[Senate Hearing 114-178]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
COMMERCE, JUSTICE, SCIENCE, AND RELATED AGENCIES APPROPRIATIONS FOR
FISCAL YEAR 2016
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U.S. Senate,
Subcommittee of the Committee on Appropriations,
Washington, DC.
NONDEPARTMENTAL WITNESSES
[Clerk's Note.--The subcommittee was unable to hold
hearings on nondepartmental witnesses. The statements and
letters of those submitting written testimony are as follows:]
Prepared Statement of the American Geophysical Union
The American Geophysical Union (AGU), a non-profit, non-partisan
scientific society, appreciates the opportunity to submit testimony
regarding the fiscal year 2016 budget request for the National
Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), the National Oceanic and
Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), and the National Science Foundation
(NSF). The AGU, on behalf of its over 60,000 Earth and space scientist
members, respectfully requests that the 114th Congress appropriate:
--$18.91 billion overall for NASA, $5.51 billion for the Science
Mission Directorate;
--$5.98 billion overall for NOAA; and
--$7.72 billion overall for NSF.
national aeronautics & space administration
AGU requests that Congress appropriate $18.91 billion for NASA in
fiscal year 2016. Additionally, AGU requests that Congress appropriate
$5.51 billion for NASA's Science Mission Directorate. These increases
represent a 5 percent increase over the fiscal year 2015 appropriated
levels.
Despite increases in appropriation, NASA's budget has fallen in
real dollars by 10.5 percent since fiscal year 1995. Unless this
pattern is reversed, NASA will cede its leadership in the Earth and
space science missions and exploration that the U.S. has historically
pioneered. A request of 5 percent allows NASA to grow above the rate of
inflation.
Within NASA's Science Mission Directorate, AGU requests that
Congress set appropriations for the Earth, Planetary, and Heliophysics
Divisions that are equitable and in harmony with their respective
Decadal studies produced by the National Research Council.
Earth Science and Planetary Science Divisions
Missions within NASA's Earth Science Division aid in flood
prediction, earthquake response, and severe storm tracking. Greater
knowledge and prediction skills are urgent when we consider the effort,
time and costs of protecting infrastructure along coasts, rebuilding
fish populations in our seas, developing new water resources for
manufacturing and agriculture, and restoring communities in the wake of
hazards. These observations, and many others like them, are integral
and require the vantage point of outer space.
NASA's Planetary Science Division advances our understanding of the
solar system and inspires future generations of scientists. However,
with no outer planet missions currently in early-stage development and
barring any major funding increase, the U.S. will soon relinquish its
presence beyond Mars.
Both areas of science, Earth and planetary, are complementary. The
study of the Earth system--Earth's interacting physical, chemical, and
biological processes--informs our understanding of other worlds in the
solar system, and our exploration of these bodies advance our knowledge
of Earth's evolution.
Heliophysics Science Division
Studying the sun and its interactions with Earth is crucial to
increasing our knowledge of the dynamic solar processes that impact all
life on our planet. This includes advance detection and warning of
space weather events, such as solar storms, that have the potential to
cause serious damage to our satellites, energy grid infrastructure, and
the electronics we depend everyday. The request would ensure continued
growth in NASA's work researching these and other interactions between
the Sun and the Earth.
national oceanic & atmospheric administration
AGU requests that Congress appropriate $5.98 billion for NOAA in
fiscal year 2016. This would be a 9.8 percent increase over the fiscal
year 2015 appropriated level for NOAA.
In our 21st century economy, it is vital that NOAA provide the data
and insights on our environment that keep Americans safe and
prosperous. NOAA's atmospheric and oceanic programs combine cutting-
edge research and world-class operational facilities to ensure that the
U.S. is a resilient, weather-ready, and sustainable nation. Many
sectors of our economy rely on the Agency's satellite programs to
provide high quality, uninterrupted data for weather forecasts and on
its oceanic program for insights on our environment and the
sustainability of our coastal economies.
national science foundation
AGU requests that Congress appropriate $7.72 billion for NSF in
fiscal year 2016. This would be a 5.2 percent increase over the fiscal
year 2015 appropriated level for NSF.
The Foundation is critical to America's ability to compete globally
in technological and scientific innovation. Faced with ever-increasing
international competition, maintaining U.S. scientific leadership
requires continued robust investments in basic research and STEM
education. NSF is the only Federal agency that supports research and
education across all fields of science, engineering, and mathematics
and at all educational levels. Research and education programs
supported by NSF help increase and develop the knowledge base needed
for pushing the frontiers of science, mathematics, and engineering
disciplines, contribute to the development of the future science and
technology workforce, underpin new fields of inquiry, and promote
interdisciplinary research and education. All of these facilitate
technological innovation.
Even under tight budget constraints, it is important for NSF to
have steady budget levels that demonstrate real growth. Under constant
2014 dollars, NSF has lost 5.8 percent of its budget from fiscal year
2010 to fiscal year 2014. This stagnant pace of funding is creating an
innovation deficit in the U.S.--a widening gap between the actual level
of Federal Government funding for research and higher education and
what the investment needs to be if the U.S. is to remain the world's
innovation leader.
Geosciences Directorate
The Geoscience Directorate awards research in the Earth,
atmospheric, ocean, and polar sciences. Much of the geosciences
research budget leads to a better understanding of critical national
needs, such as water and mineral resources, energy resources,
environmental issues, climate change, and mitigation of natural
hazards. AGU asks the subcommittee to strongly support these programs.
GEO supports infrastructure, operation, and maintenance costs for
cutting edge facilities that are essential for fundamental and applied
research. Geoscience-based research tools and academic expertise helped
to track and contain the BP Deepwater Horizon oil spill, saving
billions of dollars for Gulf industries and untold costs to the
environment. Among the major infrastructure that NSF supports, the U.S.
Arctic and Antarctic Facilities and Logistics, Academic Research Fleet,
EarthScope Operations, Incorporated Research Institutions for
Seismology (IRIS), the Ocean Drilling Program, the Ocean Observatories
Initiative, and the National Center for Atmospheric Research are all
key to our Nation's innovation and economic well-being. AGU strongly
supports robust and steady funding for this infrastructure as well as
operation and maintenance of these major facilities.
Earth Science Education
The geosciences workforce is aging and being quickly depleted.
Congress can grow this workforce, stimulate economic growth in the
energy, natural resources and environmental sectors, and improve
natural resource literacy by supporting the full integration of Earth
science information into mainstream science education at the K-12 and
higher education levels. AGU strongly supports the new NSF INCLUDES
program (Inclusion Across the Nation of Communities of Learners that
have been Underrepresented for Diversity in Engineering and Science),
the Integrated NSF Support Promoting Interdisciplinary Research and
Education program (INSPIRE), the Graduate Research Fellowships (GRF),
and the Research Experiences for Undergraduates (REU), and the Faculty
Early Career Development Program (CAREER). These programs are effective
in building a science and engineering workforce for the 21st century
that supports academia, industry, national defense, and Federal and
local governments.
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Prepared Statement of the American Geosciences Institute
Thank you for this opportunity to provide the American Geosciences
Institute's perspective on fiscal year 2016 appropriations for
geoscience programs within the subcommittee's jurisdiction.
The American Geosciences Institute (AGI) supports critical Earth
Science research conducted by the National Science Foundation (NSF),
the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), the
National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), and the National
Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA). Cutting-edge research on
the Earth, energy, and the environment has fueled economic growth,
mitigated losses, and improved our quality of life. Our Nation needs
skilled and innovative geoscientists to help explore, assess, and
develop Earth's resources in a strategic, sustainable, and
environmentally sound manner and to help understand, evaluate, and
reduce our risks to hazards. AGI recognizes our Nation's financial
challenges and also the necessity for steady growth and investment in
science and technology for the future.
AGI respectfully requests $1.372 billion for the Geoscience
Directorate at NSF and $1.947 billion for NASA Earth Science programs.
AGI supports the President's request for $5.982 billion for NOAA and
$1.12 billion for NIST.
AGI is a nonprofit federation of about 50 geoscientific and
professional societies representing more than 250,000 geologists,
geophysicists, and other Earth scientists. Founded in 1948, AGI
provides information services to geoscientists, serves as a voice for
shared interests in our profession, plays a major role in strengthening
geoscience education, and strives to increase public awareness of the
vital role the geosciences play in society's use of resources,
resilience to hazards, and the health of the environment.
national science foundation
AGI supports the President's request for $7.724 billion for NSF.--
These important investments in the future of our Nation are the seed
capital necessary to support the progress of science and engineering
which underpins modern society and produces revolutionary--and some as
yet unforeseen--breakthroughs. Basic research such as this provides
knowledge that is used to improve people's quality of life, creates a
dynamic and innovative economy, and strengthens the security of the
country.
NSF not only provides core funding and essential infrastructure for
basic research, but also supports the education and training of the
next generation of the workforce. AGI believes that investment in NSF
programs, where research is funded based on competitive, scientific
merit and peer review, will pay important dividends in maintaining U.S.
dominance in science and technology long into the future.
NSF Geosciences Directorate.--AGI is disappointed that the
President's request for a 4.7 percent increase for the Geoscience
Directorate (GEO) falls short of his NSF-wide request for a 5.2 percent
increase, especially when GEO funding had already been cut in fiscal
year 2015. AGI respectfully asks the subcommittee to provide the
Geosciences Directorate with $1,372 million for fiscal year 2016 to
keep the Directorate on par with the proposed NSF-wide increase of 5.2
percent.
The Geosciences Directorate (GEO) is the principal source of
Federal support for academic Earth scientists and their students who
seek to understand the Earth and the processes that sustain and
transform life on this planet. The Geosciences Directorate provides
about 61 percent of Federal funding for basic geoscience research at
academic institutions. According to NSF data, the Directorate
distributes about 1,600 new awards annually and expects about 15,900
people to participate in GEO activities in fiscal year 2016, while also
supporting indispensible research infrastructure and instruments.
The GEO Directorate plays a significant role in NSF's cross-
foundational initiatives, such as the Innovations at the Nexus of Food,
Energy, and Water Systems (INFEWS) and Prediction of and Resilience
against Extreme Events (PREEVENTS) activities. These exciting projects
integrate information from a range of disciplines to address pressing,
socially-relevant issues. The geosciences play a large role in INFEWS,
providing raw data and information on fossil, nuclear, and renewable
energies; the quantity, quality, and distribution of water supplies;
and the characteristics, health, and stability of soils and the
critical zone where Earth, biological, and human systems intersect.
Additionally, geohazards such as earthquakes and landslides are a
significant component of PREEVENTS. This NSF-wide initiative has the
potential to improve predictability and risk assessments associated
with geohazards, which help build resilience to natural and manmade
disasters. These investments in pre-disaster research and mitigation
will provide an excellent return on investment, both in monetary and
social terms. AGI supports funding of $14.78 million for INFEWS and
$23.50 million for PREEVENTS in the Geoscience Directorate and
particularly stress the importance of the Earth Science Division to
this work.
NSF's Division of Polar Programs (PLR) funds basic research in the
Arctic and Antarctic and manages all U.S. activities in Antarctica as a
single, integrated program. The polar regions are the focus of intense
scientific and political interest as new navigation routes are opening
access to resources and presenting security challenges. NSF-funded
research and infrastructure are helping the United States understand
environmental conditions in extreme environments, develop polar
technology, and construct data-driven strategic and security policies.
AGI suggests a minimum of $450 million for the Division of Polar
Programs.
NSF funds facilities that enable researchers to access locations,
data, and technologies that serve the overall research community. AGI
strongly supports robust and steady funding for infrastructure and the
operation and maintenance of major facilities, including the Academic
Research Fleet, Geodetic and Seismological Facilities for the
Advancement of Geosciences and EarthScope (GAGE and SAGE), Ocean
Drilling Activities, the Ocean Observatories Initiative, and the
National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR).
Directorate for Education and Human Resources.--Support for
geoscience education within NSF not only helps us meet the demand for a
competitive, skilled workforce, but also supports an informed citizenry
prepared to make well-informed decisions about the management of our
planet and its resources. Outreach and education are important at all
levels from K-12 through graduate and should include formal and
informal outlets to facilitate lifelong learning. AGI strongly supports
funding for geoscience education at all levels and particularly
supports programs to diversify the geoscience student population and
workforce. The INCLUDES (Inclusion across the Nation of Communities of
Learners that have been Underrepresented for Diversity in Engineering
and Science) initiative should focus funds and attention on this
important workforce issue. AGI urges Congress to fund programs in NSF's
Directorate for Education and Human Resources, including NSF
Scholarships in STEM, Graduate Research Fellowships, Climate Change
Education, Research Experiences for Undergraduates, and Advancing
Informal STEM Education.
national oceanic and atmospheric administration
Geoscientists rely on NOAA for much of the data and long-term
monitoring that enable research and rapid response for events such as
hurricanes, drought, marine oil spills, and a range of coastal
phenomena. The National Weather Service (NWS), Oceanic and Atmospheric
Research (OAS), National Ocean Service (NOS), and the National
Environment Satellite, Data and Information Service (NESDIS) programs
provide the data necessary for understanding and mitigating these
events, as well as sustaining our natural resources. AGI supports the
President's request for $5.982 billion for NOAA and hopes that the
subcommittee will continue to support these crucial initiatives.
national institute of standards and technology
Earth scientists and geotechnical engineers versed in the
geosciences conduct basic research at NIST that is used by the public
and private sectors to build resilient communities and stimulate
economic growth. The research conducted and the information gained is
essential for understanding natural hazards, identifying the
infrastructure needed to build strong communities, and stimulating
economic growth. AGI strongly supports the President's request for
$1.12 billion for NIST.
NIST is the lead agency for the National Earthquake Hazard
Reduction Program (NEHRP), an interagency program responsible for the
efficient coordination of research and resources to understand and
mitigate earthquakes, but has received only a small portion of
authorized and essential funding in the past. AGI supports the
reauthorization and funding of the National Earthquake Hazards
Reduction Program (NEHRP) in this Congress.
national aeronautics and space administration
NASA's current fleet of Earth-observing satellites provides the
data necessary to understand our dynamic planet. These satellites such
as the Advanced Earth Observing Satellite and the Landsat series
provide information critical to research and life-sustaining functions
like weather forecasting, emergency service response and planning, and
tracking ash plumes or oil spills that disrupt the economy and the
environment. Geoscientists use Landsat data to monitor, predict, and
help land managers to address drought, wildfires, changes in
vegetation, and other changes to the Earth's surface. We strongly
support the President's request for $1.947 billion for NASA Earth
Science and the NASA/USGS Sustainability Land Imaging Architecture
Study Team, which is examining options for continuing Landsat-
compatible observations into the future.
Thank you for the opportunity to present this testimony to the
subcommittee.
______
Prepared Statement of the Association of Public and Land-Grant
Universities' Board on Oceans, Atmosphere, and Climate
On behalf of the Association of Public and Land-grant Universities'
(APLU) Board on Oceans, Atmosphere, and Climate (BOAC), we thank you
for the opportunity to provide recommendations for the proposed fiscal
year 2016 budgets for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric
Administration (NOAA), the National Aeronautic and Space Administration
(NASA) and the National Science Foundation (NSF). BOAC represents
hundreds of scientists and administrators at APLU's 238 member
universities and systems. We support a budget of $80 million for NOAA's
National Sea Grant College Program, $5.49 billion for NASA's Science
Directorate and $7.7 billion for NSF. We also support a full
restoration of all of NOAA, NASA, and NSF's STEM Programs.
According to the National Climatic Data Center (NCDC), between 1980
and 2013, there were 178 weather/climate disasters that each exceeded
$1 billion in damages. Combined, they exceed $1 trillion in losses. The
Federal Government spent nearly $140 billion on disasters in 2012
alone. Further, the U.S. economy often takes a hit from disasters as
well. The drought of 2012 likely cost the U.S. economy over $30
billion. Additionally, the role of the Federal Government in covering
many of these losses has grown tremendously over the last few decades.
Erwann Michel-Kerwann, chairman of the OECD's Board on Financial
Management of Catastrophes, noted that in 1989, Federal relief covered
only 23 percent of total damage whereas Federal relief covered 69
percent of Hurricane Ike in 2008 and 75 percent of Hurricane Sandy in
2012.
To decrease future Federal expenditures and to make the Nation more
prepared for natural disasters, Federal agencies are working with
communities across the Nation to enhance their resilience. Community
resilience is a measure of the ability of a community to prepare for,
respond to, and fully bounce back from a variety of crises. Through
research, Federal science agencies can play a valuable role in helping
communities strengthen their resilience.
national oceanic and atmospheric administration
Within the administration's fiscal year 2016 budget proposal, there
is a proposal to increase the Regional Coastal Resilience Grants
program by $45 million to ``(1) increase the resilience of coastal
communities and ecosystems by assisting with planning for and
addressing extreme weather events, coastal inundation, climate hazards,
changing ocean conditions, and competing uses; and (2) to support
regional approaches that leverage existing resources and efforts and
promote collaboration across jurisdictions and sectors.'' This proposal
nearly mirrors the National Sea Grant College Program's goals to (1)
develop vibrant and resilient coastal economies; (2) aid communities in
using comprehensive planning to make informed strategic decisions; (3)
improve coastal water resources to sustain human health and ecosystem
services; and (4) to help resilient coastal communities adapt to the
impacts of hazards and coastal changes.
Thus, while we applaud and support the administration's attention
to coastal resilience, we suggest that the National Oceanic and
Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) capitalize on the capacity that
exists in the Sea Grant Program to add value to this initiative. Sea
Grant would strengthen the research and education component of this
resiliency effort. Furthermore, as required by law, each dollar Sea
Grant receives in Federal funding must be matched at the State level.
Finally, Sea Grant is local; it provides NOAA with boots on the ground
throughout the country's coastal areas. Sea Grant personnel hear
directly from community members about their needs and work directly
with communities to provide technical assistance. We provide below two
examples of the type of work Sea Grant has done related to community
resiliency.
Sea Grant has a proven track record with regard to coastal
community resilience work. For example, the Mississippi-Alabama Sea
Grant Consortium developed the Coastal Community Resilience Index
(CCRI), a community self-assessment tool, in response to community
requests for baseline data they could use to assess how they are
progressing toward their goals to become more resilient. Using this
tool, communities can identify vulnerabilities and prepare for future
natural disasters. So far, 47 communities across the Gulf of Mexico,
working along with 74 facilitators, have utilized the tool to determine
their base resilience. A small grants program then provides individual
communities financial resources needed to address action items
identified by the CCRI.
Sea Grant Programs also target the individual homeowners in coastal
communities. For instance, the University of Hawai'i Sea Grant produced
a community specific Homeowner's Handbook to Prepare for Natural
Hazards. Using non-technical language, the book offers homeowners step-
by-step instructions for hazard preparation along with education on the
hazard risk in their area. This book has proven so popular it has gone
through 8 print runs and has now been adapted to Alabama, Delaware,
Florida, Louisiana, Massachusetts, Mississippi, and Texas.
Based on the examples given, we encourage the subcommittee to fund
Sea Grant at $80 million, allowing the Program to then be heavily
utilized in NOAA's resiliency efforts.
Underlying all of the programs above are the skilled scientists,
educators, and community engagement specialists in academia, non-
profits, industry and State, local, and Federal Government that
actually perform the work. The continuity and durability of that
workforce relies on strong educational programs that recruit, mentor,
and develop the necessary human capacity. The administration's budget
calls for the elimination of several important STEM programs at NOAA
that contribute to the development of a workforce with the skills and
expertise needed in our 21st century economy.
NOAA's Fisheries Sea Grant Fellowship encourages students to pursue
careers in population and ecosystem dynamics or marine resource
economics, areas vital to NOAA's management of the Nation's fisheries.
The NOAA Teach at Sea Program permits K-12 teachers the opportunity to
experience hands-on, real world research on NOAA's fisheries,
oceanographic, or hydrographic survey cruises. This allows those
teachers to enrich their curricula and enhance their approaches to
teaching science. Finally, it is not enough in today's complex world to
know only the technical aspects of one's science discipline, but also
to hone professional skills needed to become tomorrow's leaders. The
John A. Knauss Marine Policy Fellowship provides exactly that type of
training.
BOAC strongly encourages the subcommittee to restore funding for
all the NOAA STEM programs.
national science foundation
BOAC supports the administration's request of $7.7 billion for the
National Science Foundation (NSF). NSF provides 61 percent of
geoscience basic research funding, including support for critical
infrastructure such as the National Center for Atmospheric Research--
Wyoming Supercomputing Center, the Academic Research Fleet, and the
Ocean Observatories. Additionally, NSF is the home of traditionally
strong STEM education programs.
BOAC supports the budget request for NSF's geosciences directorate.
NSF's investments in the geosciences address important national
challenges, spur new economic sectors, and lead to the development and
implementation of advanced technologies that save lives, protect
property, and support our economy. BOAC also supports the NSF's
creation of the focused research effort called Prevention of and
Resilience against Extreme Events (PREEVENTS), the purpose of which is
to enhance national resilience to natural hazards. Like the Hazards
SEES (Science, Engineering, and Education for Sustainability) before
it, PREEVENTS will improve quantitative models and qualitative research
that should aid societal preparedness and resilience. In particular,
PREEVENTS will promote disciplinary and multidisciplinary projects for
significant near- or medium-term advances.
BOAC is also pleased to see NSF expand research into Innovations at
the Nexus of Food, Energy, and Water Systems (INFEWS). In its ``Science
Education and Outreach Roadmap for Natural Resources,'' APLU's BOAC and
its Board on Natural Resources identified six major grand challenges
facing the Nation's natural resources, three of which are agriculture,
energy, and water. There are many examples of where these three come
into play with one another. The drought in California affects not only
California's enormous agricultural system but also the State's
production of hydroelectricity. Many of the Nation's important
waterways face problems with eutrophication from nutrient runoff from
intensive agricultural production.
national aeronautics and space administration
Like NOAA & NSF, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration
(NASA) is critical to community resilience, both for developing an
understanding of the earth and how it functions as well as collection
of the data scientists use to help aid decision-makers.
