{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["https://www.crapo.senate.gov/media/newsreleases/crapo-hickenlooper-introduce-bill-to-preserve-night-sky-from-interference-aid-research", "Crapo, Hickenlooper Introduce Bill to Preserve Night Sky from Interference, Aid Research", "2024-08-05", "2024", "2024-08", "Republican", "Senate", "ID", "Mike Crapo", "C000880", "www.crapo.senate.gov", "crapo", "https://www.crapo.senate.gov/media/newsreleases", "scraper", "Washington, D.C.--U.S. Senators Mike Crapo (R-Idaho) and John Hickenlooper (D-Colorado) introduced the bipartisan Dark and Quiet Skies Act to preserve the night sky from unintentional light and radio interference that disrupts industry and academic space research.\n\n\u201cThe peace and splendor of Idaho\u2019s wilderness at night is something to behold. With the advancement of space technology, these truly majestic spaces are becoming fewer. Establishing a Center of Excellence for Dark and Quiet Skies is a cause worth pursuing,\u201d said Crapo.\n\n\u201cLight and radio pollution from satellites are keeping space\u2019s mysteries beyond our reach,\u201d said Hickenlooper. \u201cPreserving the darkness of the night sky will amplify our research.\u201d\n\nScientific and amateur space observations can be disrupted by the light and radio transmission of passing satellites. In the last five years, the number of satellites in orbit increased from 2,200 to over 9,000 satellites. Current estimates predict there will be over 500,000 by 2030.\n\nThe Dark and Quiet Skies Act would create a Center of Excellence overseen by National Institute of Standards and Technology to develop best practices to reduce light and noise interference. The Center would boost collaboration between the astronomical community, industry and Federal agencies to protect federally-funded scientific research that observes the sky and celestial bodies.", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-07T21:36:13Z"]], "columns": ["url", "title", "date", "year", "month", "party", "chamber", "state", "member_name", "bioguide_id", "domain", "scraper", "source", "date_source", "text", "has_text", "collected_at", "updated_at"], "primary_keys": ["url"], "primary_key_values": ["https://www.crapo.senate.gov/media/newsreleases/crapo-hickenlooper-introduce-bill-to-preserve-night-sky-from-interference-aid-research"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 0.8167587220668793, "source": "dwillis/congress-press", "source_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press", "license": "MIT", "license_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press/blob/main/LICENSE"}