Across Colorado, universities, federal laboratories, and private companies are advancing the cutting edge of science and technology, and educating future generations of researchers, CEOs and teachers. These groups are not only delivering Nobel Prizes to Colorado, but they are also bringing investment dollars and good-paying jobs as well. As the state continues to build and recruit businesses, Colorado is drawing upon some of the brightest minds and best entrepreneurs in the nation. Their work expands our understanding of the world around us and keeps our state at the forefront of economic development and innovation. Our future - as a state and as a nation - depends on our capacity for scientific discovery and the ability to innovate. If the United States is to remain competitive in the global marketplace, we must remain the world leader in discovery and innovation, and we must train future generations for an increasingly technological world. It is my goal to ensure that Colorado remains a national leader in this effort. And as a U.S. Senator, I will continue my strong support of science and technology to help make that possible.

Throughout my tenure in the U.S. House of Representatives, I was a member of the Science and Technology Committee, serving the last several years as chair of the Space and Aeronautics Subcommittee. In that role, I was able to promote Colorado's important aerospace interests. As a U.S. Senator, I recognize the importance of science and technology to the nation, and I continue to use my seats on the Energy and Natural Resources and Armed Services Committees to advance these issues.

Science and Technology Impacts on Energy and Pollution

I have been a leader on renewable energy issues since I served in the state legislature back home, and I am a strong supporter of the critical role that science plays in understanding and communicating about energy and climate change. As home to the Earth System Research Laboratory in the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, the National Center for Atmospheric Research, and the National Renewable Energy Laboratory, Colorado is well-positioned to lead the nation in the effort to boost renewable energy use and reduce heat-trapping carbon pollution, which scientists agree is warming the earth.

I have previously introduced legislation (the Global Change Research and Data Management Act of 2007) to re-orient the goals of the U.S. Global Change Research Program to improve federal strategies for mitigating and adapting to the impacts of global change. It would move us beyond the question of whether climate change is happening, and refocus research on what these changes will be and how our society can best adapt to and mitigate them. It also would encourage regional stakeholders to participate, ensuring that the information is relevant to state and local decision makers. The bill passed the U.S. House of Representatives but was not considered in the Senate. Now that I am in the U.S. Senate, I will continue fighting for this important legislation.

Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math Education

The United States cannot remain the world leader in scientific discovery and innovation unless it continues to invest in educating its students in science, technology, engineering, and math - often referred to by its acronym, STEM. The jobs of the future - whether they are in the new energy economy, information technology systems, biomedical technology, aerospace, or research - will all rely on a strong foundation in STEM fields. In the U.S. House of Representatives, I was a founding co-chairman of the STEM Education Caucus, and I am now a member of the Senate STEM Education Caucus. I will remain active in this area through the caucus and my other work to ensure that students today receive the skills they need to succeed and have qualified teachers to guide them.

It is imperative that we give our children the best chance to succeed in an ever-changing global economy. Yet despite the growing importance of STEM fields, American students continue to perform poorly on international tests of science and math compared to other industrialized nations. We must increase our investments now to prepare them for the jobs of tomorrow - and that includes producing qualified teachers to train them.

That's why I pushed for the enactment of the bipartisan America Creating Opportunities to Meaningfully Promote Excellence in Technology, Education, and Science Act - otherwise known as the America COMPETES Act - which will help educate thousands of new teachers, provide current teachers with relevant expertise in their fields, and expand programs to enhance the undergraduate education of the future science and engineering workforce. I co-sponsored legislation, which became part of the America COMPETES Act, to increase STEM training for current students and provide incentives to encourage students studying science and math to become teachers. This legislation will put up to 10,000 new science and math teachers in the classroom each year. I have also supported legislation to create a grant program at the National Science Foundation that would help improve science facilities in our secondary schools. As a U.S. Senator, I will continue those efforts.

Aerospace

I am proud to support the strong aerospace legacy Colorado has built. We have the nation's second-largest aerospace economy (behind only California). We are home to three key military command posts (Air Force Space Command, North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD), and U.S. Northern Command), three space-related U.S. Air Force bases (Buckley, Peterson, and Schriever), and many of the nation's top aerospace companies. In addition, the space industry brings thousands of high-paying jobs to Colorado. The average wage in 2007 for a space industry employee was $104,438 - behind only the District of Columbia and Maryland in average space industry wages. That's more than double Colorado's private sector average wage of $45,637.

The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) has also left an important mark on Colorado. The University of Colorado receives more research funding from NASA than any other research university. NASA's success, therefore, is linked to our own. Healthy programs in science, aeronautics, human space flight and exploration benefit both the nation and the economy of Colorado.

As chair of the House Space and Aeronautics Subcommittee, which oversees NASA, I had the privilege of introducing and shepherding through Congress legislation reauthorizing NASA. That legislation, which is now law, gave important direction to the leadership of U.S. civil space programs and provided the current administration with Congressional priorities for America's future in aeronautics and civil space activities.

NASA has been asked to do much with inadequate funding. I continue to work to ensure that the agency gets the resources it needs to accomplish the goals that we have set for it. I am a strong supporter of each of NASA's four primary objectives:

1. Earth Science. Earth science research is critical to understanding the impacts of climate and weather variables and has enabled us to better manage our resources and protect our citizens.
2. Space Exploration. NASA's success in manned and unmanned exploration of new worlds has been an inspiration to all of us, and I support a bold, robust vision for the future of space exploration.
3. Space Science Research. NASA, which has been at the forefront of this research for decades, is using the latest generation of telescopes to add even more to our knowledge of the universe.
4. Aeronautics. NASA's aeronautics programs are critical to our competitiveness, our national security, our quality of life, and the efficiency and safety of our future national air traffic management system.

Other Federal Labs

Colorado is home to many federal laboratories, which work in close and effective collaboration with our universities, including facilities of the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), the Department of Energy, the Department of Agriculture, and the Department of the Interior, among many others. These labs are national treasures, and I have and will continue to support them.

I fought for the passage of the America COMPETES Act to keep the United States on the forefront of the global economy. This legislation, signed into law in 2007, puts NIST and the National Science Foundation (NSF) on a path to double their funding over a 10-year period. NSF is a major source of funding for the University Corporation for Atmospheric Research and the National Center for Atmospheric Research, both of which are in Colorado, as well as universities throughout our state. This legislation also authorized additional funding for the Department of Energy Office of Science, which provides critical funding to Colorado's universities and small businesses. The America COMPETES Act is a centerpiece of the competitiveness agenda, and I am now working to see that these programs are implemented and funded.

The federally funded and managed research labs in Colorado are:

• Bureau of Reclamation, U.S. Department of the Interior
• Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
• Cooperative Institute for Research in the Atmosphere
• Cooperative Institute for Research in Environmental Sciences
• JILA (formerly known as the Joint Institute for Laboratory Astrophysics)
• National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
  • Earth System Research Laboratory
  • National Geophysical Data Center
  • National Weather Service
  • National Environmental Satellite, Data, and Information Service
  • Space Weather Prediction Center
• National Institute of Standards and Technology
• National Renewable Energy Laboratory
• National Telecommunications and Information Administration
• University Corporation for Atmospheric Research
  • National Center for Atmospheric Research
• U.S. Department of Agriculture - Agricultural Research Service
  • Natural Resources Research Center
  • National Center for Genetic Resources Preservation
  • Crops Research Laboratory
  • Central Great Plains Research Station
• U.S. Department of Agriculture - Rocky Mountain Research Station
• U.S. Department of Agriculture - National Wildlife Research Center
• DOT/FRA-Transportation Technology Center
• U.S. Air Force Academy
• U.S. Geological Survey