In 2007, the National Academies issued the report, ``Earth and
Science Applications from Space: National Imperatives for the Next
Decade and Beyond.'' The report found that between 2000 and 2009
funding for Earth Sciences (ES) had fallen substantially. Past
investments in NASA's science mission have funded university research
that has resulted in the development of new instruments and
technologies and in valuable advances in weather forecasting, climate
projections and understanding of Earth ecosystems.
NASA is instrumental in deploying satellites used by NOAA.
Furthermore, without the tools developed at NASA, oceanic, atmospheric,
hydrologic and Earth-system scientists and the Nation would have only a
fragmentary picture of the interconnected functioning of the planet's
oceans, atmosphere and land. NASA plays a role in technology transfer
from NOAA by testing new sensors. NASA is currently developing a sensor
that will for the first time give scientists and resource planners a
global picture of the world's terrestrial water supplies. Currently
many lakes and rivers are not monitored and there is no centralized
location for water resource information. The NASA data archive is an
irreplaceable collection of environmental information that researchers
depend upon. NASA also flies the WB-57 high altitude research aircraft,
which performs valuable atmospheric research missions including remote
sensing for coastal resiliency and the study of hurricane formation and
intensity change. Furthermore, through its support for young scientists
and graduate students, the NASA science mission supports innovation in
the education and future workforce pipeline.
Finally, we support funding NASA to develop and implement a
scatterometer mission with fast community access to those data,
capability to distinguish between wind and rain and a higher orbit for
coverage of Alaskan waters. The scatterometer has been a critical
component of hurricane prediction.
BOAC thanks you for the opportunity to provide our views to the
subcommittee. We look forward to working with you through the fiscal
year 2016 appropriations process.
about aplu and the board on natural resources
APLU's membership consists of 238 State universities, land-grant
universities, State-university systems and related organizations. APLU
institutions enroll more than 4.8 million undergraduate students and
1.3 million graduate students, award 1.2 million degrees, and conduct
$41 billion annually in university-based research annually. The Board's
mission is to provide Federal relations for issues involving
university-based programs in marine, atmospheric, and climatological
sciences. BOAC representatives are chosen by their president's office
to serve. They include some of the Nation's leading research and
educational expertise in atmospheric, marine, and climate disciplines.
______
Prepared Statement of the Association of Science-Technology Centers
introduction
Chairman Shelby, Ranking Member Mikulski, and members of the
subcommittee, thank you for the opportunity to submit written testimony
for the record. My name is Anthony (Bud) Rock, and I serve as the
President and Chief Executive Officer of the Association of Science-
Technology Centers (ASTC). My testimony today addresses the importance
of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) education,
and will focus specifically on the fiscal year 2016 budgets for four
specific programs at three Federal agencies over which your
subcommittee has jurisdiction, including: (1) the Competitive Program
for Science Museums, Planetariums, and NASA Visitor Centers Plus Other
Opportunities (CP4SMP+) at the National Aeronautics and Space
Administration (NASA),which would not be funded under the President's
fiscal year 2016 request; the Bay-Watershed Education and Training (B-
WET) Regional Programs and Competitive Education Grants (CEG)/
Environmental Literacy Grants (ELG) programs at the National Oceanic
and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), which would not be funded under
the President's fiscal year 2016 request; and the Advancing Informal
STEM Learning (AISL) program at the National Science Foundation (NSF),
which would receive $60 million under the President's fiscal year 2016
request.
our request
On behalf of ASTC and the nearly 400 science centers and museums we
represent here in the United States, I urge the subcommittee to
continue its strong support for critical STEM education programs within
NASA, NOAA, and NSF as the Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related
Agencies appropriations bill for fiscal year 2016 moves forward.
Specifically, I urge you to:
--Provide $10 million for the Competitive Program for Science
Museums, Planetariums, and NASA Visitor Centers Plus Other
Opportunities at the National Aeronautics and Space
Administration.
--Provide $12 million for the Bay-Watershed Education and Training
Regional Programs and $8 million for the Competitive Education
Grants/Environmental Literacy Grants programs at the National
Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
--Provide $60 million for the Advancing Informal STEM Learning
program at the National Science Foundation.
--Continue to thoroughly examine any proposals that would seek to
consolidate and/or reorganize Federal STEM education programs
in an effort to ensure that stakeholder input has been sought
and that proven, successful programs are maintained.
Before providing more detail about ASTC and the science center and
museum field, I want to first offer a brief snapshot of these Federal
programs and why they are so vital to communities across the country.
national aeronautics and space administration
NASA's Competitive Program for Science Museums, Planetariums, and
NASA Visitor Centers Plus Other Opportunities provides support for
education or research engagement projects, exhibits, and/or
partnerships with K-12 schools to support inquiry- or experiential-
based activities led by informal education institutions--like science
centers and museums--that feature NASA missions, science, engineering,
explorations, or technologies.
With fiscal year 2014 funding, NASA awarded funding to 12 projects,
including three NASA Visitor Centers. Three Maryland-based
institutions--the Maryland Science Center, the Prince George's County
Public Schools' Howard B. Owens Science Center, and the Goddard Space
Flight Center--collaborated on a proposal and are receiving support to
make educators, students, families, and the public more aware and
better informed of NASA heliophysics science and NASA missions studying
the Sun. Program participants will come to a better understanding of
the Sun, space weather, and the Sun's far-reaching influence on our
planet and the rest of the solar system.
Though Congress--and this subcommittee--have been very supportive
of this program since its inception in fiscal year 2008, the agency has
not indicated if any fiscal year 2015 funds will be available for new
grants. Furthermore, the President did not include funding for the
program in his fiscal year 2016 budget request. I encourage the
subcommittee to continue its strong support for the CP4SMP+ by
providing $10 million for fiscal year 2016.
national oceanic and atmospheric administration
NOAA's Bay-Watershed Education and Training Regional Programs are
environmental education offerings that promote locally relevant,
experiential learning in the K-12 environment. The program, which
currently serves seven areas of the country (California, the Chesapeake
Bay, the Great Lakes, the Gulf of Mexico, Hawai'i, New England, and the
Pacific Northwest), promotes environmental literacy in society by
supporting individuals to understand, protect, and restore watersheds
and related ecosystems. With fiscal year 2015 funding for 86 new and
continuing awards, B-WET grants will reach an estimated 69,000 students
and 2,600 teachers.
NOAA's Competitive Education Grants/Environmental Literacy Grants
program, which the agency touts as ``the longest-standing and most
comprehensive national grants program focused on environmental
literacy,'' helps improve and increase the understanding and use of
earth systems science while advancing STEM education. Since its
beginnings in 2005, NOAA has made 111 awards to over 150 institutions
across the country--all of which help advance its mission. The agency
estimates that each year, an average of 60 million people visit an
institution--like a science center or museum--that has a NOAA-funded
exhibit or program.
Despite this measurable impact, the President's fiscal year 2016
budget request once again proposes the termination of both the B-WET
and the CEG/ELG programs, which received $7.2 million and $4 million,
respectively, for fiscal year 2015. For fiscal year 2016, I urge the
subcommittee to remain supportive of the programs by providing $12
million in funding for B-WET and $8 million in funding for CEG/ELG.
national science foundation
Fiscal year 2016 funding for the Advancing Informal STEM Learning
program, offered by the Directorate for Education and Human Resources
and the Division of Research on Learning in Formal and Informal
Settings, will provide resources to support design, adaptation,
implementation, and research on innovative modes of learning in the
informal environment, with important emphases on citizen science,
making, and cyberlearning. Just last year, new awards were made to the
University of Alaska-Fairbanks (in partnership with the Oregon Museum
of Science and Industry), the University of Maryland Center for
Environmental Sciences, the University of Wisconsin-Madison, and the
University of New Hampshire, to name just a few.
The President's fiscal year 2016 budget request includes $60
million--$5 million more than the fiscal year 2015 appropriated level--
for AISL. I encourage the subcommittee to support the President's
request.
stem education consolidation and reorganization
With regard to the Federal STEM education consolidation plan first
released by the administration for fiscal year 2014 and amended in each
of the last two budget requests, I recognize the importance of creating
efficiencies within the Federal Government whenever possible.
Nevertheless, I continue to have serious concerns about a proposal that
would eliminate effective programs that support informal STEM learning.
Integral Federal investments, including the aforementioned NASA and
NOAA offerings, are once again slated for elimination in fiscal year
2016. I sincerely appreciate the subcommittee's thoughtful
consideration of the harmful effect of the proposed terminations, and
ask you to remain steadfast in your support of these programs.
about astc and science centers
The Association of Science-Technology Centers is a global
organization providing collective voice, professional support, and
programming opportunities for science centers, museums, and related
institutions, whose innovative approaches to science learning inspire
people of all ages about the wonders and the meaning of science in
their lives. Science centers are sites for informal learning, and are
places to discover, explore, and test ideas about science, technology,
engineering, mathematics, health, and the environment. They feature
interactive exhibits, hands-on science experiences for children,
professional development opportunities for teachers, and educational
programs for adults. In science centers, visitors become adventurous
explorers who together discover answers to the myriad questions of how
the world works--and why. As members of this subcommittee know, it is
imperative that we spark an interest in STEM fields at an early age--a
key role for community-based science centers and museums, who often
undertake this effort with the aforementioned modest--but important--
support from NASA, NOAA, and NSF, in addition to other Federal
agencies.
ASTC works with science centers and museums to address critical
societal issues, locally and globally, where understanding of and
engagement with science are essential. As liaisons between the science
community and the public, science centers are ideally positioned to
heighten awareness of critical issues like agriculture, energy, the
environment, infectious diseases, and space; increase understanding
of--and exposure to--important and exciting new technologies; and
promote meaningful exchange and debate between scientists and local
communities.
ASTC now counts 636 members, including 489 operating or developing
science centers and museums in 45 countries. Collectively, our
institutions garner 95 million visits worldwide each year. Here in the
United States alone, our guests--and your constituents--pass through
science center doors more than 73 million times to participate in
intriguing educational science activities and explorations of
scientific phenomena.
Science centers come in all shapes and sizes, from larger
institutions in big metropolitan areas to smaller centers in somewhat
less populated ones. ASTC represents institutions as diverse as the
Adventure Science Center in Nashville; the Anchorage Museum at Rasmuson
Center; the Connecticut Science Center; the Echo Lake Aquarium and
Science Center in Burlington, Vermont; the Maine Discovery Museum in
Bangor; the McWane Science Center in Birmingham; the Museum of
Discovery in Little Rock; and the Providence Children's Museum.
Our centers reach a wide audience, a significant portion of which
are school groups. Here in the United States, 94 percent of our members
offer school field trips, and we estimate that more than 13 million
children attend science centers and museums as part of those groups
each year. Field trips, however, are truly just the beginning of what
science centers and museums contribute to our country's educational
infrastructure, as: 92 percent offer classes and demonstrations; 90
percent offer school outreach programs; 76 percent offer workshops or
institutes for teachers; 74 percent offer programs for home-schoolers;
67 percent offer programs that target adult audiences; 65 percent offer
curriculum materials; 50 percent offer after-school programs; 34
percent offer youth employment programs; and 22 percent offer citizen
science projects.
conclusion
With this in mind, and while I am fully aware of the significant
budget challenges that face this subcommittee, Congress, and the
Nation, I hope you will continue to recognize the important educational
offerings science centers and museums make available to students,
families, and teachers, along with the essential Federal support they
receive from NASA, NOAA, and NSF.
Again, I respectfully request and urge you to:
--Provide $10 million for the Competitive Program for Science
Museums, Planetariums, and NASA Visitor Centers Plus Other
Opportunities at the National Aeronautics and Space
Administration.
--Provide $12 million for the Bay-Watershed Education and Training
Regional Programs and $8 million for the Competitive Education
Grants/Environmental Literacy Grants program at the National
Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
--Provide $60 million for the Advancing Informal STEM Learning
program at the National Science Foundation.
--Continue to closely examine any proposals that would seek to
consolidate and/or reorganize Federal STEM education programs
in an effort to ensure that stakeholder input has been sought
and that proven, successful programs are maintained.
Thank you once again for your strong support for America's science
centers and museums--and for the opportunity to present these views. My
staff and I would be happy to respond to any questions or provide
additional information as needed by the subcommittee.
______
Prepared Statement of the Association of Zoos and Aquariums
national oceanic and atmospheric administration
Thank you Chairman Shelby and Ranking Member Mikulski for allowing
me to submit testimony on behalf of the Nation's 214 AZA-accredited
zoos and aquariums. Specifically, I want to express my support for the
inclusion of $4 million for the John H. Prescott Marine Mammal Rescue
Assistance Grant Program, $8,000,000 for the National Oceanic and
Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Environmental Literacy Grants Program
(including $2,500,000 for the NOAA Ocean Education Grants Program), and
$12,000,000 for the Bay, Watershed, Education and Training Program in
the fiscal year 2016 Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related Agencies
appropriations bill. Additionally, I urge you to reject any proposal
that eliminate valuable ocean education programs as part of a plan to
restructure Federal Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM)
programs.
Founded in 1924, the Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA) is a
nonprofit 501c(3) organization dedicated to the advancement of zoos and
aquariums in the areas of conservation, education, science, and
recreation. AZA-accredited zoos and aquariums annually see more than
180 million visitors, collectively generate more than $17 billion in
annual economic activity, and support more than 165,000 jobs across the
country. Over the last 5 years, AZA-accredited institutions supported
more than 4,000 field conservation and research projects with
$160,000,000 annually in more than 100 countries. In the last 10 years,
accredited zoos and aquariums formally trained more than 400,000
teachers, supporting science curricula with effective teaching
materials and hands-on opportunities. School field trips annually
connect more than 12,000,000 students with the natural world.
During the past 20 years AZA-accredited zoos and aquariums have
rescued and rehabilitated more than 1,800 marine animals including
stranded dolphins, whales, sea lions, seals, sea otters, sea turtles,
and manatees. More than 1,750 (97 percent) of these animals have been
successfully released back into their natural habitat. While the
Nations' accredited zoos and aquariums support wildlife rehabilitation
through their ongoing animal rescue programs, these institutions are
sometimes involved in addressing natural and manmade disasters such as
the 2010 Deepwater Horizon Gulf oil spill. For example, following the
oil spill, accredited zoos and aquariums around the country offered
assistance by pledging the services of 200 animal care professionals
and donating supplies, vehicles, and other resources to assist in the
wildlife rescue efforts.
The John H. Prescott Marine Mammal Rescue Assistance Grant Program
provides grants or cooperative agreements to eligible stranding network
participants for the recovery and treatment (i.e., rehabilitation) of
stranded marine mammals; data collection from living or dead stranded
marine mammals; and, facility upgrades, operation costs, and staffing
needs directly related to the recovery and treatment of stranded marine
mammals and collection of data from living or dead stranded marine
mammals. Eligible applicants are currently active, authorized
participants, including AZA-accredited zoos and aquariums, or
researchers in the National Marine Mammal Stranding Network.
Without the Prescott grant program, NOAA would have to rely on
private organizations as it coordinates the response to marine mammals
in distress; determines disease, injury and potential cause(s) of
death; and supports emergency response for marine mammals during oil
spills, outbreaks of diseases, and unusual mortality events. Network
partners may not have the funds or the ability to respond to some
stranding events, leaving animals at risk for prolonged exposure and
likely death. Without funding for this program the critical ability to
monitor marine mammal health trends, collect scientific data, and
perform analysis would also be diminished. Information about the causes
of marine mammal strandings is useful to the public because marine
mammals can serve as an indicator of ocean health, giving insight into
larger environmental issues that also have implications for human
health and welfare.
At the same time that AZA-accredited zoos and aquariums are working
with Federal partners to conserve ocean wildlife, they also are
providing essential learning opportunities, particularly about science,
for schoolchildren in formal and informal settings. Increasing access
to formal and informal science education opportunities has never been
more important. Studies have shown that American schoolchildren are
lagging behind their international peers in certain subjects including
science and math.
The NOAA Ocean Education Grants Program and Bay, Watershed,
Education and Training Program bring students closer to science by
providing them with the opportunity to learn firsthand about our
world's marine resources. Through these grant programs, aquariums work
closely with Federal, State, and local partners on projects with long-
lasting benefits not only for the students but their communities as
well. For example, previous projects funded by NOAA Ocean Education
Grants at AZA aquariums have focused on establishing a regional network
of summer camp programs grounded in ocean science, enhancing teen
conservation leadership programs, and conserving and managing coastal
and marine resources to meet our Nation's economic, social and
environmental needs. As schools face increased budgetary pressures,
these types of education programs at aquariums will become even more
important in ensuring that American schoolchildren receive the
necessary foundation in science education that they will need to be
competitive in the 21st century global economy.
AZA-accredited zoos and aquariums are essential partners at the
Federal, State, and local levels to improve education for
schoolchildren and ensure that current and future generations will be
good stewards of the world's oceans. Therefore, I urge you to include
$4 million for the John H. Prescott Marine Mammal Rescue Assistance
Grant Program, $8,000,000 for the NOAA Environmental Literacy Grants
Program (including $2,500,000 for the NOAA Ocean Education Grants
Program), and $12,000,000 for the Bay, Watershed, Education and
Training Program in the fiscal year 2016 Commerce, Justice, Science,
and Related Agencies appropriations bill.
Thank you.
______
Prepared Statement of the Consortium for Ocean Leadership
On behalf of the Consortium for Ocean Leadership, I appreciate the
opportunity to discuss the fiscal year 2016 Federal science budget for
the National Science Foundation (NSF), the National Oceanic and
Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and the National Aeronautics and
Space Administration (NASA). Ocean Leadership represents 89 of the
Nation's leading oceanographic research and education institutions with
the mission to shape the future of ocean sciences. We respectfully
request the subcommittee provide no less than $7.72 billion for the
NSF; $1.95 billion for Earth Sciences at NASA; and $6 billion for NOAA.
These funds will help maintain U.S. global leadership in ocean science
and technology, which is critical to American agriculture, energy
development, a changing Arctic, ocean exploration and a healthy U.S.
scientific workforce.
ocean forecasts are critical to american agriculture
The ocean drives global water and weather systems through the
absorption, retention and transportation of vast amounts of the Earth's
heat, water and carbon dioxide. Thanks to the longstanding bipartisan
support of this subcommittee, our Nation has been well positioned to
lead the world in innovation while also effectively and efficiently
incorporating environmental data into marketplace. For example, the
support of this committee enabled NOAA to better service the buoys
comprising the TAO Array (Tropical Atmosphere Ocean project in the
equatorial Pacific), which had degraded significantly and is critical
for seasonal weather predictions.
One of the most important influences on weather variation is
derived from El Nino Southern Oscillation, or ENSO, which is a coupled
atmosphere-ocean oscillation that impacts atmosphere and ocean
circulation patterns across the equatorial Pacific. A rise in sea
surface temperatures in the eastern tropical Pacific and an eastward
shift in the convection in the western Pacific typically characterizes
an El Nino event, which causes major seasonal temperature and
precipitation changes around the world, including changes in rainfall
over much of America's most productive croplands. Consequently,
commodity strategists incorporate predictions of El Nino events into
commodity prices months and in some cases up to a year in advance. Last
year, experts predicted that there would up to an 80 percent chance of
an El Nino occurring, which led to increased prices for commodities
such as coffee and cocoa. Yet, while sea surface waters rose in the
equatorial Pacific, the trade winds never materialized and El Nino
didn't arrive as predicted. Consequently, the drought-stricken west
didn't experience the higher rainfalls expected during El Nino events.
Such information is vital not only for the agriculture industry but
also the insurance industry, the energy sector, and national security
as civil unrest can occur overseas when crops fail, fresh water is in
short supply, or floods displace populations.
ENSO isn't the only ocean-atmosphere factor in predicting weather.
There are other natural variations, including the North Atlantic/Arctic
Oscillation, which is related to the Polar Vortex and mainly influences
the temperature and precipitation in the eastern half of the United
States. The Pacific Decadal Oscillation interacts with ENSO to
influence weather in the western United States. However, today's
predictive models have not matured enough to forecast these
oscillations nearly as well as we have been predicting ENSO. With the
unrealized El Nino prediction of 2014, clearly we still have a ways to
go in improving models on seasonal timescales, which is essential for
agriculture and energy preparation as well as preparing for drought and
flooding. While the TAO array has been very helpful for ENSO
predictions, so much of the global ocean is not yet measured,
especially the surface meteorology and air-sea fluxes. Satellite
observations are essential as they give us a global view and are
advancing with new salinity sensors and improved altimetry. Yet, we are
faced with potential data gaps in our polar orbiting satellites that
provide critical data for weather forecasts. To truly become a weather
ready nation, we need sustained ocean observations, both from space as
well as in situ, particularly at depth.
marine robotics and ocean vehicles essential to u.s. technology
leadership
Investment in basic technology research for the geosciences has
spurred the growth of marine robotics, which like the transition from
sail to steam power, is ushering in a new chapter in ocean observation
and monitoring. Autonomous underwater robotic systems open the door for
routine and persistent access to the deep ocean, allowing the expansion
of commercial activities that include offshore oil and gas exploration,
undersea mining, aquaculture, and installation of marine wind and wave
energy facilities and submarine communication cables. Thus far marine
robotic systems have been tied to ships, but newer systems are able to
operate independently, providing broader and more long-term access for
baseline environmental assessments and observing and for equipment
monitoring and maintenance, reducing shipping and permitting costs and
greatly improving hazards response management. At one time, U.S.
oceanographic institutions were among the few organizations in the
world that could build and operate deep ROVs. Now these vehicles are
used by the entire oceanographic community for a variety of uses
including offshore energy production. Hydroid Inc., Teledyne Webb
Research, and Bluefin Robotics are three highly successful job-creating
companies that spun off from academic research laboratories (Woods Hole
Oceanographic Institution and MIT). Together, these three companies
dominate worldwide production of autonomous underwater vehicles, with
deployed systems projected to grow by 42 percent over the next 4 years
(Douglas-Westwood study).
