A couple of weeks ago, Science published a short 2-page paper that could have long-term, far-reaching effects on federal science agencies. In a nutshell, the paper lays out a persuasive argument to the next U.S. President to merge NOAA and the USGS into a new independent federal science agency called the Earth Systems Science Agency (ESSA). One reason this paper got everyone's attention is the fact that every co-author has held a senior position in government science agencies: Mark Schaefer - Deputy Assistant Secretary of the Interior, USGS Director (acting) D. James Baker - NOAA Administrator John H. Gibbons - White House Office of Science and Technology Policy Director, Science Advisor to the President Charles G. Groat - USGS Director Donald Kennedy - FDA Commissioner Charles F. Kennel - NASA Mission to Planet Earth Associate Administrator David Rejeski - Office of Science and Technology Policy and Council on Environmental Quality The paper's top recommendation