Hi all, see below. I was a writer of the UN Dark and quiet skies ,
representing the AMA. I helped write the Human health effects section of
this multifaceted 296page report, complete with peer reviewed references. .
It is still sitting on a desk at the UN, but... It has been introduced into
a senate bill 3 days ago !!, see below.
And its bipartisan to boot! wow.
Mario
20 August 2024
Senate Introduces the Dark and Quiet Skies Act
Yaswant DevarakondaAmerican Astronomical Society (AAS)
Senators John Hickenlooper (D-CO) and Mike Crapo (R-ID) recently introduced
the Dark and Quiet Skies Act
https://www.hickenlooper.senate.gov/press_releases/hickenlooper-crapo-introduce-bill-to-preserve-night-sky-from-interference-aid-research/,
which seeks to limit the impact of light pollution and radio frequency
interference from the space industry on astronomical research and the
general public.
If passed, the bill would empower the National Institute of Standards and
Technology (NIST) to create a "center of excellence" to develop and promote
voluntary best practices to reduce optical and radio interference. This
center would be housed in a third party organization, which would either be
a non-profit organization, a federal laboratory, an institution of higher
learning, a Native entity, a federally-funded observatory, or a consortium
of one or more of the above with a private entity. The bill would also
authorize $20 million of funding for five years of operations for the
center. The bill is currently under review of the Senate Committee for
Commerce, Science, and Transportation, although the Committee has not yet
scheduled a date to discuss the bill.
"We thank Senators Hickenlooper and Crapo for their leadership towards the
establishment of a Center of Excellence for Dark and Quiet Skies," said Dr.
Dara Norman, President of the AAS. "By acting as a hub for collaboration
and technology development, this Center will help protect federal
investments in astronomy research while supporting the growth of the
commercial space sector."