Researchers at Oregon State University are outfitting undersea
gliders with acoustic sensors to identify biological ``hot spots'' in
the coastal ocean. These new smart gliders will be able to identify
different kinds of marine animals using their unique acoustical
signatures, which will ultimately benefit the fishing industry and
resource managers. The geosciences directorate at NSF needs to be a
priority if it is going to continue to support the basic research
required to develop the next generation vehicles and sensors in what is
becoming a globally competitive marketplace.
maintaining u.s. global posture in the arctic
The United States is an Arctic nation, where significant economic,
social and national security interests intersect. The Arctic harbors
tremendous natural resources, thriving and productive ecosystems, and
is increasingly becoming an international focus for expanded navigation
and commerce. Yet, in many places, the seafloor is virtually uncharted
and the water column is essentially unknown. We are already observing a
rise in commercial activity in the Arctic in terms of shipping, fishing
and oil and gas exploration, which could eventually lead to boundary
disputes among nations or accidents that require search and rescue or
oil spill response. Put simply, the United States is not yet prepared
to respond to an accident or serious incident in the Arctic. And it's
not just the cargo ships that are traversing the Arctic, as there are
also marine species that are making their way between the Pacific and
Atlantic for the first time in millennia, which may have negative
ecological implications as invasive species. Because of its high
latitude, effects of a rapidly changing climate are amplified. Climate
projections for the Arctic region depend on knowing the state and
circulation of the Arctic Ocean, yet ocean-ice interactions are poorly
understood. Furthermore, the Arctic basin is insufficiently mapped and
instrumented for real-time observations, and there is a need for
improved integration of observations into models to produce reliable
projections.
As ice cover decreases in this part of the world, ocean warming
will accelerate because ice reflects 90 percent of solar radiation and
the oceans absorb 90 percent. The result will be an increase in sea
level, release of methane gasses that could further contribute to
climate change, and an increase in extreme weather events in lower
latitudes. But with great change comes great opportunity. As the United
States assumes chairmanship of the Arctic Council, our Nation stands at
a pivotal moment with the opportunity to proactively manage, protect
and use this unique ecosystem proactively. Consequently, Ocean
Leadership recently convened a forum to discuss the state of current
knowledge, and how we can achieve the capacity to more accurately
predict these changes. It is critical for operators in the Arctic and
for U.S. diplomatic leadership that our science agencies, including
NSF, NOAA and NASA, have the resources to develop and deploy the
technologies we need to observe, monitor and understand this pivotal
region.
ocean exploration is america's next frontier
The ocean is the predominant physical feature on our planet,
covering 71 percent of the Earth's surface, containing 97 percent of
the planet's water and 99 percent of the Earth's habitat. Despite the
fact that most life on Earth lives in the ocean, 95 percent of the
ocean remains unexplored. The estimated 91 percent of the sea-life that
remains undiscovered may prove vital to human health and well-being
through the development of pharmaceuticals and medicinals. For
instance, biologist Stanley Watson from Woods Hole Oceanographic
Institution conducted fundamental research on bacteria's role in the
marine food web in the 1970's. This work resulted in a patent for the
detection of bacteria in seawater, using an extract from the blood of
horseshoe crabs, which spun off into a company that was the first
licensed by the FDA to detect the presence of different kinds of human
disease causing bacteria. Today, more than a half a million crabs are
captured each year to ``donate'' about 30 percent of their blood
(valued at $60,000 per gallon) for a global industry valued at $50
million a year that ensures the sterility of vaccines, IV fluids,
surgical instruments, artificial implants, and countless other drugs
and medical devices. It is important for NOAA to have a robust ocean
exploration endeavor and for NSF and NASA to continue funding basic
research in this area that may form the building block for the next
generation of cures for human ailments.
educating the next generation of geoscientists
The geosciences support from NSF, in addition to the STEM education
programs at the mission agencies, is essential for training the next
generation of geoscientists. The Workforce Research team at the
American Geosciences Institute calculated that there will be a shortage
of 135,000 geoscientists in the U.S. workforce over the next decade. We
can ill afford to have a shortage of these workers that are vital for
the energy and weather forecasting industries as well as natural
resource managers, land use planners and first responders. Diversity
continues to be a challenge for the scientific community as we need to
develop a workforce whose composition better resembles the broader
population. We greatly appreciate the support this subcommittee has
given to STEM education programs at NSF, NOAA and NASA, and encourage
this support to extend into the geoscience directorate at NSF, which
aids the development of thousands of early career geoscientists.
As you draft your spending bill, I hope that you will note that the
bulk of the intellectual capacity regarding the ocean environment
resides within the academic research community. Peer-reviewed
extramural research is the most efficient and effective vehicle for
providing our policy makers and our commercial partners with the
expertise, information and data necessary to address the emerging
challenges facing our Nation. We also hope that you will continue to
permit science priorities and decisions to be made by the scientific
community, which has enabled America's innovation economy to thrive for
decades. Given the austere fiscal environment, we are prepared to work
with the Foundation to help ensure that there is robust core research
at a time when new facilities are coming online.
In summary, the funding we have recommended is essential for
American agriculture and energy security, U.S. technology leadership,
our global posture in the Arctic, ocean observing and exploration, and
the next generation of American scientific talent.
Mr. Chairman and members of the subcommittee, I greatly appreciate
the opportunity to share our recommendations, and I encourage you to
continue your long-standing bipartisan support for science funding in
the fiscal year 2016 budget and into the future.
Below is a list of the institutions that are represented by the
Consortium for Ocean Leadership.
Alabama
Dauphin Island Sea Lab
Alaska
University of Alaska Fairbanks
Alaska Ocean Observing System
North Pacific Research Board
California
Bodega Marine Lab
Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute
Moss Landing Marine Laboratory
Naval Postgraduate School
Stanford University
University of California, Santa Barbara
University of California, Santa Cruz
University of California, San Diego (Scripps)
University of Southern California
Aquarium of the Pacific
Hubbs-SeaWorld Research Institute
Romberg Tiburon Center for Environmental Studies
Esri
L-3 MariPro, Inc.
Liquid Robotics, Inc.
Teledyne RD Instruments
Colorado
Cooperative Institute for Research in Environmental Sciences (CIRES)
Connecticut
University of Connecticut
Delaware
University of Delaware
Mid-Atlantic Regional Association Coastal Ocean Observing System
(MARACOOS)
Florida
Florida State University
Harbor Branch Oceanographic Institute at FAU
Mote Marine Laboratory
University of Florida
University of Miami
University of South Florida
Earth2Ocean, Inc.
Florida Institute of Oceanography
Nova Southeastern University
Georgia
Skidaway Institute of Oceanography of the University of Georgia
Savannah State University
Hawaii
University of Hawaii
Illinois
John G. Shedd Aquarium
Louisiana
Louisiana Universities Marine Consortium (LUMCON)
Louisiana State University
Maine
Bigelow Laboratory for Ocean Sciences
University of Maine
The IOOS Association (formerly NFRA)
Maryland
University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science
Johns Hopkins University
Marine Technology Society
National Aquarium
Massachusetts
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
University of Massachusetts
Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution
Michigan
University of Michigan
Mississippi
University of Mississippi
University of Southern Mississippi
Nebraska
University of Nebraska, Lincoln
New Hampshire
University of New Hampshire
New Jersey
Rutgers University
New York
Columbia University (LDEO)
Stony Brook University
North Carolina
Duke University Marine Laboratory
University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill
University of North Carolina, Wilmington
East Carolina University
North Carolina State University
Oregon
Oregon State University
Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania State University
Rhode Island
University of Rhode Island
South Carolina
Belle W. Baruch Institute for Marine and Coastal Sciences
South Carolina Sea Grant Consortium
Texas
Harte Research Institute
Texas A&M University
University of Texas, Austin
Fugro
Sonardyne, Inc.
Virginia
College of William and Mary (VIMS)
Old Dominion University
CNA
Institute for Global Environmental Strategies (IGES)
U.S. Arctic Research Commission
CARIS, USA
SAIC
Washington
University of Washington
Sea-Bird Scientific
Washington, DC
National Ocean Industries Association (NOIA)
Southeastern Universities Research Association (SURA)
Wisconsin
University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, School of Freshwater Sciences
Australia
Institute for Marine and Antarctic Studies (IMAS) at the University of
Tasmania
Bermuda
Bermuda Institute of Ocean Sciences (BIOS)
Canada
Dalhousie University
University of Victoria
______
Prepared Statement of the Fish Locally Collaborative
national oceanic and atmospheric administration
national marine fisheries service
Members and supporters of the Fish Locally Collaborative appreciate
the opportunity to submit comments on the proposed fiscal year 2016
budget for the National Marine Fisheries Service. The Fish Locally
Collaborative (FLC) is a network of fishing communities, including
fishers, processors, marketers, families, scientists, and seafood
consumers, with over 400 individuals representing 60 organizations and
networks, and over 400,000 fishing families spanning the globe. The FLC
does not speak as a unified voice on all matters, but rather seeks to
collaborate, research, and learn from each other in developing new
solutions and policy directives in sustainable fisheries.
flc values and perspectives
The FLC is committed to restoration of marine ecosystems, fishing
communities, and a fair seafood value chain. The network values a
genuine democratic and bottom-up approach to fisheries management,
which is needed to achieve healthier ecosystems and ensure a diverse
fleet that maximizes value to fishing communities, local economies, and
the food system. Success will be achieved when appropriate management
tools are made available, fishermen's local knowledge is accounted for
in the decision-making process, and the scale of fishing matches the
scales of the ecosystems.
The fishing industry includes ports, fleets, processors, fish
workers, and people who eat seafood. Our Nation benefits from strong
coastal communities (both rural and urban) and measuring a fisherman's
impact needs to include the triple bottom line with an increased focus
on community (social) values and benefits. Large-scale corporate
interest and control over access to fisheries hurts marine ecosystems,
hurts local economies, hurts the seafood value chain, and divides
fishing communities.
The Magnuson Stevens Fisheries Conservation and Management Act
establishes goals and describes national benefits in terms of fish
stocks, habitat protection, port economies, and seafood, but current
management has focused primarily on fishing and its impact on habitat,
to the relative exclusion of community benefits and healthy seafood.
While cutbacks in allowable catch driven by 10-year rebuilding
plans have received the greatest attention as the cause of economic
distress in the fishing fleets and ports, the current management system
has exacerbated these difficulties greatly, particularly for community-
based and family-owned boat fishermen, through such mechanisms as:
stock assessments unable to deliver reliable predictions and management
alternatives; failure to assess non-fishing impacts, such as climate
change, pollution, and ecosystem dynamics; collapsing prices due to
cheap foreign imports, high-volume extractive fisheries, and weak
domestic markets for local seafood; inflexibility in shifting effort of
the fleet to other species; regulations that fail to protect the
discrete, local fish populations that are so important to community-
based and family-owned boats; pressure from real estate development in
working waterfronts; and high fuel and other costs of fishing.
work of the flc
FLC members are active in researching and creating new models and
practices to address a range of needs and opportunities, including:
protection of fleet diversity, multi-species harvesting and community-
based management approaches; local food system development, such as
expanding markets for hospitals, schools, colleges; creating the
Community Supported Fishery (CSF) model and replicating it widely;
working waterfront protection; value-added product development and
waste recovery; ocean planning and decisionmaking. We also reach out to
and are informed by experts and practitioners in the farming sector and
other related fields of institutional, market, financial, and
technology innovation and reform.
comments on the proposed fiscal year 2016 nmfs budget
It is from this foundation of values, perspectives, and capacity
that FLC members and supporters offer specific comments on the proposed
fiscal year 2016 NMFS budget.
I. Habitat and Ecosystem-Based Management
A. The FLC offers support for the proposed $5.0 million increase in
funding for Ecosystem-based Solutions for Fisheries Management, in
particular the language in the Blue Book suggesting that ``this
integrated, cross-disciplinary, and cross-line office scientific
initiative will promote understanding of the importance of inshore and
offshore habitat to the productivity and recovery of fisheries and
protected species.''
The FLC supports this initiative because it can begin to address
non-fishing impacts more adequately, in particular the relationship of
healthy ocean habitat to healthy fish stocks. Current fisheries
management is obligated to manage healthy fish stocks and yet they are
not required to address non-fishing impacts such as climate change,
pollution, deforestation, mining, and oil and gas exploration, which
all have enormous effects on fish population. The narrow approach and
micro-focus on controlling fishing pressure in order to maintain
healthier fish populations places a disproportionate level of blame and
responsibility on fishing businesses and deflects responsibility from
large-scale polluters, in particular.
B. The FLC opposes $5.7 million in increased funding for
Consultation and Essential Fish Habitat Implementation Capacity, that
is intended ``to reduce delays and streamline permitting and review
timeframes''. FLC members are well aware that proposals are fast-
emerging for sand mining, oil and gas drilling, offshore aquaculture,
and other extractive industries, all of which would threaten to damage
fish stocks, marine mammals, habitat, and ocean health more generally.
Ocean planning efforts have only just begun in the regions, and it is
already clear that the research and knowledge base for properly
assessing permit applications is not available. ``Zoning'' and
privatized, long-term leasing of the ocean are also not yet justified
as consistent with adaptive, ecosystem-based management principles that
NOAA itself espouses.
The ocean is a dynamic and integrated ecosystem, just beginning to
experience the impacts of climate change and acidification. The
precautionary principle--that when there is scientific uncertainty, a
heavy burden of proof rests on the industry--should be the guiding
framework at this time. Consultation on permitting should be delayed
until a significantly stronger framework for adaptive, ecosystem and
community-based management is developed that protects and enhances the
public trust in the ocean is developed. We therefore recommend that
permitting activities be undertaken cautiously until additional studies
are completed and more stringent standards, including for habitat
protection, are formulated.
C. NMFS has also requested $2.0 million in additional funds to
support Domestic Seafood Production and Jobs through Aquaculture. FLC
members generally support expanded shellfish aquaculture, in particular
oyster reef restoration that provides multiple benefits in restoring
ocean health and providing jobs and food, but would oppose an
accelerated permitting of offshore finfish aquaculture, with its
history of pollution and relatively unsafe product. FLC members oppose
long-term leases that would be tantamount to privatization of the
ocean. Any funding made available to the Agency should be directed to
further research and pilot projects, including for the potential for
polytrophic, multi-species and clean initiatives that both supply
healthy seafood and restore habitat.
II. Catch Share Programs and Community Resilience
The NMFS budget proposal includes a $2.2 million increase in
funding for the National Catch Share Program, with a justification that
``the implementation of catch share programs can yield efficiencies
that lower fisheries management costs and increase the profitability of
fisheries over time.'' The NOAA budget also includes funding for a $50
million Regional Coastal Resilience grants program, to develop
community, ecosystem, and economic resilience.
FLC members and supporters strenuously object to these goals for
Catch Share management, in particular profit maximization, and
respectfully suggest that they are in direct conflict and contradiction
with NOAA's overarching mission to support and develop community
resilience.
On-the-ground experience and recent academic literature both
demonstrate that Catch Share programs are consolidating fisheries
access into fewer and larger-scale businesses to the exclusion of
owner-operator, younger generation, and independent fishermen and to
the detriment of crew. This consolidation creates a disproportionate
loss of fisheries access to rural communities, loss of capacity and
infrastructure in fishing ports, negative ecological impacts, and loss
of food access.
We therefore suggest that funding under the Catch Share program be
utilized, in partnership with fishing communities and stakeholders, to
research the full suite of economic, environmental and social costs
imposed on communities and consumers of seafood by the single-minded
focus on profit maximization and to explore and develop mechanisms for
modifying or ending Catch Shares where they have not worked as
predicted, and to develop criteria and standards for ``Fishing
Community'' and ``Regional Fishery Associations'', fishing community
sustainability plans, and fleet diversity protections.
III. Collaborative Research
For 2 years, the Senate Appropriations Report has encouraged NMFS
to ``expand the Agency's activities in chartering commercial fishing
vessels to serve as research and fishery survey vessels.'' While NMFS
and NOAA leadership have indicated their support for collaborative
research, little has been done to expand partnerships to date.
It has come to our attention that there are several impediments to
collaborative research that the subcommittee could address. NOAA has
directed in recent years that all collaborative research projects
involving the fishing industry and academic institutions be managed
through a competitive grants program and short-term awards. The FLC
recommends, based on conversations with both current and former NMFS
Science staff and outside researchers, that the subcommittee encourage
the development of cooperative agreements on a multi-year basis, as
other Federal agencies do. Only cooperative agreements will allow for a
genuine partnership to emerge and for all parties to co-draft research
plans that incorporate requirements and insights from all parties,
including NMFS.
FLC members strongly recommend that an emergency action be take to
coordinate a fisheries dependent and independent data collection effort
as input to more reliable stock assessments, in cases, such as cod in
the Northwest Atlantic, where data is sparse and current management
cutbacks on allowable quota are causing severe economic and social
distress in the fishing industry and port communities.
IV. Saltonstall-Kennedy Funding
FLC members support continued increases in funding for the
Saltonstall-Kennedy grants program for research and development in
harvesting, processing, and marketing. In particular, we encourage
projects to develop a strong local seafood system, community-based and
multi-species fisheries management innovations that diversify catch and
develop markets for under-utilized species, value-added and waste
recovery product development, shellfish and polytrophic aquaculture
pilot projects, boat designs that increase fuel-efficiency and promote
safety and use of sustainable technology, and programs to increase
access of independent-operator and young entrants.
These comments were based on two prior policy-related letters
signed by numerous Fish Locally Collaborative members and supporters
throughout the country. The first was a letter on Magnuson-Stevens
reauthorization submitted to Congressmen John Tierney and Peter DeFazio
on August 13, 2014; the second a public comment letter submitted to the
Greater Atlantic Regional Fisheries Office re the GARFO Draft Strategic
Plan.
Links to these letters and signatories can be found at:
Congressmen Tierney and DeFazio:
https://drive.google.com/file/d/0BwT-fcX3Ff5VTVVlTDBQYW1ZWE0/
view?usp=sharing.
GARFO letter:
https://drive.google.com/file/d/0BwT-fcX3Ff5VYjBnN2laUXd5ZTA/
view?usp=sharing.
Signatories include fishermen, academics, seafood business owners,
seafood consumers, and advocates from both East and West Coast States
and organizational supporters include the American Sustainable Business
Council, Slow Food USA, Health Care Without Harm, and others.
[This statement was submitted by Valerie I. Nelson, Ph.D., Policy
Transformation Working Group Organizer-FLC.]
______
Prepared Statement of the Joint Ocean Commission Initiative
Chairman Shelby, Ranking Member Mikulski, and other distinguished
Members of the Subcommittee on Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related
Agencies, we thank you for the opportunity to submit written testimony
regarding the fiscal year 2016 Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related
Agencies appropriations bill. The Joint Ocean Commission Initiative is
a collaborative, bipartisan effort to catalyze meaningful ocean policy
reform and action at the national, regional, and State levels.
Established in 2005, the Joint Initiative promotes, maintains, and
updates the important work of the U.S. Commission on Ocean Policy and
the Pew Oceans Commission. Our 2013 report, Charting the Course:
Securing the Future of America's Oceans, contains recommendations to
improve the management of our ocean resources that are echoed here.
The Joint Initiative is highly appreciative of the progress your
subcommittee has made in providing incremental but substantive
additional resources to critical ocean and coastal accounts. We are
acutely aware of the challenges you face addressing the funding needs
of all the programs within the jurisdiction of your subcommittee. The
Joint Initiative believes a continued commitment to protecting base
funding and core programs at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric
Administration (NOAA), National Science Foundation (NSF), and National
Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) that help manage, protect,
and better understand our Nation's oceans and coasts and the Arctic is
an investment in the future of our country that will provide
significant economic, social, ecological, and national security
benefits. Among the many ocean and coastal programs under your
jurisdiction, we urge that maintaining and increasing investment in the
following programs be prioritized in fiscal year 2016 appropriations.
coastal resilience
The Joint Initiative strongly supports increasing NOAA's overall
budget to $6 billion, and in doing so maintaining the recent trend
toward balancing NOAA's portfolio to emphasize ocean and coastal
priorities. For example NOAA's National Ocean Service (NOS) would be
increased in NOAA's fiscal year 2016 budget by nearly $60 million to
$574 million. Specifically, within NOS, we ask you to consider funding
the Regional Coastal Resilience Grant program consistent with NOAA's
fiscal year 2016 budget request at $50 million, a $45 million increase
from the fiscal year 2015 proposal. An important element of this
program is its ability to provide competitive funding to support multi-
State regional ocean partnerships that coordinate data sharing and
decisionmaking across jurisdictions, implement innovative solutions to
shared priorities, and effectively engage ocean and coastal
stakeholders.
These partnerships are increasingly critical as States and
communities confront challenges such as ocean acidification, sea level
rise, competing demands for ocean resources, burgeoning populations
along our coasts, and increasing threats from extreme weather events.
Resilient coastal communities are not only able to minimize loss and
negative impacts to life, property, and the coastal ecosystem, they are
also able to quickly return residents to productive activities and
restore essential services. This is imperative to facilitating full and
timely economic, social, and environmental recovery. Fully funding this
program will enable NOAA and its partners to address a suite of
challenges, including a more efficient application of limited resources
to ensure the health of our oceans and coasts.
ocean acidification
The Joint Initiative believes the inclusion of $30 million in the
NOAA budget for the Integrated Ocean Acidification program is essential
to help us begin to address the chemistry, variability, and impact of
acidification on the marine environment. Ocean acidification is a
global problem needing global solutions, and it is occurring along
every shoreline in the United States. While shellfish and coral reefs
receive most of the attention related to ocean acidification,
fisheries, aquaculture, and coastal ecosystems and economies around the
Nation will be greatly affected. Funding the Integrated Ocean
Acidification program at NOAA at increased levels will allow us to
measure and assess the emerging threat of ocean acidification, better
understand the complex dynamics causing and exacerbating it, work to
determine its impact, and develop mechanisms to address it.
arctic
The Joint Initiative recommends that Congress make a significant
investment through the fiscal year 2016 appropriations bill toward
implementation of the National Strategy for the Arctic Region. This
will support the United States chairmanship of the Arctic Council over
the next 2 years, and lay the groundwork for sound international
management of the region while protecting a sensitive and rapidly
changing ecosystem. Increased funding for Federal agencies operating in
the Arctic, such as NOAA and NSF, is essential to our international
leadership in the region and will enable cross-cutting efficiencies
with the Coast Guard, the Navy, and the Department of the Interior.
