The National Groundwater Association (NGWA) is joining CEOs and 252 organizations in signing a document that urges stronger federal policies and investment to drive domestic research and development.

The document, “Innovation: An American Imperative,” underscores the findings in an American Academy of Arts and Sciences report claiming there is a deficit in what America is investing and what it should be investing to remain competitive with research and job creation.

“NGWA’s mission is to advance groundwater knowledge. Key to furthering our mission is support of national policies and investment that fuel basic research and development,” says NGWA CEO Kevin McCray. “Science undergirds everything that groundwater professionals do. As challenges to our groundwater resources grow, so, too, should our nation’s investment in the kind of research and development that will enable us to meet those challenges.”

CEOs from John Deere, Royal Dutch Shell plc, Microsoft and The Boeing Company were some of many who also signed the initiative. The innovation imperative urges federal policymakers to take action to:

• End sequestration’s deep cuts to federal investments in R&D
• Make permanent a strengthened federal R&D tax credit
• Improve student achievement in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics
• Reform U.S. visa policy
• Streamline or eliminate costly and inefficient regulations
• Reaffirm merit-based peer review
• Stimulate further improvements in advanced manufacturing.

NGWA is a nonprofit that supports responsible development, management and use of water resources. It’s comprised of groundwater professionals ranging from contractors to equipment manufacturers to scientists and engineers. For more information, visit www.ngwa.org.