Subcommittee Reviews FY2015 Budget Request for NOAA
(Washington, DC) – Today the House Committee on Science, Space, and Technology’s Subcommittee on Environment held a hearing to review the Administration’s Fiscal Year 2015 budget request for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). Testifying before the Committee was the Administrator of NOAA, Dr. Kathryn Sullivan.
Ranking Member Suzanne Bonamici (D-OR) said of NOAA in her opening statement, “NOAA is a critically important agency tasked with helping our communities, economy, and ecosystems remain healthy and resilient in the face of an ever-shifting environment. NOAA conducts state of the art research to understand and predict changes in weather and climate, as well as in the oceans and along our coasts. This science is used to create products and services that inform decision-making by a diverse set of stakeholders.”
She continued, “NOAA helps my constituents along the coast of Oregon decide when it’s safe to go out fishing; it aids my constituents in Yamhill County as they grow the grapes that become Oregon’s world-famous pinot noir; and it assists people in Oregon, and across the country in planning for, and responding to, extreme weather and climate events like heavy precipitation, flooding, and the devastating storms impacting the south and Midwest.”
Subcommittee Democrats discussed the importance of investing in NOAA’s climate and weather research; ocean acidification research; coastal resiliency; and environmental data that is a critical component of weather forecasting. They were generally supportive of the President’s Budget Request, but expressed a few concerns such as the possibility of a gap in satellite data critical for weather forecasting; the elimination of education and mitigation grants in the Tsunami Hazard Mitigation program; and ensuring that NOAA’s workforce is sufficient to meet its mission of protecting lives and property.
Related Content
Next Article Previous Article