The Joint Initiative is convening an Arctic Ocean Leadership
Roundtable with U.S. Arctic leaders and key stakeholders from multiple
sectors to generate ideas for how local, State, and regional work can
inform and influence national policy with regard to Arctic ocean and
coastal issues. Many of the ideas generated in this forum can be
implemented with increased investment in the Arctic. Such investment
can also encourage better collaboration with State and local
governments, Alaskan Native leaders, and industry to improve the
ability of commercial entities to operate safely in the region and
ensure effective response and recovery in the event of a natural or
human-caused disaster. This includes improving coordination and data-
sharing on oil spill planning, preparedness, and response, vessel
tracking, and search-and-rescue, as well as investment in new
icebreakers, aircraft, and shore-based infrastructure. Additionally,
funding Arctic-related programs at NOAA enables a range of important
services essential to our understanding of the Arctic including ocean
observation services, weather and sea ice predictions, mapping and
charting, and sound management of marine resources.
sustained ocean observations
We are strongly supportive of enhanced capabilities for NOAA's
Office of Oceanic and Atmospheric Research (OAR), the Integrated Ocean
Observing System, and similar programs at NSF. Specifically we ask you
to consider funding OAR at $500 million to support the continued and
enhanced operations of this vital program. This funding is central to
NOAA's ability to accurately forecast weather, enable communities to
plan for and respond to climate events such as flooding and drought,
and protect and manage the Nation's coastal and ocean resources.
Funding NOAA's Sustained Ocean Observations and Monitoring program
under this account at $42 million will provide information essential
for accurate forecasting of hurricanes, typhoons, flooding, heat waves,
and wildfires. For example, data and analyses of ocean and atmospheric
conditions are increasingly used for drought early warning systems,
enhanced tsunami warning systems, and storm surge monitoring. Ocean
observations are also imperative for calibrating and validating
satellite observations. Maintaining baseline ocean observations in
support of weather and regional predictions, fisheries management
ecosystem studies, tide and current monitoring, and sea level change is
essential. Sustained ocean observations will help maintain the
continuity of long-term data sets that are essential for ensuring that
communities are able to respond and adapt to a rapidly changing world,
both today and into the future.
sustainable fisheries
In 2006 Congress made the bold decision to end overfishing once and
for all by amending the Magnuson Stevens Fisheries Conservation and
Management Act to require annual catch limits and associated
accountability measures to be implemented for all federally managed
fisheries. Through the commitment and tireless efforts of our
fishermen, fishery management councils, scientists and managers, the
U.S. is poised to achieve this historic milestone in natural resource
management. With the investment in stock assessments, cooperative
research and innovation, and science-based management, the U.S. model
of fisheries management has become an international hallmark for
addressing the ecological and economic sustainability challenges facing
global fisheries. The Joint Initiative supports domestic and
international efforts to fully implement the recommendations in the
Presidential Task Force on Combating IUU Fishing and Seafood Fraud,
along with similar efforts for enhanced enforcement like the Trans-
Pacific Partnership. The end of chronic overfishing means healthier
ocean ecosystems and a brighter future for fishermen and coastal
communities. The Joint Initiative asks the subcommittee to consider
restoring funding for NOAA's National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS)
at the requested level of $990 million, allowing it to continue
movement towards sustainable management of fish stocks within the U.S.
Exclusive Economic Zone.
ocean exploration
The Joint Initiative appreciates the subcommittee's long standing
support of ocean exploration at NOAA and requests that you provide $28
million for the Ocean Exploration program, consistent with funding in
fiscal year 2015, to increase the pace, scope, and efficiency of
exploration. This would be $9 million above the NOAA budget request for
fiscal year 2016. A bipartisan effort since inception, the Ocean
Exploration program was strongly endorsed by Congress when created in
2002. The program has greatly contributed to our knowledge of the
ocean, producing Arctic surveys which enabled the U.S. to argue for an
extension of our own Exclusive Economic Zone; baseline characterization
of the Deepwater Horizon site in the Gulf before and after the oil
spill; discovery of new gas hydrates stretching from Cape Cod to Cape
Hatteras, with implications for coastal hazards and ocean
acidification; and new fishery habitat maps off the Northeast.
science, research, and education
The Joint Initiative calls attention to the need for consistent and
dedicated funding for ocean science, research, and education. We ask
you to increase funding for ocean science infrastructure, research, and
grant programs at NOAA, NSF, and NASA that are working to improve our
understanding of critical physical and biological ocean processes.
These programs provide local, State, and national decision makers with
the information they need to make informed decisions. The Joint
Initiative also urges you to fund education programs at increased
levels. Ocean education efforts are critical for cultivating current
and future ocean stewards, especially given the growth in careers that
require ocean-related education and knowledge.
In particular, we encourage you to provide $7.7 billion for the
NSF, including $1.365 billion for the Geosciences Directorate and its
Division of Ocean Science. NSF's investment in the geosciences has
spurred innovations, addressed important national and global
challenges, spurred new economic sectors, and led to the development
and implementation of advanced technologies that save lives, protect
property, and support our economy. For example, investments supporting
basic research in mathematics, physical sciences, computer sciences,
and geosciences, have led to the development of sophisticated models,
satellites, radar, and instrumentation that has greatly improved
hurricane forecasting, now allowing for nearly a week of preparations
by cities, businesses, institutions, and undoubtedly saving lives.
We also urge $1.95 billion in funding for the NASA's Earth Science
Division, up from $1.77 billion in fiscal year 2015 to support
critically important ocean and coastal science and education. NASA
satellites can view Earth as a planet and enable the study of it as a
complex, dynamic system of diverse components: the oceans, atmosphere,
continents, ice sheets, and life. Through partnerships with agencies
that maintain forecasting and decision support systems, NASA improves
national capabilities to predict climate, weather, and natural hazards;
manage resources; and support the development of environmental policy.
concluding remarks
The Joint Initiative greatly appreciates your commitment to
stretching scarce resources to address the challenges of a maritime
nation. We will continue to track progress in advancing key ocean and
coastal programs and accounts in fiscal year 2016 and beyond.
Recommendations from ``Charting the Course'' and other reports from the
Joint Initiative identify specific areas of achievement and deficiency.
Implementation of the recommendations will secure the future of our
Nation's ocean ecosystems, and the critical resources they provide, and
ensure that they will be abundant and able to support America's ocean,
coastal, and Great Lakes economies and the jobs and communities on
which our Nation depends.
Thank you for considering our requests as the subcommittee begins
it fiscal year 2016 appropriations process. The Joint Initiative
appreciates your attention to this matter and stands ready to assist
you in advancing positive and lasting changes in the way we manage our
Nation's oceans and coasts.
Joint Initiative Co-Chairs and Leadership Council Members
The Honorable William Ruckelshaus The Honorable Norman Mineta
Frances Beinecke Don Boesch Lillian Borrone
The Honorable Norm Dicks
Quenton Dokken Vice Admiral Paul Gaffney Robert
Gagosian Sherri Goodman
Scott Gudes The Honorable Conrad Lautenbacher
Margaret Leinen
Christopher Lischewski The Honorable Jane Lubchenco
Julie Packard
The Honorable Leon Panetta John Pappalardo
The Honorable Pietro Parravano Diane Regas
Randy Repass Andrew Rosenberg The Honorable
Christine Todd Whitman
______
Prepared Statement of the National Association of Marine Laboratories
The National Association of Marine Laboratories (NAML) is pleased
to submit testimony to the subcommittee with a series of
recommendations that we believe would strengthen the Nation's research
and education enterprise. NAML is a nonprofit organization representing
the ocean, coastal and Great Lakes interests of member laboratories
that employ thousands of scientists, engineers and professionals
nationwide. NAML labs conduct high quality research and education in
the natural and social sciences and translate that science to improve
decisionmaking on important issues facing our country. NAML's
priorities are drawn from and strongly support two important reports
from the National Academy of Sciences. They are: Sea Change: 2015-2025
Decadal Survey of Ocean Sciences (DSOS); and Enhancing the Value and
Sustainability of Field Stations and Marine Laboratories in the 21st
Century. Specific priorities germane to NAML labs are:
--Enhance science, education and public engagement at marine labs by
supporting the continued development of their unique assets and
qualities that allow them to prepare the next generation of
scientists, expand opportunities for active learning and
collaborative research, and explore a wide range of approaches
to engage the public. This includes strong sustained support
for competitive merit-based ocean, coastal, and Great Lakes
research provided by relevant Federal agencies to address the
research priorities identified in DSOS;
--Promote a network for discovery and innovation via Federal and non-
Federal support to build and maintain a modern infrastructure
for research, education, and networking including advanced
Internet connectivity and cyber infrastructure;
--Pursue financial sustainability by developing business plans that
foster the unique value of marine labs, creating mechanisms to
establish reliable based funding, and diversifying approaches
to obtain supplemental support--such as a national partnership
program to co-locate Federal scientists and infrastructure at
NAML facilities; and
--Develop metrics for demonstrating the impact of marine labs in
research, education, and public engagement.
the role of marine laboratories in the nation's research and education
enterprise
``Field stations are national assets formed by the unique merger of
natural capital, intellectual capital, social fabric, and
infrastructure that leads to the important scientific endeavors
required if we are to understand our rapidly changing natural world''.
Enhancing the Value and Sustainability of Field Stations and Marine
Laboratories in the 21st Century.
Ocean, coastal and Great Lakes marine laboratories are vital,
place-based ``windows on the sea.'' They connect communities with
cutting edge science, while providing students and citizens with
meaningful learning experiences. The members of NAML work together to
improve the quality and relevance of ocean, coastal and Great Lakes
research, education and outreach. NAML seeks support for the following
activities:
--The conduct of basic and applied research of the highest quality,
making use of the unique capabilities of coastal laboratories
in conducting education, outreach and public service;
--Balanced support of research with infrastructure with particular
emphasis on cost-effective networking of capabilities;
--Encouragement of effective management and conservation of marine
and coastal habitats and resources using ecosystem-based
management approaches that restore ecosystem health;
--Observing systems that collect data needed to improve predictions
of natural and human caused disasters and support the
management of marine resources for the benefit of environmental
and human health needs; and
--Education and training.
oceans, coasts and great lakes are vital for economic growth and the
well-being of the nation
More than half of the United States population lives in coastal
counties that generate 58 percent ($8.3 trillion) of the Nation's gross
domestic product (GPD). In 2011, Americans, on average, ate 15 pounds
of fish and shellfish per person--4.7 billion pounds all together--
making the U.S. second in the world in total seafood consumption.
Offshore oil production in the U. S. Exclusive Economic Zone accounts
for 24 percent of the total U.S. crude oil production. If American
coastal watershed counties collectively comprised a single country,
that country would have a GDP higher than that of China. The United
States has jurisdiction over 3.4 million square miles of oceans--an
expanse greater than the land area of all 50 States combined. This is a
dynamic area that offers a mosaic of biologically diverse habitats that
provide a wealth of environmental resources and economic opportunities,
while at the same exposing human and biological communities to hazards
such as damaging tsunamis and hurricanes, industrial accidents and
outbreaks of water borne pathogens. The 2010 Gulf of Mexico Deepwater
Horizon oil spill and Sandy in 2012 are vivid reminders that the depth
of our understanding of our oceans and coastal areas, and our ability
to protect them, is far from complete. Developing sufficient
capabilities to sustain ocean-based economies and protect our coasts
and coastal communities from natural and man-made hazards requires a
sustained, balanced investment in research, infrastructure, education,
and training.
The Great Lakes region boasts a massive geographic footprint, and
is a major driver of the North American economy. With economic output
of $4.7 trillion in 2011, the region accounts for 28 percent of
combined Canadian and U.S. economic activity. By comparison, the
region's output ranks ahead of Germany, France, Brazil and the U.K.,
and it would rank as the fourth largest economy in the world if it were
a country, behind only the U.S., China and Japan. The Great Lakes are
responsible for nearly 1 million manufacturing jobs; 217,000 jobs in
tourism and recreation; over 100,000 in shipping; over 110,000 in
agriculture, fishing and food production and about 10,000 related to
mining. Understanding the complexity of the Great Lakes is vital for
the future health and well being of this region of the country.
investing in research
NAML believes America is driven by innovation--advances in ideas,
products and processes that transform existing economies, create new
industries and jobs, and contribute to our Nation's ecological and
economic health and security. It is essential that the Nation reaffirms
and revitalizes the unique partnership that has existed between the
Federal Government, the States, business and the Nation's research and
education enterprise. Investing in the Nation's research enterprise has
contributed significantly to our long-term prosperity and technological
pre-eminence through research spanning a landscape of disciplines, from
physics to geology, chemistry to biology, engineering to social
sciences, and observing to modeling. NAML believes that research and
education programs at the major Federal science agencies with ocean and
coastal responsibilities should be viewed as priority investments in
the future health and well being of the Nation. Much attention has been
focused justifiably on the need for our Nation to continue its support
of premier basic research programs. It is also important to maintain
strong support for mission-oriented ocean, coastal and Great Lakes
research that includes long term observing programs. Research programs
that enhance agency missions and support the extramural community in
competitive, merit-based research provide highly cost-effective returns
on investment and distribute economic and societal benefits over a
broad array of communities. Further, NAML believes that developing
exchange programs between Federal agencies and marine laboratories will
further strengthen the communication and capacity of both for the
benefit of the ocean science and management enterprise.
Programs that support the extramural community via competitive,
merit-based research provide highly cost-effective returns on
investment, leverage additional resources to meet science and
management priorities, and distribute economic and societal benefits
over a broad array of communities. While the National Oceanic and
Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) has acknowledged his assertion on
many occasions, its extramural support for its partners has continued
to decline relative to the agency's bottom line. From background
information developed for the NOAA Science Advisory Board's R&D
Portfolio Review Task Force support by the Office of Oceanic and
Atmospheric Research (OAR) for extramural R&D has declined by $60
million since 2005--from $171.6 million to $107.1 million while the
percentage of OAR's research activities to support extramural programs
has dropped from just over 50 percent down to 34 percent of the total.
In the National Ocean Service (NOS), support for extramural R&D has
declined from a level of $21.6 million in 2005 to $13.7 million in 2011
while intramural support has grown from a level of $53 million in 2005
to a level of $58 million in 2011. Moreover NOAA has repeatedly
proposed the termination of numerous extramural programs--such as the
John H. Prescott Marine Mammal Grants program--and the consolidation of
research programs--such as Ocean Exploration and Research--which has
led to the dramatic reduction in extramural research and education
support.
Beyond cutting back on its extramural support, NOAA now seeks
permission to ``receive and expend funds made available by, any . . .
private organization, or individual (proposed Section 108 of the
General Provisions in the NOAA Section of the Appendix to the Fiscal
Year 2016 Budget, page 218).'' This would enable NOAA to compete
against non-Federal and private entities for private sector support.
Thus not only is NOAA cutting back its own support, it intends to
further exacerbate the situation by competing against its partners for
the limited available non-Federal resources needed to fill the gaps
created by NOAA's decision to scale back its extramural support. NAML
urges the subcommittee to restore to the maximum extent possible NOAA
support for its extramural research, education, and other related
programs while also limiting NOAA's ability to compete with the private
sector for non-Federal resources needed for research, education, and
conservation programs.
investing in research infrastructure
NAML believes that a comprehensive range of ocean and coastal
research infrastructure is essential to meet growing demands for
scientific information and to ensure that we restore and maintain
ecosystem health to support safe, efficient, and environmentally
sustainable use of our ocean, coastal and Great Lakes resources. Most
marine laboratories operate independently of one another. Greater
networking with other marine laboratories, field stations, and other
research centers would leverage resources to facilitate discovery and
spark innovation. Networking would also allow institutions to share
best practices, protocols, and platforms for data archiving and
retrieval. Such networking has the potential to open new arenas of
scientific inquiry, education, and outreach. It can capture social and
intellectual capital to tackle major questions and seize opportunities
as no single marine laboratory can, and it enhances creativity and
innovation by attracting a wide range of scientists and promoting
multidisciplinary collaboration. The most successful and sustainable
networks start small and are self-defining; they encourage reciprocity
among network members. Networking can facilitate the development and
diffusion of knowledge and technology in a way that encourages
innovations. It is also important to appreciate that marine
laboratories vary in scope, size, infrastructure requirements, and
purpose; each contributes to the global portfolio in distinct ways.
Internet connectivity and cyberinfrastructure are two neglected and
underdeveloped elements of infrastructure. One common element, however,
in need of attention is Internet connectivity and cyberinfrastructure,
which would facilitate data sharing and analysis. Installation of new
cyberinfrastructure requires data-management and data-sharing plans and
conformity of data with widely used metadata standards. Such
infrastructure also requires a long-term funding commitment for repair,
upgrades, and technical support.
investing in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (stem)
education
NAML's education mission is two-fold. First, it is to enhance ocean
STEM education to ensure that all citizens recognize the reciprocal
effects of the oceans, coasts and Great Lakes on their own lives and
the impacts citizens have on these environments. Second, it is to
provide formal research and training opportunities at K-12, college,
and post-graduate levels to ensure a scientifically savvy, technically
qualified, and ethnically diverse workforce capable of solving problems
and answering questions related to the protection, restoration and
management of coastal and ocean ecosystems, climate variability, and
societal needs. An informed and engaged public is essential for the
Nation to address complex ocean- and coastal-related issues, balance
the use and conservation of marine resources, and maximize future
benefits from the ocean. Public understanding of human impacts on the
marine environment should be balanced with recognition of the benefits
to be derived from well-managed ocean resources. Ocean-related
education is by its nature interdisciplinary, involving many of the
natural sciences and the human connection to natural resources. It can
increase overall science literacy and enhance the Nation's health,
standing, safety and security. NAML laboratories seek to expand the
engagement of individuals from groups that have been historically
under-represented in ocean research, education and outreach. This is
particularly important in fulfilling the goal of achieving a
diversified STEM pipeline to meet future science and ocean workforce
needs.
NAML remains concerned with the administration's STEM Education
Consolidation proposal for fiscal year 2016. A total of 20 STEM
education programs at eight key R&D mission agencies (including the
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, National Science
Foundation, and National Aeronautics and Space Administration) will be
impacted by this proposal. It is important for mission agencies to help
support the next generation of scientific and technical talent--much of
which will be needed by these agencies in future years. We urge the
subcommittee to reject these consolidation proposals and support the
continuation of these programs within their current agencies.
NAML appreciates the opportunity to present these views to the
subcommittee as it begins work on the development of the fiscal year
2016 appropriations bill.
Thank you.
______
Prepared Statement of the National Congress of American Indians
On behalf of the National Congress of American Indians (NCAI), this
testimony addresses important programs in the Department of Justice and
Department of Commerce. NCAI is the oldest and largest American Indian
organization in the United States. Tribal leaders created NCAI in 1944
as a response to termination and assimilation policies that threatened
the existence of American Indian and Alaska Native tribes. Since then,
NCAI has fought to preserve the treaty rights and sovereign status of
tribal governments, while also ensuring that Native people may fully
participate in the political system. As the most representative
organization of American Indian and Alaska Native tribes, NCAI serves
the broad interests of tribal governments across the Nation. As
Congress considers the fiscal year 2015 budget and beyond, leaders of
tribal nations call on decision-makers to ensure that the promises made
to Indian Country are honored in the Federal budget.
introduction
Annual funding decisions by Congress are an expression of our
Nation's moral priorities. Numerous treaties, statutes, and court
decisions have created a fundamental contract between tribal nations
and the United States: tribes ceded millions of acres of land that made
the United States what it is today, and in return tribes have the right
of continued self-government and the right to exist as distinct peoples
on their own lands. And for its part, the United States has assumed a
trust responsibility to protect these rights and to fulfill its solemn
commitments to Indian tribes and their members.
Part of this trust responsibility includes basic governmental
services in Indian Country, funding for which is appropriated in the
discretionary portion of the Federal budget. Tribal governments exist
to protect and preserve their unique cultures, identities, and natural
environments for posterity. As governments, tribes must deliver a wide
range of critical services, such as education, workforce development,
and first-responder and public safety services, to their citizens. The
Federal budget for tribal governmental services reflects the extent to
which the United States honors its promises to Indian people.
department of commerce
Provide $35 million for the Minority Business Development Agency
(MBDA).--Created by Executive Order in 1971, the MBDA was established
to support minority business development centers and received funding
of almost $63 million to carry out this mission. Since then, MBDA's
funding has shrunk by over 50 percent to an estimated $30.5 million for
fiscal year 2013 and $29.3 million for fiscal year 2014. After MBDA
revamped its cooperative assistance grants to Minority Business Centers
(MBCs), the Native American Business Enterprise Centers (NABECs) were
eliminated and their services were consolidated with the MBCs. About
$13 million of MBDA's budget is disbursed to the MBCs to provide
business consulting; advice on business financing; and some procurement
technical assistance to minority businesses, entrepreneurs, and tribal
enterprises.
With the service gap created by the elimination of NABECs, the need
for an increased level of funding for MBDA is even greater. MBDA must
sustain and expand support for these centers, which provide important
assistance to businesses that help them grow and develop, thereby
creating a stronger private sector and healthier national economy. The
MBDA also supports minority contractors' teaming efforts to pursue
Federal contracts, directs efforts to track minority business data,
collaborates with the Office of Native American Affairs, and is
increasing its focus on global trade.
Fund the Office of Native American Affairs (ONAA) at a minimum of
$1.25 million as part of the Commerce Department Management Budget.--In
the late 1990s, the Secretary of Commerce established ONAA within the
Secretary's office that was codified by the enactment of the Native
American Business Development, Trade Promotion and Tourism Act of 2000
(Public Law 106-464) (the 2000 Act). Since then, funding for the Office
has been partial and very limited. In order to carry out its mission,
ONAA must receive adequate support to implement Indian policy
initiatives and expand Native American business development initiatives
both domestically and internationally. Funding made available through
Commerce's Departmental Management budget would help ONAA's efforts,
particularly given the reduced focus of MBDA on specific Native
American business assistance.
conclusion
Thank you for your consideration of this testimony. For more
information, please contact Virginia Davis, Senior Policy Advisor, at
vdavis@ncai.org, NCAI Budget and Policy Analyst, at aebarb@ncai.org or
Brian Howard, Legislative Associate, at bhoward@ncai.org.
