Senate Introduces the Dark and Quiet Skies Act

Senators John Hickenlooper (D-CO) and Mike Crapo (R-ID) recently introduced the Dark and Quiet Skies Act, 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."