonneville Power Administration's (Portland, Oregon) undertook a comprehensive replacement of nearly 2,000 units of computer equipment; this effort generated a 97.7% increase in EPEAT silver or higher and Energy Star certified equipment.
* Water: The U.S. Coast Guard Base Seattle, through energy and water monitoring and installing water flow reducers and addressing leaks, reduced its water consumption by 30% resulting in a savings of 2,227,117 gallons of potable water.
* Energy: The General Services Administration achieved a 57% decrease in natural gas consumption and an overall 25% total energy use reduction by implementing a dynamic ventilation air system in management of the LEED certified Edith Green - Wendell Wyatt Federal Building in Portland, Oregon.
* Innovation: The Army Corps of Engineers Seattle District analyzed peak work hours to develop strategies for reducing energy load at the LEED Gold certified Oxbow building in Seattle, Washington which resulted in a 15% reduction of electricity and a 21% reduction in natural gas.
For more information on the Federal Green Challenge and this year's winners, visit: http://www.epa.gov/fgc.
Learn more about EPA's Pacific Northwest Region (https://www.epa.gov/aboutepa/epa-region-10-pacific-northwest). Connect with us on Facebook and on Twitter.
EPA Presents East Helena, Montana Partners With Superfund Reuse Award
EAST HELENA, Montana, Aug. 22 -- The Environmental Protection Agency issued the following news release:
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- Montana Environmental Trust Group recognized for transformation of the East Helena Superfund site
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At a ceremony today at Prickly Pear Elementary School in East Helena, Mont., U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Regional Administrator Gregory Sopkin presented representatives from the Montana Environmental Trust Group with EPA's Excellence in Site Reuse Award for efforts to advance the cleanup and revitalization of the East Helena Superfund site. EPA also recognized a host
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EAST HELENA, Montana, Aug. 22 -- The Environmental Protection Agency issued the following news release:
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- Montana Environmental Trust Group recognized for transformation of the East Helena Superfund site
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At a ceremony today at Prickly Pear Elementary School in East Helena, Mont., U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Regional Administrator Gregory Sopkin presented representatives from the Montana Environmental Trust Group with EPA's Excellence in Site Reuse Award for efforts to advance the cleanup and revitalization of the East Helena Superfund site. EPA also recognized a hostof federal, state and local partners who have contributed to the transformation of the site, which serves as a national example of the environmental and economic outcomes being realized by EPA and its partners through EPA's Superfund Redevelopment Initiative.
"This year, EPA is marking the 20th Anniversary of the Superfund Redevelopment Initiative by recognizing the people and communities that demonstrate the very best of what can happen when we work together to clean up contaminated sites and get them back into productive reuse," said EPA Regional Administrator Gregory Sopkin. "The new schools, residential neighborhoods, and trail networks we celebrate today reflect the hard work and vision of the Montana Environmental Trust Group and the many partners who have been critical to the transformation of the East Helena Superfund site."
"METG and our East Helena stakeholders are honored and grateful for EPA Region 8's recognition of the partnerships that have shaped the successful revitalization of former ASARCO lands. We are particularly grateful to EPA for its leadership and support for the community-backed reuse and renewal of the East Helena Superfund Site," said Cindy Brooks, managing principal of the Montana Environmental Trust Group LLC (METG), trustee of the Montana Environmental Custodial Trust.
EPA was joined at the ceremony by East Helena Mayor James Schell in recognizing several other partners who have contributed to the cleanup and revitalization of the Superfund site. These include representatives from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the Montana Department of Environmental Quality, the Montana Department of Justice Natural Resource Damage Program, Lewis and Clark County Environmental Health Services Division, the City of East Helena, East Helena Public Schools and the Prickly Pear Land Trust.
These awards recognize the teamwork and partnerships that have led to the successful remediation and redevelopment of former ASARCO properties in East Helena. Lands impacted by over 100 years of lead smelting operations are being transformed into new schools, residential subdivisions and trail networks.
For more on the East Helena Superfund site: https://cumulis.epa.gov/supercpad/cursites/csitinfo.cfm?id=0800377
For more on EPA's Superfund Redevelopment Initiative: https://www.epa.gov/superfund-redevelopment-initiative
EPA Appoints Dennis Deziel as Region 1 Administrator
BOSTON, Massachusetts, Aug. 22 -- The Environmental Protection Agency issued the following news release:
Today, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator Andrew Wheeler announced the appointment of Dennis Deziel of Maryland to become regional administrator for Region 1. Mr. Deziel will oversee environmental protection efforts in the states of Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, and Connecticut and in 10 Tribal Nations.
Dennis Deziel has spent much of his life working in public service in the nation's capital. Mr. Deziel will join the agency having worked
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BOSTON, Massachusetts, Aug. 22 -- The Environmental Protection Agency issued the following news release:
Today, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator Andrew Wheeler announced the appointment of Dennis Deziel of Maryland to become regional administrator for Region 1. Mr. Deziel will oversee environmental protection efforts in the states of Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, and Connecticut and in 10 Tribal Nations.
Dennis Deziel has spent much of his life working in public service in the nation's capital. Mr. Deziel will join the agency having workedfor over 20 years on energy, environment, and homeland security matters in the federal government. He most recently worked at Dow as the Director of Federal Government Affairs where he focused on focused on environment, energy, and regulatory affairs issues.
"Dennis' extensive experience in public service and deep knowledge of environmental issues make him an excellent choice to lead the Region 1 office," said EPA Administrator Andrew Wheeler. "I look forward to working with Dennis to advance the Agency's mission and protect human health and the environment for our New England residents."
Prior to entering private industry, Mr. Deziel served as Deputy Assistant Secretary in the Office of Environmental Management at the U.S. Department of Energy from 2012 to 2014 where he led budget, policy and planning development for the Nation's largest environmental cleanup program. He also managed chemical security issues at the U.S. Department of Homeland Security from 2004 to 2010 and prior to that he served as a policy advisor for the Council for Environmental Quality from 2002 to 2004. Mr. Deziel began his career working at the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency in the pesticides and chemicals program.
Widespread Praise for Deziel's Appointment:
"Dennis has extensive experience on energy and environment issues, having worked previously for the EPA and most recently helping lead the Department of Energy's largest environmental clean-up program," said former U.S. Senator Kelly Ayotte (NH). "As a New Hampshire native, Dennis also has a deep understanding of and appreciation for Region I's challenges and priorities. He's an excellent choice to serve as Region 1 Administrator."
"My former colleague Dennis Deziel is a strong choice to serve as Regional Administrator for EPA Region 1," said former White House Council on Environmental Quality Chair James L. Connaughton. "The states, people, and environment in Region 1 will benefit greatly from Dennis Deziel's thoughtful, practical and collaborative leadership, his more than two decades of federal government experience in environmental protection, homeland security, and responsible hazardous materials management, compliance and cleanup, and his deep personal commitment to a cleaner, healthier, and safer environment in which to live, work, and play."