______
Prepared Statement of the National Estuarine Research Reserve
Association
Chairman and members of the subcommittee, my name is William Reay
and I am the Director of the Chesapeake Bay National Estuarine Research
Reserve in Virginia, administered by the Virginia Institute of Marine
Science, College of William and Mary. I submit this testimony in my
capacity as President of the National Estuarine Research Reserve
Association (NERRA). NERRA is a not-for-profit scientific and
educational organization dedicated to the protection, understanding,
and science-based management of our Nation's estuaries and coasts.
NERRA appreciates the support this subcommittee has given to the
research reserves over the years. As a result, the research reserves
have been able to assist coastal communities and States in becoming
more resilient to the ever increasing and complex challenges they face
on a daily basis and into the foreseeable future.
For fiscal year 2016, NERRA strongly recommends the following
reserve system programs and funding levels within the National Oceanic
and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA):
NERRS Operations $23.9 million
NERRS Procurement, Acquisition, and Construction $1.7 million
(PAC)
The National Estuarine Research Reserve System (NERRS) program
bring the strength of both NOAA and partner science and stewardship to
important coastal regions across the Nation. NERRS encompasses 28
protected reserves located in estuaries that are home to our most
productive habitats and populated communities--that support science-
based coastal resource management, research, and education to meet
national priorities as mandated by Congress in the Coastal Zone
Management Act (CZMA) of 1972. The States have been entrusted to
operate and manage NOAA's program in 22 States and Puerto Rico, where
over 1.3 million acres of land and water are protected in perpetuity.
What distinguishes the research reserves is the community and State
implementation of programs and local management of these places that
form this Federal-State partnership program.
The administration's fiscal year 2016 request for the NERRS is a
total of $21.3 million. This amount will result in a reduction of
funding to each State, and will diminish the current capabilities of
the program's core operations. Specifically, the administration's
request will decrease funding amounts going to each State; reduce water
quality monitoring capabilities that coastal dependent communities,
businesses and industries rely on; adversely impact the collection of
data relating to hazards and sea level rise provided to decision-
makers; and, reduce the education and information exchange provided to
communities and schools related to coastal resiliency. After reviewing
the detailed NOAA budget request sent to the Congress, it is clear that
States are inadequately supported to implement this national program
and are compromised in their ability to fulfill the vision of Congress
in its creation of the NERRS program.
NERRA is deeply concerned with the administration's funding levels
that we believe are inconsistent with key tenants of NOAA's own
strategic plan--specifically, enhancing community and economic
resiliency and strengthening science in support of coastal resource
management. The administration's fiscal year 2016 requested funding
level will diminish the NERRS's capacity to deliver important research,
monitoring data, and education and training to its State, local, and
regional partners.
The NERRS program has grown as States identify the coastal needs
that must be addressed, and the addition of new reserves has provided
more science, training, and education resources that can be applied
nationally. At issue is the cost associated with operating 28 reserves
nationally has increased given the relatively recent addition of two
reserves (Texas and Wisconsin) and a third (Hawaii) in fiscal year
2016, the infrastructure it relies on has aged, and because there is a
rapidly increasing need to help local communities address coastal
hazards. Without funding, four critical core program areas are at risk.
essential coastal resiliency nerrs programs impacted by inadequate
funding
1. Reserve Operations.--First, the administration budget request
flat-funds the program at the fiscal year 2015 level of $21.3 million.
Flat-funding in the face of the program adding a 29th reserve in fiscal
year 2016 will in effect result in reduced budgets for each of the
current reserves. The addition of a new research reserve strengthens
the national program by leveraging science, education, and partnerships
that will benefit the Nation. Equally troubling is the absence of any
mention of the expected expansions in NOAA's fiscal year 2016 budget
submission. Along with the new Hawaii reserve, there is one more
known--Connecticut--in process for future years.
2. Coastal intelligence--monitoring and data networks.--The second
program area at risk is maintaining existing System-wide monitoring and
data networks that provide immediate and long-term information to
understand harmful algal blooms, assess water quality, identify habitat
impacts from changing sea levels, aid in weather forecasting, and
improve response to storm surge. Hundreds of entities use the NERRS
water quality and weather data, including State water quality control
programs; county health departments; shellfish growers and fishing
industry professionals; the National Weather Service; and, insurance
companies.
3. Sentinel sites provide early detection of change.--The third
program area at risk is helping communities by providing data for early
detection of habitat change that helps respond to coastal hazards by
integrating monitoring, analysis and modeling to assess current habitat
vulnerability, forecast future conditions and aid in the development of
adaptive management strategies. Right now reserves are working to
understand changes in tidal marshes, mangroves and sea grass beds.
These habitats provide a wide range of highly valued ecosystem serves
such as nursery habitat for commercial and recreational important fish,
erosion and flood control, and water quality improvements.
4. Educating today's and tomorrow's decision-makers.--The forth
program area at risk is providing relevant and timely science and
support tools to decision-makers and to the next generation of
scientists, resource managers, business people, and civic leaders.
Reserves have prioritized the Teachers on the Estuary professional
development opportunity for all 28 reserves that prepare the Next
Generation workforce in key disciplines of science, technology,
engineering and math (STEM education)--estimated to reach more than
12,000 students annually through this program alone in addition to the
83,000 reached by all education programs conducted by the reserves.
Additionally reserves support their communities by providing technical
training to local officials and support staff and residents about
critical resource management issues such as impending hazards, storm
water control, shoreline management, and habitat restoration: in 2014
more than 12,000 decision makers participated in reserve training
programs.
making coasts more resilient, supporting coastal economies, and having
direct positive impacts on communities and throughout the states
Research reserves assist our coastal communities, commercial
businesses and industries through enhanced coastal resiliency in a
changing environment. As severe weather events become more common,
Federal, State, and local officials are recognizing that estuaries have
the capacity to provide green resilience infrastructure. Through the
reserves, NOAA can tailor science and management practices to enable
local planners to use estuarine habitat as a tool for resilience and
adaptation. The increase to the NERRS operation funds by $2.6 million
above the administration's request is essential to supporting coastal
economies and impacting States and their communities.
--The research reserves' operations that include existing high-
quality jobs and student internship opportunities, as well as
service delivery in 28 communities will be improved through
modest additional appropriations by enhanced monitoring
technology responsive to changing environments and increased
educational efficiency by providing best-practices professional
development with decision-maker training and education programs
such as Teachers on the Estuary.
--Each research reserve will leverage additional State, local, and
private funding to their individual States, and will provide
vital local trainings for decision makers, researchers,
students and teachers that generates a more resilient coast
through improved access to stakeholder driven research,
engaging place-based education and information needs.
--With adequate funding, essential water quality data collected by
the research reserves will be made available to entities such
as local commercial businesses, industries and government
entities who rely upon it via updated monitoring equipment and
real-time telemetry technology.
Investments in the NERRS are dollar-smart because funding for the
program is matched by the States and leveraged significantly, resulting
in an average of more than five other local and State partners
contributing to the work at each reserve. In addition, the program
significantly benefits from volunteers that are engaged in habitat
restoration, citizen science and education which offset operation costs
at reserves by donating thousands of hours. Annually, volunteers
contribute more than 100,000 hours to the NERRS with an estimated value
of over $2.2 million. Funding of $23.9 million for the NERRS would be a
minimal level to provide each reserve with the necessary funding to
insure that cuts to the States as well as to existing core programs and
services do not occur.
nerrs procurement, acquisition, and construction and the bay-watershed
education and training
The NERRS Procurement, Acquisition, and Construction (PAC) funding
is designated for land conservation, through acquisition of priority
lands, and essential facilities construction and upgrades. This
competitive funding program is matched by State funds and has resulted
in not only the preservation of critical coastal lands as described
above, but also in the increase of construction jobs. For example NERRS
creates more than 60 jobs for each $1 million of Federal construction
(PAC) money spent. In addition, NERRS leveraged investments of more
than $115 million to purchase over 30,000 acres of coastal property
over the last 12 years.
Second, within the budget request for NOAA, the administration is
again proposing the elimination of funding for the Bay-Watershed
Education and Training (B-WET) regional programs--a reduction of $7.2
million in funding. The rationale provided for program reductions is
misleading in stating that NOAA education experiences will continue to
be provided by programs including the NERRS. Where States are eligible
for B-WET funding, reserves are able to increase their educational
capacity by as much as 50 percent, as documented in the Chesapeake Bay
NERR (VA) for example. The B-WET regional program funding is money that
is spent in addition to the annual NERRS money invested in the
education programs. The NERRS educate more than 83,000 children
annually. NERRA strongly opposes the cut of B-WET regional programs and
any of the other NOAA STEM educational programs.
conclusion
NERRA greatly appreciates the past support the subcommittee has
provided. This support is critical to sustain and increase the economic
viability of coastal and estuary-based industries.
With NERRA's fiscal year 2016 request of $23.9 million for the
NERRS Operations and $1.7 million for NERRS PAC, the program will be
able to maintain delivery of credible scientific research and
translation of that research so as to contribute to the resiliency of
the natural and built communities and that yields a high rate of return
to the 28 reserves around the country. We urge the subcommittee to
support this request, and to restore funding for the B-WET regional
programs.
Thank you for the opportunity to present these remarks. On behalf
of NERRA, I would be happy to answer questions or provide additional
information to the subcommittee.
______
Prepared Statement of the National Marine Sanctuary Foundation
The National Marine Sanctuary Foundation (NMSF) works with Congress
and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) to
connect fellow citizens to the underwater places that define the
American ocean--the National Marine Sanctuary System. We remain
concerned that NOAA's Office of National Marine Sanctuaries (ONMS) has
not received sufficient appropriations for several budget cycles.
Recognizing the economic growth and job creation benefits provided by
sanctuaries, NMSF respectfully requests the subcommittee remedy this
situation by appropriating:
--$55 million to the Sanctuaries and Marine Protected Areas Base,
within NOAA's Operations, Research, and Facilities account; and
--$5.5 million to the National Marine Sanctuary Program--
Construction/Acquisition Base, within NOAA's Procurement,
Acquisition, and Construction account.
Joining NMSF in this request is a national network of community-
based, non-profit organizations that support sites within the sanctuary
system. On behalf of their members, the Cordell Marine Sanctuary
Foundation (California), Farallones Marine Sanctuary Association
(California), Friends of Thunder Bay National Marine Sanctuary
(Michigan), Gray's Reef National Marine Sanctuary Foundation (Georgia),
Hawai`i National Marine Sanctuary Foundation (Hawaii), California
Marine Sanctuary Foundation (California), and Sanctuary Friends
Foundation of the Florida Keys (Florida) support funding the National
Marine Sanctuary System at these levels (Appendix I).
And with the opening of the sanctuary nomination process,
communities nationwide are voicing their support for increased funding
for the National Marine Sanctuary System.
Despite a decade's worth of bipartisan support in both houses of
Congress that sanctuaries warrant additional funds and the groundswell
of public support, the President's fiscal year 2016 budget request
continues a disturbing trend of underfunding the sanctuary program.
While we recognize the challenges of providing increased funding in the
current budget climate, we believe that it fails to address critical
sanctuary contributions to job creation and economic growth.
the national marine sanctuary system and noaa's office of national
marine sanctuaries
Encompassing over 170,000 square miles of marine and Great Lakes
waters, the National Marine Sanctuary System includes 13 national
marine sanctuaries and Papahanaumokuakea Marine National Monument.
Sanctuaries protect vibrant ocean ecosystems, conserve essential
habitat for endangered and commercially important marine species, and
safeguard historical and cultural resources.
national marine sanctuaries are unique and successful ocean
conservation tools
Generations of Americans have grown up, worked jobs, and supported
their families on the waters of our national marine sanctuaries. Among
all the statutes enacted by Congress to govern ocean resources, the
National Marine Sanctuaries Act stands alone in terms of the
comprehensiveness, community participation, transparency and balanced
approach provided for all stakeholders. An independent legal analysis
concluded that ``the National Marine Sanctuaries Act is the best
existing mechanism available for preserving ocean ecosystems,'' due to
sanctuaries' commitment to public participation, community engagement,
and use of a place- and ecosystem-based approach.\1\
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
\1\ Perkins Coie LLP. (2013). ``Area-Based Management of Marine
Resources: A Comparative Analysis of the National Marine Sanctuaries
Act and Other Federal and State Legal Authorities.'' Available: http://
www.nmsfocean.org/files/ABMReport.pdf.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Unlike other ocean resource laws, the National Marine Sanctuaries
Act protects nationally significant places and their natural,
historical, and cultural riches. Experience shows that this approach is
vital to maintaining the healthy seascapes that underpin our productive
economies, supporting thousands of businesses while maintaining public
access for recreation, science, exploration, and education.
national marine sanctuaries are economic engines for coastal
communities
Sanctuaries foster economic growth, support jobs and businesses,
generate billions of dollars in local revenue, preserve underwater and
maritime treasures, and provide valuable public access for ocean
recreation, research, exploration, and education. According to the
National Ocean Economics Program, 70 percent of ocean and coastal
employment in the tourism and recreation sector depend on visitor
opportunities requiring clean beaches, clean water, and abundant fish
and wildlife promoted by national marine sanctuaries.
Because of strong ties to the local communities, businesses, and
organizations, sanctuaries are able to heavily leverage private funds
and contributions for taxpayer benefits, ensuring that the benefits of
funding national marine sanctuaries far outweigh the Federal outlays
that support them:
--Over 64,000 jobs and $4.5 billion in GDP contributed annually from
the marine tourism and recreation sector in the two counties
adjacent to Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary.\2\
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
\2\ National Ocean Economics Program. (2011) ``Ocean Economy
Data.'' Available: http://www.oceaneconomics.org.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
--Over $126 million in whale watching revenue and 600 jobs at 31
businesses resulting from less than $2 million invested in the
Stellwagen Bank National Marine Sanctuary off of
Massachusetts.\3\
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
\3\ O'Connor, Simon et al (2009). Whale Watching Worldwide: tourism
numbers, expenditures and expanding economic benefits, a special report
from the International Fund for Animal Welfare. Prepared by Economists
at Large. Available: http://www.ifaw.org/Publications/
Program_Publications/Whales/asset_upload_file841_55365.pdf.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
--2,100 jobs and a $291 million budget from marine science and
education at the Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary, more
than 100 times the $3 million investment by taxpayers.\4\
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
\4\ Monterey Bay Crescent Ocean Research Consortium. (2012) ``Major
Marine Sciences Facilities in the Monterey Bay Crescent-2012.''
Available: http://web.me.com/paduan/mbcorc/Membership_Info_files/
MontereyBayLabs2012-2.pdf.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
--Over half (58 percent) of visitors to Alpena, Michigan came to
visit Thunder Bay National Marine Sanctuary, which is the
region's most popular attraction, boasting nearly 100,000
visitors per year.\5\
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
\5\ Source: Molnar, Lawrence. 2013. ``Economic Impact Analysis for
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Thunder Bay
National Marine Sanctuary, Final Report.'' Ann Arbor, Michigan:
Institute for Research on Labor, Employment, and the Economy,
University of Michigan (July). Available: http://irlee.umich.edu/
Publications/Docs/ThunderBayNMS_
FinalReport.pdf.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
national marine sanctuaries start and stay in local communities
Public participation is a hallmark of the sanctuary program. From
the sanctuary nomination process to day-to-day management decisions,
sanctuaries start and stay in local communities--underscoring ONMS's
commitment to community leadership and engagement. Communities have a
controlling influence on sanctuary priorities to ensure unique, local
circumstances are addressed. Sanctuary rules and regulations are
developed on a site-by-site basis, and, from the outset, sanctuaries
are designed to accommodate multiple uses of the ocean.
Sanctuaries are created by and for the people: citizens and
communities around the Nation recognize the benefits of sanctuaries and
express strong interest in establishing sanctuaries in their own
waters.
--Over 440 community representatives serve on Sanctuary Advisory
Councils with members from the fishing, tourism, and maritime
commerce industries; tribes, State and local government; and
scientists, educators, and conservationists to provide advice
to sanctuary superintendents on sanctuary operations.
--Over 140,000 hours are contributed by local sanctuary volunteers
each year in areas of research, monitoring, enforcement,
education and outreach, and management advisory.
national marine sanctuaries and education
Through education and outreach programs, sanctuaries function as
living classrooms that provide students with the knowledge and tools to
act as responsible ocean stewards. Science, technology, engineering and
mathematics (STEM) education programs are a key part of national marine
sanctuaries mission. Eliminating important education infrastructure,
such as NOAA Office of Education's Bay Watershed Education and Training
(B-WET) and NOAA's Teacher at Sea program, hinders the ability to
deliver meaningful watershed education initiatives in sanctuaries.
We strongly encourage you to oppose any efforts to move or
terminate the Dr. Nancy Foster Scholarship Program (NFSP). The direct
connections between students and researchers in sanctuaries are
critical for the effectiveness of the NFSP. While we support the
administration's efforts to recognize efficiencies across STEM
education initiatives, NFSP should remain administered by ONMS, as
consistent with the National Marine Sanctuaries Act.
national marine sanctuaries' programmatic outlook under reduced fiscal
year 2016 funding levels
Funding decreases and level-funding have resulted in layoffs and
cutbacks to mission critical sanctuary programs. A lack of funds may
result in cuts to public access and recreation opportunities, reduced
operations at visitor centers, cancellation of partnerships, a lack of
contingency funding needed in case of emergencies like oil spills, and
additional inoperable vessels. Of particular concern are proposals to
reduce funding for necessary and ongoing renovation and construction
projects.
The potential impact of reducing sanctuary appropriations goes far
beyond the individual sanctuaries themselves: limiting visitor center
hours, eliminating research programs, and diminishing enforcement
capacities prevents ONMS from fulfilling its statutory mandates, while
also reducing the economic activity and job creation from which healthy
communities benefit. Funding sanctuaries below NMSF's recommended
levels could force the program to:
Reduce public access and recreation opportunities for all
Americans: Funding cuts risk the Florida Keys National Marine
Sanctuary's 767 mooring buoys, which provide public access and
recreational opportunities within the sanctuary while protecting coral
reefs and shipwrecks from anchor damage.
Cut visitor center hours: Sanctuary visitor centers act as a public
face of NOAA to over 350,000 visitors per year, including Monterey Bay
National Marine Sanctuary Exploration Center (California), Mokupapapa
Discovery Center (Hawaii), Great Lakes Maritime Heritage Center
(Michigan), and Florida Keys EcoDiscovery Center (Florida).
Cancel education and outreach programs that leverage private funds:
Reduced funding jeopardizes education and outreach activities on the
water, at sanctuaries and visitor centers, and in classrooms.
noaa needs sufficient funds to fulfill its responsibilities to the
american people
We strongly support the Friends of NOAA Coalition request to fund
the agency at no less than $6 billion in fiscal year 2016. From weather
forecasts to fisheries management, NOAA provides decision makers with
critical data, products, and services that promote and enhance the
Nation's economy, security, environment, and quality of life.
Insufficient funding will only serve to diminish the economic activity
and job creation that is successfully revitalizing communities across
America.
Jason Patlis,
President and CEO.
APPENDIX I
March 18, 2015.
Hon. Richard C. Shelby Hon. Barbara Mikulski
Chairman, Senate Appropriations Vice Chairwoman, Senate
Subcommittee on Commerce, Justice, Appropriations Subcommittee
Science, and Related Agencies on Commerce, Justice,
SH-125 Hart Senate Office Building Science, and Related
Washington, D.C. 20510 Agencies
SD-142 Dirksen Senate Office
Building
Washington, D.C. 20510
Dear Chairman Shelby and Ranking Member Mikulski: As Congress
begins negotiations on the fiscal year 2016 Commerce, Justice, Science,
and Related Agencies appropriations bill, we respectfully request that
you prioritize programmatic requests for:
--Sanctuaries and Marine Protected Areas Base, within the National
Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's (NOAA) Operations,
Research, and Facilities (ORF) account, at a level of $55
million; and
--Marine Sanctuaries Construction Base, within NOAA's Procurement,
Acquisition, and Construction (PAC) account at a level of $5.5
million.
Sanctuaries embody our Nation's commitment to conserve the best of
our ocean, coasts, and Great Lakes. Through their comprehensive, highly
participatory approach designed to accommodate multiple uses of our
ocean, national marine sanctuaries foster economic growth, support jobs
and businesses, generate billions of dollars in local revenues,
preserve underwater and maritime treasures, and provide valuable public
access for ocean recreation, research, exploration, and education.
The American people have seen the benefits national marine
sanctuaries provide for local communities and our Nation and they are
voicing their support for sanctuaries. Communities nationwide are
coming together to discuss how to protect the ocean, coasts, and Great
Lakes by working with the existing sanctuaries and by nominating new
sites through the sanctuary nomination process.
Sanctuaries are a proven and successful conservation tool and the
return on our investment in sanctuaries is simply too valuable to
ignore. Because of the strong ties to the local communities,
businesses, and organizations, sanctuaries have been able to heavily
leverage private funds and contributions for taxpayer benefits.
However, diminishing budgets will force ONMS to reduce economic
opportunities, close visitor's centers, cancel collaborative
partnerships with museums and universities, terminate education and
research initiatives, and diminish enforcement capacities. In
particular, the sanctuary visitor centers, facilities, and vessels
supported by PAC funds anchor local tourism and recreation economies
and enable ONMS to complete core research, education, and law
enforcement missions that simply cannot be accomplished from land
alone.
We strongly urge you to remedy this situation by supporting an
overall appropriation of no less than $60.5 million for sanctuaries in
fiscal year 2016. Your support for national marine sanctuaries will
send a powerful and necessary message about the economic growth and job
creation benefits of healthy ocean and coastal resources, while
simultaneously underscoring the continuing ecological and aesthetic
value of America's underwater treasures.
Thank you for your consideration of this request. We wish you all
the best for the 114th Congress.
Sincerely,
Jason Patlis, National Marine Sanctuary Foundation;
Tom Lambert, Cordell Marine Sanctuary
Foundation; Chris Kelley, Farallones Marine
Sanctuary Association; Charles N. Wiesen,
Friends of Thunder Bay National Marine
Sanctuary; Chris Hines, Gray's Reef
National Marine Sanctuary Foundation;
Lynette Poncin, Hawai`i National Marine
Sanctuary Foundation; Dennis J. Long,
Monterey Bay and Channel Islands Sanctuary
Foundation; George Neugent, Sanctuary
Friends Foundation of the Florida Keys
______
Prepared Statement of the National Weather Service Employees
Organization
The employees of the National Weather Service once again urge the
subcommittee to reject the administration's proposals to eliminate
funding for the Information Technology Officers (ITOs) at our Nation's
122 Weather Forecast Offices, and to reduce funding for the development
of the Advanced Weather Interactive Processing System, ``AWIPS 2.''
