"Astronauts on the International Space Station will not be abandoned by NASA's ground crews. National Science Foundation-supported researchers working on the planet's frozen poles won't be cut off from communications, either. Flood-stricken Colorado will continue to receive aid from the Federal Emergency Management Agency, and if a hurricane approaches U.S. shores, the National Weather Service will be there to tell us about it. But as Republicans and Democrats in the U.S. Congress continue to squabble over which party is to blame for the first government shutdown since 1995, the impact is already being felt in all federal agencies involved with climate- and climate change-related research and policy."
"U.S. EPA will experience some of the largest repercussions of the government shutdown with 96 percent of the agency's 16,205 employees expected to stay at home. Staff members and contractors who maintain public safety and health at toxic waste sites, manage disaster and emergency aid, and handle hazardous materials will continue to work through the shutdown."
Elizabeth Harball reports for ClimateWire October 2, 2013.
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