As this subcommittee noted when rejecting an earlier proposal to
eliminate the ITOs, the ``IT staff have proven to be valuable parts of
the local weather forecast teams.'' Senate Report No. 112-158, at 31.
But once again, the NOAA budget justification fails to explain how 24
regionally based ITOs can, at a distance, handle the same workload
performed by 122 employees who work at the site of the problem. No
workload analysis has ever been conducted. This year's budget
justification contains the same preposterous claim that the regional
team approach will ``meet or exceed current service levels'' without
any factual basis or prototyping. The proposal once again claims that
``the current service delivery model has redundancies,'' but fails to
identify a single one.
The subcommittee has rejected such unsupported assurances in the
past and has directed the agency to present any proposal to consolidate
IT support only as part of a comprehensive plan for future NWS
operations. In considering the fiscal year 2014 request, this
subcommittee directed NOAA to provide a report that ``addresses
potential consolidation of NWS IT staff in the context of an overall
workforce staffing plan.'' Senate Report No. 113-78, at 38. In
rejecting NOAA's request to eliminate the ITOs last year, this
subcommittee wrote:
This repeated request continues to ignore the subcommittee's
direction to provide perspective on how this proposal fits
within NWS's broader workforce and modernization plans. The
subcommittee also notes that NOAA has not provided the report
requested in fiscal year 2014 outlining a multi-phase plan for
consolidating NWS's information technology operations that
would streamline system configuration . . . while resulting in
no degradation of service.
Senate Report No. 113-181, at 43. Astonishingly, NOAA has once
again requested authority to eliminate the ITOs without providing the
report or analysis that this subcommittee said was a prerequisite to
its approval. As this year's NWS budget justification explains (at 39),
the NWS has still not yet developed its IT consolidation plan and will
not be ``developing a strategic staffing plan which will fully show the
future of the NWS workforce'' until 2016. Between September 2010 and
February 2015, the NWS reduced its non-supervisory workforce by 10
percent, from 3877 to 3469, in an unplanned, random manner as vacancies
arose. The subcommittee should not approve additional haphazard
reductions in field staff.
NWSEO has just obtained a copy of a ``Statement of Need'' authored
by an ad hoc committee of Meteorologists-in-Charge (``MICs'') of
numerous NWS Forecast Offices in 2013 and submitted to NWS management,
explaining why the ITOs are essential to the operations of their
offices and need to be retained. According the MICs, who are the senior
supervisor at each forecast office, the ``READI Teams'' cannot
adequately replace the ITOs:
The READI team proposal is an admirable effort to reduce
agency overhead costs and looks promising on the surface, but
it also includes a large number of assumptions that have
already been proven faulty or ineffective during weather
situations affecting multiple sites. Having to rely on
emergency backup and remote support in lieu of local site
support is a recipe for disaster and one not worth the cost
savings.
* * *
From our perspective, one cannot remove such a vital
individual from a unit and replace him with a remote staff
member (or members) tasked with serving multiple offices that
has no collaborative ties, relationship, or rapport with the
people, office or customers, and expect the kind of benefits
the ITO program has produced to date.
* * *
Moving from a system of local ITO experts to a regional cadre
of ITO teams, no matter how skilled and prepared, will
undoubtedly result in slower response time and longer periods
of system down-time and lengthy site and system recovery.
The MICs also noted that the ITOs are responsible for far more than
keeping existing systems operational. ``[T]he ITO is a critical
developer who is directly connected with the forecasters, end users,
and core constituents. Due to this connection the position has been
able to create successful applications with a positive and lasting
impact on our agency.'' Below are four examples of software
applications recently developed by ITOs that were customized to local
weather conditions and customer needs.
1. Last winter Diana Norgaard, the ITO at the Sterling Forecast
Office (which services Northern Virginia, Maryland, DC and part of West
Virginia) developed software applications that translated winter
weather forecasts and models into graphic ``probabilistic'' forecasts
of the chances of varying snow accumulation totals for approximately
100 locations within the office's service area. She developed a Web
page for display of these experimental forecast products, which can be
found at www.weather/gov/lwx/winter. These new forecast products were
so well received that Ms. Norgaard assisted in replicating them for the
Philadelphia, New York and Boston Forecast Office Web sites this
winter.
2. After the January 2014 snowstorm that paralyzed the Atlanta
highway network, the Georgia Department of Transportation installed
road sensors around the metro Atlanta area and North Georgia. Steve
Listemaa, the ITO at the Atlanta Forecast Office, worked with the
vendor to ingest this data for display into the office's AWIPS system,
which he then configured to produce road temperature forecasts. The
graph below shows the observed road temperature data to the left of the
vertical gray line, and forecast road temperature data to the right.
The display was originally written by the ITO at the Tulsa Forecast
Office, and Mr. Listemaa took that code and modified it for his
office's needs.
3. In Vermont, ice jams create a flood threat in late winter as
river ice starts to break up; Montpelier was flooded as a result of
such an ice jam in 1993. Chuck McGill, the ITO at the forecast office
in Burlington, Vermont, wrote a series of software scripts that created
a database for the office's hydrologist to use to log the locations of
ice jams in their service area, and to quickly generate a Public
Information Statement with this information.
4. The NWS's Service Assessment of its response to the May 2013
Moore, Oklahoma tornado noted that a local application developed by the
ITO at the Norman Forecast Office was critical to FEMA's efforts:
WFO Norman produced GIS [graphical information systems]
products showing a preliminary estimate of the likely tornado
track, which the office made available while the tornado was in
progress in Moore, Oklahoma. Meteorologist in Charge (MIC),
serving as the radar interpreter, worked with the Information
Technology Officer (ITO) to use a prototype local application
on AWIPS II, the AWIPS's next-generation software, to generate
the GIS files on AWIPS. The GIS files were emailed to the EMs
in affected regions and to the Southern Region Regional
Operations Center (SR ROC) and posted on social media. WFO
Norman used all available radar data and other information to
draw potential damage paths. The local application allowed the
meteorologists to select points, scan-by-scan, to identify
where a tornado was located. This process includes forecaster
interpretation in the analysis loop and is different and
separate from the rotation tracks products available from the
National Severe Storms Laboratory (NSSL). The Federal Emergency
Management Agency (FEMA) Director noted these products are
``extremely valuable'' when integrated into FEMA's GIS
applications. These preliminary tracks allowed FEMA to identify
the impacted areas and determine resources that might be needed
for the recovery as much as 3-4 hours before resources were
requested . . .
These GIS products saved FEMA 3-4 hours of response time and
helped FEMA staff determine the need for additional urban
search and rescue teams before local EMs formally requested
this assistance.
Service Assessment: May 2013 Oklahoma Tornadoes and Flash Flooding, pp.
8-9 (NWS, January 2014).
Regional IT teams cannot maintain from a distance the unique
software applications and models previously designed by each office's
ITOs and with which they are unfamiliar; and termination of the ITOs
will eliminate the ability to design and build software applications
and forecasting models customized to each office's unique climate and
user needs.
In its fiscal year 2016 budget justification, the NWS promises that
it will reduce ITO staffing through attrition, but that is not possible
if funding for the ITOs is abruptly terminated at the beginning of the
upcoming fiscal year. The NWS incorrectly claims that many of the ITOs
can qualify for other NWS positions, such as a meteorologist. Although
about one-half of the ITOs were meteorologists before being selected as
ITOs, it is unlikely that they would qualify to return to the
meteorologist jobs series because the educational qualification
standards for meteorologists changed in 1998. Only those current
meteorologists who were hired before that date and who have been
continuously employed in the meteorologist job series are grandfathered
under the prior qualification standards. (See NOAA Human Resources
Guidance Bulletin #FY14-004 (October 23, 2014).
NWSEO also opposes NOAA's proposal to reduce $1.5 million in
funding for development and implementation of the next generation of
the Advanced Weather Interactive Processing System. As noted in the
agency's Budget Justification, at 73, the ``NWS will be limited in
providing future tools and capabilities which meteorologists/
hydrologists use in situational awareness for warning/forecast
preparation'' as a result of this reduction, and ``[t]he development of
robust, efficient service backup capabilities to support local needs as
well as COOP activities will also be deferred.''
The most troubling impact of this reduction will be the deferral of
an updated AWIPS ``Weather Event Simulator'' or ``WES.'' WES is a
training simulator that allows forecasters to replay severe weather
events from archived data as case studies as if they were occurring in
real-time. Funding for training at the National Weather Service has
already fallen to just one-half of 1 percent of the agency's budget.
______
Prepared Statement of The Nature Conservancy
Thank you for the opportunity to comment on the fiscal year 2016
appropriations for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
(NOAA). The Nature Conservancy is a non-profit conservation
organization working around the world to protect ecologically important
lands and waters for both people and nature. As the Nation enters the
fiscal year 2016 budget cycle and another year of fiscal challenges,
The Nature Conservancy recognizes the need for fiscal restraint and
reiterates our concern that natural resource stewardship programs
should not bear a disproportionate share of cuts in this budget. We
believe the budget levels The Nature Conservancy supports represent a
prudent investment in our country's future. It is an investment that
not only helps NOAA achieve its most critical missions by catalyzing
local and regional action, but also reduces risk and saves money based
on tangible economic and societal benefits that natural resources
provide.
national marine fisheries service
Fisheries and Ecosystem Science Programs and Services.--The Nature
Conservancy supports the President's request of $146.317 million.
There is a high correlation between the good information about the
status of a fish stock and the effectiveness of management. Systems for
collecting fishery data tend to be paper-based, slow, expensive and
prone to errors and gaps. On-board video monitoring has been piloted
but has yet to be implemented in any U.S. fisheries and the
administration's proposed $5.596 million increase for Electronic
Monitoring and Reporting will help move these efforts beyond pilots to
implementation through funding purchase and maintenance of hardware and
software and processing of collected data. Priority should be given to
those fisheries across the country that have already piloted these
efforts. Also key is improving our understanding of the ecological and
economic connections between fisheries and nearshore habitats. The
administration's proposed $5 million increase for Ecosystem-based
Solutions for Fisheries Management will improve our understanding of
the value of ecosystem services and develop the models and tools to
incorporate this information into habitat restoration plans and
fisheries management actions.
Fisheries Management Programs and Services.--The Nature Conservancy
supports the President's request of $128.367 million.
NOAA Fisheries has made important strides in addressing these
challenges and strengthening fisheries management; however, much more
needs to be done. To recover fish stocks so that they provide food and
jobs to struggling fishermen now and in the future, we need to reduce
destructive fishing practices, restore coastal habitats that produce
fish, and support the efforts of fishermen and fishing communities and
do so in a collaborative way. The Conservancy supports the President's
request of $128.367 million and highlights two important program
increases. The proposed increase of $1.45 million within this line will
be used to develop and implement clear procedures and guidance for the
use of electronic monitoring. This will include review of pilot project
information, regional implementation plans, and coordination with
stakeholders. Catch shares give participating fishermen a stake in the
benefits of a well-managed fishery and align the incentives for
resource stewardship with the natural incentive for fishermen to
increase their earnings with a sustainable business model. Transition
to these systems is difficult and the modest $2.216 million proposed
increase will help NOAA get the design and implementation of these new
catch share programs right by engaging fishing communities.
Habitat Management and Restoration.--The Nature Conservancy supports
the President's request of $57.885 million.
Coastal wetlands and nearshore waters produce the fish and
shellfish that feed America. The health of these places is essential to
the economic and social well-being of those who live, work, and
recreate in coastal communities. Additionally the restoration and
protection of coastal resources help to provide flood control and
prevent erosion to protect our communities from storm surges. Through
the Community-based Restoration Program and the Habitat Blueprint
initiative, The Nature Conservancy works closely with NOAA to restore
the health of degraded habitats in places and ways that benefit not
just local marine life, but communities and coastal economies as well.
Project funds are awarded on a competitive basis and typically leverage
the resources and capacity of multiple partners. This work enhances our
understanding of the connections between fisheries productivity and
habitat, measures the effectiveness of conservation and restoration
activities, and applies those lessons to improve future efforts. The
administration has also requested an important $3.5 million increase to
enhance NOAA's capacity to for consultations on and implementation of
Essential Fish Habitat. The Regional Fishery Management Councils
address fishing impacts on these areas, and NOAA must have sufficient
capacity to provide technical assistance to the Councils and to work
with Federal agencies to avoid, minimize, and mitigate the impacts of
their actions on these important fishery habitats.
Pacific Coastal Salmon Recovery Fund.--The Nature Conservancy supports
maintaining the fiscal year 2015 level of funding of $65 million, $7
million above the President's requested amount.
The Pacific Coast Salmon Recovery Fund (PCSRF) is the most critical
Federal program addressing major threats to Pacific salmon so that
these fish can continue to sustain culture, economies, recreation, and
ecosystem health. PCSRF funding is tailored for each State,
competitively awarded based on merit, and has funded hundreds of
successful, on-the-ground salmon conservation efforts. PCSRF invests in
cooperative efforts to conserve species under NOAA's jurisdiction, and
projects are matched at a 3:1 ratio (Federal/non-Federal). Notably, the
PCSRF has catalyzed thousands of partnerships among Federal, State,
local, and tribal governments, and conservation, business, and
community organizations. The Nature Conservancy urges sustaining the
fiscal year 2015 enacted level of $65 million.
Fisheries Data Collections, Surveys and Assessments.--The Nature
Conservancy supports the President's request of $163.251 million.
Limited or poor quality information on the status of fishery stocks
undermines the effectiveness of fishery management and can erode
political support for conservation measures. Accurate and timely stock
assessments are essential for the sound management of fisheries and the
sustainability of fishing resources. The $2.815 million proposed
increase to Expand Annual Stock Assessments will help the agency
prioritize assessments, determine what level of assessments are needed
and, where to appropriately incorporate ecosystem linkages--such as
climate, habitat, multispecies, socioeconomic factors.
Marine Mammals, Sea Turtles, and Other Species.--The Nature Conservancy
supports the President's request of $145.71 million.
Through this budget line, NOAA awards competitive grants to States
and tribes to support conservation actions that contribute to recovery,
or have direct conservation benefits for, listed species, recently de-
listed species, and candidate species that reside within that State.
NOAA's proposed $17 million increase for Species Recovery Grants,
including $3.2 million for the 20 newly-listed coral species, will
allow the agency to expand partnerships to address the growing number
of listed species and allow for larger, ecosystem-level scale recovery
efforts The Nature Conservancy works with State agency partners to
restore endangered species and monitor the results of these efforts.
These grants are essential for having a direct benefit to ``on the
water'' restoration efforts. Additional listed species and emerging
challenges to recovery has increased the number and complexity of
NOAA's consultation and permitting requirements under the Endangered
Species Act and Marine Mammal Protection Act. The proposed $13.23
million to Increase Consultation Capacity will aid NOAA's ability to
complete these requirements in a timely manner.
ESA Salmon.--The Nature Conservancy supports the President's request of
$68.501 million.
Recovery of listed Atlantic and Pacific salmon provide distinct
challenges. NOAA's cooperative efforts with States, tribes, and other
partners such as The Nature Conservancy help to improve our
understanding of and ability to protect listed salmon and the habitats
that sustain them. The $1.301 million proposed increase to base funding
will support the design and implementation of fish passage projects
critical to the recovery of Atlantic salmon.
national ocean service
Coastal Management Grants.--The Nature Conservancy supports the
President's request of $116.146 million.
Our Nation's coastal areas are vital to our economy and our way of
life. The narrow area along our coasts is home to approximately 163
million people and coastal economies contribute over 45 percent of our
gross domestic product. This concentration of activity exposes
communities and businesses to risk from coastal storms, changing ocean
and economic conditions, and user conflicts. The $45 million proposed
increase in competitively awarded Regional Coastal Resilience Grants
will provide the resources and tools to build coastal resilience to
avoid costly Federal disaster assistance and sustain healthy fisheries,
maintain robust tourism opportunities, provide for increased shipping
demands, and other coastal industries. The Nature Conservancy has
worked with NOAA through the Digital Coast partnership to develop
decision support tools and techniques that help communities understand
and reduce risk and build resilience. Sharing data across Federal,
State, and tribal agencies, industry, and with non-governmental
organizations has increased our collective ability to understand and
incorporate into decisionmaking complex coastal economic, social, and
ecological needs. Through the restoration of coastal habitats and use
of natural infrastructure, we can improve communities' ability to
minimize storm damage and improve fisheries productivity, water
quality, and recreational opportunities.
Coral Reef Program.--The Nature Conservancy supports no less than the
President's request of $26.1 million.
The decline of coral reefs has significant social, economic, and
ecological impacts on people and communities in the United States and
around the world. The Conservancy works with NOAA's Coral Reef
Conservation Program under a competitively awarded, multi-year
cooperative agreement to address the top threats to coral reef
ecosystems: climate change, overfishing, and land-based sources of
pollution. Together we develop place-based strategies, measure the
effectiveness of management efforts, and build capacity among reef
managers globally.
Coastal Zone Management and Services.--The Nature Conservancy supports
the President's request of $54.144 million.
NOAA's data, research, and monitoring of coastal and marine systems
provide data and decision-support tools that inform the safe operations
of industry, prioritize habitats for restoration, and advance science-
based management decisions. The administration has requested a $5
million increase for Ecosystem-based Solutions for Coastal Resilience.
Improving our ability to incorporate natural infrastructure into
coastal protection efforts before and after storms can help communities
achieve multiple benefits such as improving fisheries productivity and
coastal water quality. The proposed $4.78 million increase for Capacity
to Respond to Extreme Events will improve modeling and observations and
increased technical assistance to coastal communities to help reduce
their risk to coastal storms and extreme weather, ultimately saving
Federal disaster response and recovery expenditures. This will be
further leverage by the proposed $2 million increase for the
AmeriCorps' Resilience Corps Pilot Program Training and Technical
Assistance. Decision support tools and increasing capacity within
communities are cost-effective mechanisms to enable the implementation
of resilience strategies.
National Estuarine Research Reserve System.--The Nature Conservancy
supports no less than the President's request of $21.3 million.
The National Estuarine Research Reserve System (NERRS) partners
with States and territories to ensure long-term education, stewardship,
and research on estuarine habitats. Atlantic, Gulf, Pacific, Caribbean
and Great Lakes reserves advance knowledge and stewardship of estuaries
and serve as a scientific foundation for coastal management decisions.
Sanctuaries and Marine Protected Areas.--The Nature Conservancy
supports no less than the President's request of $48.3 million.
National marine sanctuaries support economic growth and hundreds of
coastal businesses in sanctuary communities, preserve vibrant
underwater and maritime treasures for Americans to enjoy, and provide
critical public access for ocean recreation, research, and education.
Investment in these sites does more than simply protect discrete areas
of the ocean; it places a down payment for the many Americans whose
livelihoods are dependent on a healthy ocean and coasts.
Thank you for this opportunity to share The Nature Conservancy's
priorities. We would be pleased to provide the subcommittee with
additional information on any of the Conservancy's activities.
______
Prepared Statement of the Northwest Indian Fisheries Commission
Mr. Chairman and members of the subcommittee, my name is Lorraine
Loomis and I am the Chairwoman of the Northwest Indian Fisheries
Commission (NWIFC). The NWIFC is comprised of the 20 tribes that are
party to the United States v. Washington \1\ (U.S. v. Washington). We
are providing testimony for the record in support of funding for the
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA)/National Marine
Fisheries Service (NMFS) for the fiscal year 2016 appropriations.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
\1\ United States v. Washington, Boldt Decision (1974) reaffirmed
Western Washington Tribes' treaty fishing rights.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
summary of fiscal year 2016 appropriations requests
--$110.0 million for the Pacific Coastal Salmon Recovery Fund (NOAA/
NMFS).
--$13.8 million for the Pacific Salmon Treaty, including the
additional $3.0 million for the 2008 Chinook Salmon Agreement
(NOAA/NMFS).
--$18.9 million for the Mitchell Act Hatchery Program (NOAA/NMFS).
We are generally pleased with the President's fiscal year 2016
budget request but much more needs to be done. It promotes a strong
stewardship in sustaining our vital natural resources. The natural
resources that we depend on are vital to our tribal communities,
economies and jobs. The land and the many natural resources we depend
on are a necessity for our communities to thrive.
The western Washington treaty tribes brought to the Federal
Government our Treaty Rights at Risk (TRAR) initiative almost 4 years
ago. The continued loss and degradation of the salmon habitat continues
to hamper our salmon recovery efforts, which threatens our tribal
treaty rights. The Federal Government has the obligation and authority
to ensure both the recovery of salmon and the protection of tribal
treaty rights. These constitutionally protected treaties, the Federal
trust responsibility and extensive case law, including the U.S. v.
Washington decision, all support the role of tribes as natural resource
managers, both on and off reservation. While our TRAR has garnered a
lot of discussion, it has been slow to create any change in the manner
in which Federal agencies operate. It has not been enough to change the
trajectory of salmon recovery in our region from a negative to a
positive direction.
Salmon has always been the foundation of tribal cultures,
traditions and economies in western Washington. Wild salmon and their
habitat continue to decline despite massive reductions in harvest and a
significant investment in salmon recovery and habitat restoration.
However, fulfilling these Federal obligations is not an option and
these investments must continue as we work to recover the salmon
populations.
In Washington State, we have developed a successful co-management
partnership between the Federal, State and tribal governments. Tribes
seize every opportunity to coordinate with other governments and non-
governmental entities to avoid duplication, maximize positive impacts,
and emphasize the application of ecosystem-based management. This
collaboration has helped us to deal with many problems, and as
sovereign nations, we will continue to participate in resource recovery
and habitat restoration with the State of Washington and the Federal
Government because we understand the great value of such cooperation.
Hatchery production also continues to be a critical component in
fulfilling these treaty-reserved rights and play a vital role in the
management of our fisheries. In addition to our habitat concerns, the
hatchery systems in the State of Washington are under attack by third
party litigation due to the lack of approved Hatchery and Genetic
Management Plans (HGMPs) under the ESA. This was realized last fall
with legal action that prevented the release of one million hatchery
steelhead in western Washington. The problem will continue until the
National Marine Fisheries Service has completed its ESA determinations.
Resources and immediate action is needed to address the current backlog
of HGMPs so that Indian and non-Indian fishermen and our communities
are not further impacted by loss of their fisheries.
To address these many concerns adequate funding is necessary for
hatchery production and salmon habitat restoration. The programs we
support provide the necessary salmon production and assists tribes in
the implementation of salmon recovery plans that moves us in the
direction of achieving the recovery goals, which is a direct request in
our TRAR initiative. As Congress considers the fiscal year 2016 budget,
we ask you to consider our requests that are further described below.
justification of requests
Provide $110.0 million for NOAA Pacific Coastal Salmon Recovery Fund
We respectfully request $110.0 million, an increase of $52.0
million over the President's request. The fiscal year 2015
appropriations provided a total of $65.0 million. These funds have
decreased from the peak of $110.0 million in fiscal year 2002. We
continue to support the original congressional intent of these funds
that would enable the Federal Government to fulfill its obligations to
salmon recovery and the treaty fishing rights of the tribes.
The PCSRF is a multi-State, multi-tribe program established by
Congress in fiscal year 2000 with a primary goal to help recover wild
salmon throughout the Pacific coast region. The PCSRF supports projects
that restore, conserve and protect Pacific salmon and steelhead and
their habitats. PCSRF is making a significant contribution to the
recovery of wild salmon throughout the region by financially supporting
and leveraging local and regional efforts. Salmon restoration projects
not only benefits fish populations and their habitat but provides much
needed jobs for the local communities.
The tribes' overall goal in the PCSRF program is to restore wild
salmon populations while the key objective is to protect and restore
important habitat in Puget Sound and along the Washington coast. This
is essential for western Washington tribes to exercise their treaty-
reserved fishing rights consistent with U.S. v. Washington and Hoh v.
Baldrige \2\ and also promotes the recovery of ESA listed species and
other salmon populations. The tribes have used these funds to support
the scientific salmon recovery approach that makes this program so
unique and important.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
\2\ Hoh v. Baldrige--A Federal court ruling that required fisheries
management on a river-by-river basis.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
It is for these reasons that the tribes strongly support the PCSRF.
We will continue to seek an equitable allocation to the NWIFC and
member tribes through the NOAA Fisheries funding process. These funds
support policy and technical capacities within tribal resources
management to plan, implement, and monitor recovery activities. In
addition to watershed restoration and salmon recovery work they also
help fund fish hatchery reform efforts to allow for the exercise of
tribal treaty fishing rights.
Provide $13.8 million for NOAA Pacific Salmon Treaty, including the
additional $3.0 million associated with the 2008 Chinook Salmon
Agreement
We support the Pacific Salmon Commission (PSC)/U.S. Section's
request of $13.8 million, an increase of $2.5 million over the
President's request. The fiscal year 2015 appropriations provided a
total of $11.3 million. We also support as part of their request $1.5
million for the Puget Sound Critical Stock Augmentation Program and
$1.5 million for the Coded Wire Tag (CWT) Program as required by the
2008 PST Chinook Annex Agreement.
The Puget Sound Critical Stock funding covers the operation and
maintenance costs for the hatchery augmentation programs established
for Dungeness, Stillaguamish, and Nooksack Chinook. These hatchery
efforts were initiated in connection with the 2008 Chinook Agreement of
the US/Canada Pacific Salmon Treaty (PST) as the conservation needs of
these populations could not be met by harvest restriction actions
alone. The CWT funding allows for continued maintenance and efficiency
improvements of the coast-wide CWT program. This is essential for the
sustainability and management of our fisheries resources. Currently
there is not enough funding allocated to carry out the requirements of
the PST, which causes the PSC to not be able to perform all of its
responsibilities required in the treaty and its Chinook and coho
annexes. As co-managers of the fishery resources in western Washington,
tribal participation in implementing the PST is critical to achieve the
goals of the treaty to protect, share and restore salmon resources.
The PST was implemented in 1985 through the cooperative efforts of
tribal, State, U.S. and Canadian Governments, and sport and commercial
fishing interests. The PSC was created by the United States and Canada
to implement the treaty, which was most recently updated in 2008. The
PSC establishes fishery regimes, develops management recommendations,
assesses each country's performance and compliance with the treaty, and
is the forum for all entities to work towards reaching an agreement on
mutual fisheries issues. As co-managers of the fishery resources in
western Washington, tribal participation in implementing the PST is
critical to achieve the goals of the treaty to protect, share and
restore salmon resources.
Adult salmon returning to most western Washington streams migrate
through U.S. and Canadian waters and are harvested by fisherman from
both countries. For years, there were no restrictions on the
interception of returning salmon by fishermen of neighboring countries.
The 2008 update of the treaty gave additional protection to weak runs
of Chinook salmon returning to Puget Sound rivers. The update also
provided compensation to Alaskan fishermen for lost fishing
opportunities, while also funding habitat restoration in the Puget
Sound region.
Provide $18.9 million for NOAA Mitchell Act Hatchery Program
We respectfully request $18.9 million for the Mitchell Act Hatchery
Program, an increase of $3.0 million over the President's request. The
fiscal year 2015 appropriations provided a total of $18.9 million.
Funding is provided for the operation of 17 fish hatcheries that
release between 50 and 60 million juvenile salmon and steelhead in
Oregon, Washington, and Idaho. This program has historically provided
fish production for tribal treaty fisheries in the Columbia River, and
for ocean and in-river recreational and commercial fisheries.
It is especially important to us in that they provide significant
fish production for harvest opportunities for tribal treaty fisheries
along the Washington coast. Providing adequate funding to maintain the
current production levels from the Mitchell Act hatcheries on the
Columbia River is important as this production not only supports
coastal salmon fisheries but dampens the impact of Canadian fisheries
under the terms of the PST Chinook Annex on Puget Sound and coastal
stocks.
Overall production from these hatcheries has been reduced from more
than 100 million to fewer than 60 million fish. This hatchery
production is intended to mitigate for the lost production caused by
the hydropower dam system on the Columbia River. Substantial changes
have been made, and will continue to be required of the Mitchell Act
Program, due to the application of the ESA throughout the Columbia
Basin. Adequate funding will also allow these facilities to be
retrofitted to meet current ESA standards as identified through the
hatchery reform process.
conclusion
The treaties and the treaty-reserved right to harvest are the
supreme law of the land under the U.S. Constitution. Some of the treaty
tribes have had to give up even their most basic ceremonial and
subsistence fisheries, which is unacceptable. It is critically
important for Congress and the Federal Government to do even more to
coordinate their efforts with State and tribal governments. We need
your continued support in upholding the treaty obligations and
fulfilling the trust responsibility of those treaties in order for
tribes to be successful.
We respectfully urge you to continue to support our efforts to
protect and restore our great natural heritage that in turn will
provide for thriving economies. Thank you.
______
Prepared Statement of Ocean Conservancy
Thank you for this opportunity to provide Ocean Conservancy's
recommendations for fiscal year 2016 funding for NOAA. Ocean
Conservancy has worked for over 40 years to address ocean threats
through sound, practical policies that protect our ocean and improve
our lives. We support funding for NOAA at or above the President's
request of $6 billion, and we support balanced investments across
NOAA's atmospheric and oceanic missions. We recommend the following
funding levels for specific programs.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Fiscal year 2016
Account, Program or Activity Fiscal year 2015 President's budget Fiscal year 2016 Ocean
enacted request Conservancy request
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
OPERATIONS RESEARCH AND FACILITIES
National Ocean Service:
Navigation, Observations, and $189.206 million....... $195.5 million......... $195.5 million
Positioning.
Coastal Science, Assessment,
Response, and Restoration:
Marine Debris.................... -- -- $8 million
Arctic Spill Preparedness........ -- $1.3 million increase.. $1.3 million increase
National Marine Fisheries Service:
Marine Mammals, Sea Turtles, and $115.219 million....... $145.71 million........ $147.61 million
Other Species.
Fisheries and Ecosystem Science $132.189 million....... $146.317 million....... $146.317 million
Programs and Services.
Electronic Monitoring and -- $5.596 million increase $5.596 million increase
Reporting.
Distributed Biological Obs. -- $879,000 increase...... $879,000 increase
(Arctic).
Fisheries Data Collections, Surveys $158.271 million....... $163.251 million....... $163.251 million
and Assessments.
Fisheries Management Programs and $120.458 million....... $128.367 million....... $128.367 million
Services.
Management and Reg. Support for -- $1.45 million increase. $1.45 million increase
Electronic Technologies.
Office of Oceanic and Atmospheric
Research:
Integrated Ocean Acidification..... $8.5 million........... $30.005 million........ $30.005 million
Regional Climate Data and $38 million............ $52.437 million........ $52.437 million
Information.
NOAA Arctic Research Program..... -- $2.190 million increase $2.190 million increase
Program Support:
Marine Operations and Maintenance.. $175 million........... $178.838 million....... $178.838 million
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
preparing for a changing arctic
We support the three funding increases requested by NOAA in fiscal
year 2016 that make investments we need now to be prepared for economic
and ecological challenges of a changing Arctic. We also support
continued funding for oceanographic charting of Arctic waters. Ocean
Conservancy supported NOAA's requested increases last fiscal year as
well, but the funding was not appropriated. Considering the U.S.
chairmanship of the Arctic Council beginning this calendar year, it is
even more important now that these investments be made to demonstrate
U.S. leadership in the Arctic.
--Navigation, Observations and Position: $195.5 million
The Coast Guard's recently announced continuation and expansion
of its Port Access Route Study in the Chukchi Sea, Bering Strait, and
Bering Sea points to the importance of up-to-date Arctic charts. In
addition, NOAA's Arctic Vision and Strategy notes that confidence in
the nautical charts of the Arctic region is ``extremely low.'' NOAA has
made progress in recent years with new or updated charts for Kotzebue
Harbor, Bering Strait North, and DeLong Mountain Terminal, but Arctic
waters are vast and it will take steady and consistent effort to
complete the work of modernizing Arctic nautical charts.
--Arctic Spill Preparedness: $1.3 million increase
Currently, there is no demonstrated technology, technique or
infrastructure to respond effectively to an oil spill in icy Arctic
waters. Funding to support improved models, increased capacity and
coordination, and research is urgently needed. Along with a
precautionary approach, these efforts can guide decisions about whether
development activities should occur in the Arctic and, if so, when,
where, and how they occur.
--Distributed Biological Observatory (Arctic): $879,000 increase
The Arctic marine ecosystem provides irreplaceable benefits, but
our understanding of this ecosystem is hampered by a lack of reliable
baseline data, critical science gaps, and limited documentation and
application/use of traditional knowledge. Funding will provide much-
needed support for collection of baseline data and analysis of
ecosystem functions in Arctic marine waters so we better understand
Arctic fisheries and other valuable ecosystem services. Without this
better understanding our ability to make informed decisions is
compromised.
--NOAA Arctic Research Program: $2.19 million increase
Temperatures in the Arctic are warming at twice the rate of the
global average and seasonal sea ice is diminishing rapidly. Funding to
expand and improve NOAA's Arctic Observing Network is critical to track
and understand these profound changes and provide products that inform
industries and decision-makers and support our ability to adapt.
marine debris: $8 million
Marine debris has become one of the most pervasive pollution
problems facing the world's oceans, coasts and waterways. Research has
demonstrated that persistent debris has serious effects on the marine
environment, wildlife and the economy. Marine debris causes wildlife
entanglement, ghost fishing, destruction of habitat, navigational
hazards, vessel damage and pollutes coastal areas. There is also
increasing concern over the threat of microplastics to the marine food
web and potentially humans. NOAA's Marine Debris program supports
existing monitoring and research efforts to better understand
accumulation rates of debris and debris source and sink dynamics. The
program catalyzes scientific research efforts to quantify the direct
and indirect economic impacts caused by marine debris on coastal
communities and economies that rely on them. NOAA is instrumental in
the removal of hundreds of tons of marine debris from our coasts and
waters every year, restoring the productivity of coastal and marine
ecosystems. And increasingly, NOAA's program is emphasizing research on
microplastics in the ocean and their toxicological impacts on marine
organisms. NOAA's Marine Debris program was originally authorized at a
level of $10 million. We support funding for this program at $8
million.
marine mammals
We do not support NOAA's proposed cut of $1.9 million dollars from
the John H. Prescott Marine Mammal Rescue Assistance Grant Program.
This cut would harm marine mammal stranding networks, which are the
first responders for sick or dying marine mammals. Marine mammals face
significant threats in the Gulf of Mexico, from oil and gas exposure
with the Galveston Bay Spill providing the latest example, to the
ongoing unusual mortality event (UME) occurring in the northern Gulf.
Since February 2010, over 1300 marine mammals have died in the Northern
Gulf of Mexico which is both three times more animals impacted and
three times longer in duration than any other UME in the Gulf. Programs
in Texas and Florida in particular would be harmed by this cut because
they are not currently benefitting from BP Natural Resource Damage
Assessment dollars that are temporarily filling funding gaps in
northern Gulf rescue centers, but not elsewhere.
fisheries science and management
We support funding for programs that implement the Magnuson-Stevens
Fishery Conservation and Management Act. As we review the Act for
reauthorization, it is important to note that the Act is working--NOAA
has made great strides towards ending overfishing and continued
investments in these programs are needed.
--Electronic Monitoring and Reporting: $5.596 million increase in
Fisheries and Ecosystem Science Programs and Services; $1.45
million increase in Fisheries Management Programs and Services
We support increasing funding for electronic monitoring and
reporting requested by NOAA. This funding has been requested for
nationwide efforts, but in the Gulf of Mexico alone, where managers
need electronic monitoring to keep track of catch and prevent overruns
in the red snapper fishery, there is significant need for additional
funding. Based on the findings of the November 2014 ``Technical
Subcommittee Report to the South Atlantic and Gulf of Mexico Fishery
Management Councils: Recommendations for Electronic Logbook Reporting''
NOAA's requested increases are only a portion of what is needed to
support effective electronic monitoring. The Gulf of Mexico region
alone will require more than $5 million annually to support electronic
monitoring.
--Expand Annual Stock Assessments: $2.815 million increase in
Fisheries Data Collections, Surveys and Assessments
This funding provides critically needed resources for fisheries
managers to assess priority fish stocks, implement the requirement for
annual catch limits (ACLs), and ensure the successful recovery of
overfished populations. These activities give fishery managers greater
confidence that their ACLs will avoid overfishing while providing
optimal fishing opportunities. Because the information provided by
stock assessments is so vital for sustainable management of U.S.
fisheries, increased funding for stock assessments should remain among
the highest priorities in fiscal year 2016.
--Marine Recreational Information Program
We also support full funding for Fisheries Data Collections,
Surveys and Assessments because this funding supports the Marine
Recreational Information Program. Despite their often sizeable economic
and biological impacts, much less data are collected from recreational
saltwater fisheries than commercial fisheries due to the sheer number
of participants and limited sampling of anglers' catches. The low level
of data collection and lack of timely reporting of data in these
fisheries is a large source of uncertainty and has become a flashpoint
for controversy in regions where catch restrictions have been adopted
to rebuild overfished stocks, particularly in the Southeast. By all
accounts, improved sampling and timelier reporting of catch data are
needed for successful management of marine recreational fisheries.
--Marine Operations and Maintenance: $178.838 million
Marine Operations and Maintenance should be funded at or above
the President's request level of $178.838 million. Days at sea funded
by this line are functionally tied to fishery stock assessments, and
the two programs must be viewed together.
integrated ocean acidification
In recent years, scientists have raised the alarm about ocean
acidification--a process whereby ocean waters' absorption of carbon
dioxide emissions alters marine acidity. These changes can have far-
reaching consequences for marine life, including economically important
species like shellfish. For example, the shellfish industry in the
Pacific Northwest has been devastated in recent years as increasingly
acidic water impacted oyster hatcheries, nearly wiping out several
years-worth of oyster ``seed.''
Given the magnitude of the potential impacts of ocean acidification
we believe this area warrants the increased research investment
proposed in the President's fiscal year 2016 request of $30.005
million. We greatly appreciate last year's appropriation of $8.5
million for fiscal year 2015, and believe the increase in funding is
critical to allow NOAA to not only keep existing programs running, and
continue assessing acidification effects on commercial and recreational
marine species, but also improve and expand existing regional shared
ocean acidification experimental facilities, and develop synthesis and
visualization products responsive to stakeholder needs. By increasing
the programmatic funding for Integrated Ocean Acidification, NOAA will
be able to take these concrete actions to more effectively tackle the
economic and local implications of ocean acidification and prepare for
future strategies that will protect our Nation's key ocean and coastal
economies.
______
Prepared Statement of the Population Association of America/Association
of Population Centers
Thank you, Chairman Shelby, Ranking Member Mikulski, and other
distinguished members of the subcommittee, for this opportunity to
express support for the Census Bureau, the National Science Foundation
(NSF), and the Bureau of Economic Analysis (BEA). These agencies are
important to the Population Association of America (PAA) and
Association of Population Centers (APC), because they provide direct
and indirect support to population scientists and the field of
population, or demographic, research overall. In fiscal year 2016, we
urge the subcommittee to adopt the following funding recommendations:
Census Bureau, $1.5 billion, consistent with the administration's
request; National Science Foundation (NSF), $7.7 billion, consistent
with the administration's request; and, Bureau of Economic Analysis,
$110 million, consistent with the administration's request.
The PAA and APC are two affiliated organizations that together
represent over 3,000 social and behavioral scientists and almost 40
population research centers nationwide that conduct research on the
implications of population change. Our members, which include
demographers, economists, sociologists, and statisticians, conduct
scientific research, analyze changing demographic and socio-economic
trends, develop policy recommendations, and train undergraduate and
graduate students. Their research expertise covers a wide range of
issues, including adolescent health and development, aging, health
disparities, immigration and migration, marriage and divorce,
education, social networks, housing, retirement, and labor. Population
scientists compete for funding from the NSF and rely on data produced
by the Nation's statistical agencies, including the Census Bureau and
BEA, to conduct research and research training activities.
the census bureau
The Census Bureau is the premier source of data regarding U.S.
demographic, socio-economic, and housing characteristics. While PAA/APC
members have diverse research expertise, they share a common need for
access to accurate, timely data about the Nation's changing socio-
economic and demographic characteristics that only the U.S. Census
Bureau can provide through its conduct of the decennial census,
American Community Survey (ACS), and a variety of other surveys and
programs.
We recognize that the fiscal year 2016 request is $413 million more
than the agency's fiscal year 2015 funding level. However, as you know,
the Census Bureau's budget is cyclical, and fiscal year 2016 is a
pivotal year in the 2020 Census planning cycle. This fall, after
completing several years of in-depth research and testing, the Census
Bureau will announce the design framework for the 2020 Census. The
design decision is already a year behind schedule, due to past budget
shortfalls, and the agency must pivot immediately to the systems and
operations development phase of the census, as it prepares to execute
that design. In fiscal year 2016, the agency plans to:
--conduct a Field Operations Test to evaluate new 2020 Census
management framework for nonresponse follow-up operations;
--perform the 2016 Early Operations Test of new, targeted address
canvassing methods;
--evaluate the use of administrative records to remove inaccurate
addresses and to enumerate households that do not self-respond;
--initiate the 2020 Census Communications campaign;
--hire hundreds of new employees to manage and implement design and
development activities and to conduct field tests; and
--implement a national content test for the ACS to reduce the
survey's response burden, improve the usefulness of data
products, and streamline field operations.
These ambitious plans, if supported, would not only enhance the
conduct and outcome of the 2020 Census, but could also make it more
cost effective, saving an estimated $5 billion over the lifecycle cost
of the census. Conversely, without sufficient resources to pursue these
innovations, the bureau is likely to rely on traditional and far more
costly census methods-- an outcome that would jeopardize the accuracy
of the 2020 Census and most certainly preclude the agency from abiding
by Congress' directive to keep the cost of the next census at the 2010
level.
With respect to the ACS, the PAA and APC urge the subcommittee to
oppose any attempts that may occur during consideration of the fiscal
year 2016 Commerce, Justice, Science appropriations bill to change the
mandatory response status of the ACS. In 2003, the Census Bureau
conducted a test on a voluntary ACS. They found that survey costs
increased by approximately $60 million ($90 in real dollars) and
response rates decreased by an estimated 20 percent. Canada's recent
experience of moving from a mandatory to voluntary long form is a
cautionary example. The overall response rate dropped from 94 percent
to under 69 percent, increasing costs by $22 million as Statistics
Canada increased the sample size to make up for lower response. Despite
these efforts, Statistics Canada could not produce reliable socio-
economic estimates for 25 percent of all ``places'' in the Nation--
mostly small communities and rural areas. Experts have described the
data on income as not usable for business and policy purposes. The U.S.
should heed Canada's example and maintain the integrity of the
mandatory ACS.
national science foundation (nsf)
The mission of NSF is to promote the progress of science; to
advance the national health, prosperity, and welfare; and to secure the
national defense. Understanding the implications of complex population
dynamics is vital to the agency's mission. The Directorate of Social,
Behavioral and Economic (SBE) Sciences is the primary source of support
for the population sciences within the NSF. The Directorate funds
critical large-scale longitudinal surveys, such as the Panel Study of
Income Dynamics, that inform pressing policy decisions and enable
policy makers to make effective decisions. Other projects, such as the
Social Observatory Coordinating Network, integrate social science and
health research, linking community and national data to improve
population health.
NSF is the funding source for over 20 percent of all federally
supported basic research conducted by America's colleges and
universities, including basic behavioral and social research. SBE funds
more than half of the university-based social and behavioral sciences
research in the Nation.
PAA and APC, as members of the Coalition for National Science
Funding, request that the subcommittee provide the NSF with the
administration's request, $7.7 billion. This budget will enable the NSF
SBE Directorate to continue its support of social science surveys and a
robust portfolio of population research projects. The NSF also
continues to focus on interdisciplinary research initiatives,
recognizing that social and behavioral factors are intrinsic to many
critical areas of research--for example the recent Understanding the
Brain initiative. Funding at this level will enable NSF to maintain
funding for the most promising grant applications that promote
transformational and multidisciplinary research. Steady and sustainable
real growth will enhance the Nation's capability to make new
discoveries, leading to new innovations.
bureau of economic analysis (bea)
While a relatively small agency, the BEA is enormously important to
understanding our multi-trillion dollar economy. A diverse range of
data users rely on BEA data: Federal, State and local government
officials use BEA data to inform economic and fiscal policy; businesses
use BEA data to guide investment decisions; and scientists use BEA data
to understand and interpret trends in labor, employment, and national
and international economies. Despite its importance, since fiscal year
2010, the BEA budget has not kept pace with inflation. The PAA and APC
join other national organizations to urge the subcommittee to provide
BEA with $110 million in fiscal year 2016. This funding is necessary to
both restore the agency's purchasing power and to launch new
initiatives to improve energy accounting and economic statistics and to
expand data used to inform trade negotiations and support trade
promotion efforts.
Thank you for considering our requests and for supporting Federal
programs that benefit the population sciences.
______
Prepared Statement of Restore America's Estuaries
Restore America's Estuaries is a nonpartisan, nonprofit
organization that has been working since 1995 to restore our Nation's
greatest estuaries. Our mission is to restore and protect bays and
estuaries as essential resources for our Nation. Restore America's
Estuaries is an alliance of community-based coastal conservation
organizations across the Nation that protect and restore coastal and
estuarine habitat. Our member organizations include: American Littoral
Society, Chesapeake Bay Foundation, Coalition to Restore Coastal
Louisiana, Save the Sound--a program of the Connecticut Fund for the
Environment, Conservation Law Foundation, Galveston Bay Foundation,
North Carolina Coastal Federation, EarthCorps, Save The Bay--San
Francisco, Save the Bay--Narragansett Bay, and Tampa Bay Watch.
Collectively, we have over 250,000 members nationwide.
As you craft your fiscal year 2016 Commerce, Justice, Science and
Related Agencies appropriations bill, Restore America's Estuaries
encourages you to provide the funding levels below within the
Department of Commerce, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
(NOAA) for core programs which greatly support coastal community
economies:
--$47 million for Habitat Conservation and Restoration ($62.235
million under proposed new structure)
(CJS: NOAA: ORF: NMFS: Habitat Conservation and Restoration)
--$50 million for Regional Resilience Grants
(CJS: NOAA: PAC: NOS: CELCP Acquisition)
--$23.9 million for National Estuarine Research Reserve System
(CJS: NOAA: ORF: NOS: Ocean and Coastal Management and Services:
National Estuarine Research Reserve System)
--$1.7 million for National Estuarine Research Reserve Construction
(CJS: NOAA: PAC: NOS: NERRS Construction)
These investments strengthen and revitalize America's communities
by buffering against storms, supporting commercial fisheries,
preventing erosion, protecting vital infrastructure, eliminating public
safety hazards, and providing new recreational opportunities.
noaa habitat conservation and restoration
NOAA's Office of Habitat Conservation (OHC) protects, restores, and
promotes stewardship of coastal and marine habitat to support our
Nation's fisheries and improve the resiliency of coastal communities
through financial support and a range of restoration expertise and
services. Within funds provided, we ask that the subcommittee provide
no less than $26 million for Community-based Restoration, Resiliency
Grants, and Estuary Restoration Program.
Funding for the Office of Habitat Conservation through the Habitat
Conservation and Restoration PPA supports both the Community-based
Restoration Program, Estuary Restoration Program and staff capacity to
efficiently execute and facilitate habitat restoration nationwide.
Activities range from planning and implementation activities for
Natural Resource Damage Assessment (NRDA) and Restoration Trustee
responsibilities for all active cases (e.g. Deepwater Horizon oil
spill) to expert restoration services across NOAA programs including
the Coastal Wetlands Planning Protection and Restoration Act (CWPPRA),
the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative (GLRI), and the National Fish
Habitat Action Plan and the National Fish Habitat Partnership (NFHP).
Focusing NOAA's restoration capacity within the OHC Restoration Center
allows NOAA to efficiently execute and facilitate habitat restoration
nationwide.
We urge the subcommittee to leverage the existing staff capacity
and restoration expertise within the Restoration Center and support
efforts to elevate NOAA's Community-based Restoration Program. This
program supports locally driven and voluntary coastal restoration
projects with national, regional, and local organizations through
competitively awarded public-private partnerships. This non-regulatory
tool is unique within NOAA because of its ability to provide seed
funding for community-driven and innovative restoration. CBRP
complements traditional fishery management and leverages non-Federal
resources 3-5 times the Federal investment. Projects result in
healthier habitats, which strengthen our commercial and recreational
fisheries.
Restore America's Estuaries appreciates the subcommittee's past
support for the Community-based Restoration Program and the inclusion
of report language directing NOAA to ensure restoration funds achieve
multiple benefits, including but not limited to fisheries.
The Estuary Restoration Program was transferred from the National
Ocean Service to the National Marine Fisheries Service under the
Habitat Conservation and Restoration PPA without additional funding in
the fiscal year 2014 omnibus appropriations. The Estuary Restoration
Act established a comprehensive interagency organization, the Estuary
Habitat Restoration Council, which is comprised of five key Federal
restoration agencies and leads a coordinated approach to enhance
estuary habitat restoration. Under the Act, NOAA is responsible for
maintaining the National Estuaries Restoration Inventory (NERI). Modest
funding is necessary for maintaining/updating NERI and to ensure cross-
agency collaboration continues. Restore America's Estuaries urges your
continued support of the Estuary Restoration Council and NOAA's Estuary
Restoration Program.
We strongly urge the subcommittee to provide no less than $47
million for Habitat Conservation and Restoration, which maintains the
fiscal year 2015 enacted level. Within funds provided, no less than $26
million should be for the Community-based Restoration Program,
Resiliency Grants, and Estuary Restoration Program. To adopt the
administration's proposed changes to the Habitat Conservation and
Restoration PPA and maintain level external restoration funding, the
subcommittee must provide no less than $62.235 million if the proposed
new structure is adopted. Restore America's Estuaries strongly supports
the inclusion of the following:
Report Language: Within funds provided, NOAA shall maximize
external funding for public-private partnerships. NOAA shall
issue a revised call for partnership proposals that prioritize
direct community involvement and stewardship of local projects
that support a range of benefits to coastal watershed
communities. The subcommittee encourages NOAA to prioritize
projects with diversity of support, but not to require the
support of a coastal State's governor due to the burden this
places on smaller organizations.
NOAA, REGIONAL COASTAL RESILIENCE GRANTS
(CJS: NOAA: ORF: NOS: Regional Coastal Resilience Grants)
Restore America's Estuaries commends the administration's request
for $50 million for the Regional Coastal Resilience Grant Program to
more fully address a suite of resilience challenges facing all U.S.
coastal regions--including community, ecosystem, and economic
resilience--within a single, competitive grants program. Restore
America's Estuaries encourages the subcommittee to look at the
Community-based Restoration Program and the NOAA Restoration Center as
models for scaling ecosystem restoration efforts that increase
resilience. NOAA estimates 2,000 acres of habitat restored per $5
million invested in ecosystem resilience grants.
Previous proposals have included language suggesting that project
sponsors secure the support of the coastal State's Governor. We
encourage the subcommittee to reconsider the requirement of securing
support of the State's Governor due to the difficulty and burden this
places on smaller organizations like local nonprofits. Specifically we
are concerned this could disadvantage some community-driven projects if
they do not have access to the State's Governor, especially in medium
to large States.
Restore America's Estuaries urges Congress to fund the Regional
Coastal Resilience Grant Program at $50 million. We urge the
subcommittee to ensure that NOS coordinates closely with the
Restoration Center to increase efficiency and leverage capacity to help
meet shared goals.
NOAA, NATIONAL ESTUARINE RESEARCH RESERVE SYSTEM
(CJS: NOAA: ORF: NOS: Ocean and Coastal Management and Services:
National Estuarine Research Reserve System)/(CJS: NOAA: PAC:
NOS: NERRS Construction)
The National Estuarine Research Reserve System (NERRS) is comprised
of 28 protected reserves that support long-term research, education,
training, and monitoring. Through an effective partnership between NOAA
and coastal States, NERRS plays a critical role in sustaining resilient
coasts and coastal communities.
The States have been entrusted to operate and manage NOAA's program
in 22 States and Puerto Rico, where over 1.3 million acres of land and
water are protected in perpetuity.
Restore America's Estuaries respectfully requests $23.9 million for
NERRS operations in fiscal year 2016. At this funding level, the 28
existing reserves will maintain level funding and support will be
provided for the addition of the 29th reserve in Hawaii. The
designation of a Hawaii NERR will fill an unrepresented bio-geographic
region in the NERR system.
NERRS assists our coastal communities, industries and resource
managers to enhance coastal resiliency in a changing environment. As
severe weather events become more common, Federal, State, and local
officials are recognizing that estuaries have the capacity to provide
green resilience infrastructure. Through NERRS, NOAA can tailor science
and management practices to enable local planners to use estuarine
habitat as a tool for resilience and adaptation.
Through scientific research and science-based management of more
than 1.3 million acres of protected land, NERRS provides numerous
benefits to communities that result in improved water quality,
increased upland flood and erosion control, and improved habitat
quality that support local fisheries and provide storm protection to
coastal communities.
conclusion
Restore America's Estuaries greatly appreciates the support this
subcommittee has provided in the past for these important programs.
These programs help to accomplish on-the-ground restoration work which
results in major benefits:
--Jobs.--Coastal habitat restoration projects create between 17-33
jobs per $1 million invested. That's more than twice as many
jobs as the oil and gas sector and road construction industries
combined.
--More fish.--Traditional fisheries management tools alone are
inadequate. Fish need healthy and abundant habitat for
sustainable commercial and recreational fisheries.
--Resiliency.--Restoring coastal wetlands can help knock down storm
waves and reduce devastating storm surges before they reach the
people and property along the shore.
--Leverage.--Community-based restoration projects leverage 3-5 times
the Federal investment through private matching funds,
amplifying the Federal investment and impact.
Thank you for taking our requests into consideration as you move
forward in the fiscal year 2016 appropriations process. We stand ready
to work with you and your staff to ensure the health of our Nation's
estuaries and coasts.
______
Prepared Statement of the Sea Grant Association
On behalf of the 33 Sea Grant programs in every coastal and Great
Lake State, plus Puerto Rico and Guam, the Sea Grant Association (SGA)
expresses its gratitude to the subcommittee for strong and consistent
support it has provided year in and year out for the National Sea Grant
College Program (Sea Grant). As the subcommittee works to develop an
fiscal year 2016 appropriations bill the SGA urges the subcommittee to
take full advantage of the Sea Grant program's strengths in research,
extension, outreach, and education--particularly in the area of coastal
community resiliency--by fully funding the program at a level of $80
million and rejecting the administration's proposal to terminate STEM
education in the Sea Grant program.
Sea Grant is NOAA's Federal-State partnership program that supports
science-based, environmentally sustainable practices to ensure our
coastal communities remain engines of economic growth in a rapidly
changing world. For example, over the next century, sea level rise in
the Los Angeles region is expected to match global projections with an
increase of 0.1-0.6 meters from 2000 to 2050. California Sea Grant
developed and released the first study of what this will mean to one of
America's largest cities and spurred creation of a regional planning
process to protect the city from the consequences.
Meanwhile Sea Grant researchers in Hawaii are providing improved
projections of how ocean acidification is likely to impact Hawaiian
coral reefs and examining the potential for corals to adapt or
acclimatize to future conditions. Hawaiian coral reefs are valued at
over $33 billion annually to the American public, and every year Hawaii
derives an estimated $364 million directly from coral reefs in addition
to other benefits, such as shoreline protection.
Georgia Sea Grant is working with the Georgia Department of Natural
Resources to develop a detailed climate adaptation plan for the barrier
island community of Tybee Island, Georgia. The plan, based on specific
adaptation scenarios, visualizes impacts from storm surges and coastal
flooding. The City of Tybee Island has formally agreed to consider
adopting the recommendations developed by this project through
appropriate local ordinances, infrastructural improvements, and other
municipal actions.
Additionally, when Hurricane Sandy hit, large sections of Jersey
City, a hospital and City Hall had to be evacuated because of flooding.
New Jersey Sea Grant experts put satellite data and imagery to work and
engaged with city planners to design a resiliency plan that adapts the
area's coastlines to mitigate and prevent similar disasters in future
storms.
These are a just a few of the many examples of Sea Grant's work
across the Nation to help Americans who live, work and recreate on our
shores to be safe, prosperous and resilient in the face a multitude of
challenges.
For the United States to be more responsive to the economic
development potential of its coastal resources, improve coastal
resilience, and balance the environmental challenges its coastal
communities face, the Sea Grant Association is requesting Federal
funding of $80 million in fiscal year 2016 for the research, education,
and extension activities that make up the National Sea Grant College
Program. This recommended funding level includes $10 million for an
enhanced Sea Grant resiliency initiative that is consistent with NOAA's
strategic priorities. The level of funding for the Sea Grant program is
consistent with guidance provided in a prior report from the
Subcommittee on Appropriations regarding strengthening the program and
with pending authorization legislation.
What is the importance of the Nation's coastal communities?
Nearly 130 million residents or 40 percent of the population of the
United States live in counties immediately on our coastlines. Those
coastal counties support 51 million jobs, and over 45 percent of the
gross domestic product ($7 trillion dollars) of our Nation. Yet these
same counties are highly vulnerable to challenges associated with
natural and man-made disasters, changes in the natural resource base
and ecosystem, and economic hard times, as we recently have seen with
the devastating impacts of Hurricane Sandy in the northeast, the
impacts of the BP oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico, depletion of
fisheries stocks around the Nation, and growing strain on coastal
infrastructure from sea level change. The resilience of our coastal
communities, their economies and quality of life of their residents
depends on how well prepared they are for these events. This includes
how residents are able to prepare as well as where and how critical
infrastructure and buildings are constructed in the coastal zone.
Resilient communities have prepared residents, businesses and
infrastructure that reduce the impacts of a myriad of risks to their
lives and property and allow life to return to normal much more quickly
than in communities that are not as prepared. They also have living
coastal resources such as mangroves, oyster reefs, healthy barrier
dunes and salt marshes that buffer waves and protect the shoreline from
erosion during storms. Only through knowledge, understanding and
preparation will coastal communities be able to prepare for and respond
to the hazards that are uniquely concentrated in these coastal
counties.
How has the National Sea Grant College Program contributed to the
economic health of the Nation's coastal communities in the
past?
In 2014, the Sea Grant program delivered the following benefits to
the Nation as a result of its activities:
--$450 million in economic development;
--6,500 businesses created or retained;
--17,500 jobs created or retained;
--290,000 volunteer hours for outreach;
--760 undergraduate students supported;
--980 graduate students supported;
--53,000 stakeholders modify practices based on information and
technical assistance provided by Sea Grant;
--220 communities implement new sustainable practices; and
--21,700 acres of ecosystems restored.
What will the additional $10 million Sea Grant Community Resilience
initiative accomplish?
Sea Grant has developed signature programs that have helped coastal
communities across the Nation understand their risks, and respond to
unexpected changes that affect their livelihoods. Sea Grant has
developed locally relevant solutions that will increase community
resilience. In some areas of the country, Sea Grant has implemented
community resilience programs at a regional level, such as in the Gulf
of Mexico, the Northeast and the Great Lakes.
In other areas, programs have been developed at the State level,
that have great potential to be rolled out nation-wide, yet this has
not been fully realized due to a lack of resources. With the resources
requested Sea Grant can:
--Invest in research and unlock data and information to better
understand the projected impacts of severe weather and other
ecosystem changes and how we can better prepare our communities
and infrastructure;
--Help communities plan and prepare for the impacts of severe weather
and encourage locally relevant measures that reduce future
risks;
--Work with communities that have experienced unexpected events that
have impacted their economy with programs such as job
retraining or helping to develop new commercial infrastructure;
and
--Support science and engineering research that produces breakthrough
technologies that increase the resilience of infrastructure to
coastal hazards.
What is Sea Grant's role in STEM Education?
Sea Grant program provides an important mechanism that delivers
high quality, stimulating STEM education to students using the oceans
and coasts or the Great Lakes, as the vehicle for conveying important
scientific and natural resource concepts. The support that Sea Grant
provides is an important catalyst and helps create important
educational partnerships in coastal communities. STEM education is
mandated in the legislation Congress passed when it created Sea Grant
and that mandate has been reaffirmed through subsequent funding
legislation.
SGA recognizes that the Nation is facing very tight fiscal
constraints and suggests that where we have discretion, Federal funding
ought to go to those programs that deliver economic, environmental, and
education benefits to our citizens. The Sea Grant education programs do
just that in a very cost effective manner. For that reason and because
of the importance of the National Sea Grant College Program STEM
education, and the role that it plays in the long term health of our
State, we urge the subcommittee to continue to strongly oppose the
elimination of Sea Grant STEM activities in the fiscal year 2016
Commerce, Justice and Science appropriations bill.
How does the Sea Grant program make a difference?
Approximately 95 percent of the Federal funding provided to Sea
Grant leaves Washington and goes to the State programs where it is used
to conduct research, carry out extension and outreach activities, and
deliver valuable services to the Nation. Moreover, Federal funding
through the Sea Grant program has a significant leveraging impact with
every two Federal dollars invested attracting at least an additional
dollar in non-Federal resources in mandatory matching funding. The
National Sea Grant College Program is one of the very few nationally
competitive grant programs that can demonstrate this kind of real
impact at the local, State, and national levels.
Since its creation in 1966, the National Sea Grant College Program
has been at the forefront of addressing economic opportunities and
environmental issues facing coastal communities through its research
and outreach efforts. Sea Grant is user-driven and university-based,
and it is fully and actively engaged with regional, State, and local
organizations. Sea Grant helps America use its coastal resources wisely
in order to sustain the health and productivity of coastal communities.
With the $80 million in Federal funding, Sea Grant will leverage an
additional $40 million to $80 million in State and local support,
continue to increase the economic development and resiliency of our
coastal communities, contribute to STEM education in our communities,
and help sustain the health and productivity of the ecosystems on which
they depend. The Sea Grant Association is grateful to the subcommittee
for the opportunity to provide this information.
______
Prepared Statement of Syracuse University, Department of Chemistry
I am writing to you to with the strongest possible support for the
National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) center for
Neutron Research (NCNR). The NCNR serves a key role in the education of
chemistry, physics, materials science and engineering graduate students
in a field that is crucial to materials science and engineering. This
increasingly includes biomedical areas. There is a chronic shortage of
expertise in the area of neutron science in the United States due to
very long term lack of major funding dating back to at least the
1970's. The recent successful completion of the Spallation Neutron
Source (SNS) at Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) goes a long way to
providing a neutron facility that restores the United States to the
first place in facility capability , superseding the ISIS facility in
the U.K. A visit to SNS and a tour of the facility floor would
immediately show that it is highly populated by persons from Europe.
Europe has long held the premier position in this field and will regain
this again with completion of the European Spallation Source (ESS)
which is under construction in southwestern Sweden (http://
europeanspallationsource.se/ess-and-skanska-sign-contract-first-phase-
construction).
The NCNR has a wide variety of instrument types (http://
www.ncnr.nist.gov/instruments/) providing leadership in novel
instrument design and a very broad range of applications. The location
of the NCNR in a major metropolitan area with ease of access from a
large population center makes it an obvious choice for educational
projects. I have had personal experience with this educational aspect
of neutron research over a 15 year period. Over this period I was
involved in dozens of trips with students, including graduate and
undergraduate students from Syracuse University and others involved in
summer undergraduate research. Many of these students now work in the
neutron field. One of the undergraduates from SUNY Oswego switched his
major to nuclear engineering and is now employed in that field. The
broad range of instruments at NCNR provides an educational experience
that is unique in terms of its broadening of a student's background
beyond the text books into many fields.
Neutrons provide a view of materials at the atomic level that is
not possible with electromagnetic radiation. This due to several
factors including the ability of neutrons to penetrate optically opaque
materials, the strong variation of neutron scattering with nuclear
isotope (H is different from D) and the fact that neutrons with thermal
energy, and thus by definition with energy corresponding to molecular
excitations, have wavelengths that are comparable to molecular sizes.
This makes neutrons broadly applicable throughout engineering,
manufacturing and medicine as well as basic materials science. Closure
of NCNR at NIST could very well result in European dominance of this
field in the very near future due to lack of a trained work force and
thus threaten our economic independence.
Sincerely,
Bruce S. Hudson,
Professor, Chemistry, Syracuse University.
______
Prepared Statement of the United States Section of the Pacific Salmon
Commission
Mr. Chairman, and honorable members of the subcommittee, I am W.
Ron Allen, the tribal commissioner and chair for the U.S. Section of
the Pacific Salmon Commission (PSC). I am also tribal chairman/CEO of
the Jamestown S'Klallam Tribe located on the northern Olympic Peninsula
of Washington State in Sequim. The U.S .Section prepares an annual
budget for implementation of the Pacific Salmon Treaty.
Department of Commerce funding in support of implementing the
Pacific Salmon Treaty is part of the Salmon Management Activities
account in the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) budget. Funding
in the Department of Commerce budget are intended for the programs to
fulfill national commitments created by the treaty was $11,181,426 in
the 2014 budget. The U.S. Section estimates that a budget of
$14,100,000 for fiscal year 2016 is needed to fully implement national
commitments created by the treaty.
The implementation of the treaty is funded through the Departments
of Commerce, Interior and State. The Department of Commerce principally
funds programs conducted by the States of Washington, Oregon, Idaho and
Alaska and the National Marine Fisheries Service. The costs of the
programs conducted by the States to fulfill national commitments
created by the treaty are substantially greater than the funding
provided in the NMFS budget in past years. Consequently the States have
supplemented the Federal treaty appropriations from other sources
including State general funds.
The Pacific Salmon Treaty line Item of the National Marine
Fisheries Service budget funded at $4,683,065 for fiscal year 2014
provides base support for the States of Alaska, Washington, Oregon, and
Idaho and the National Marine Fisheries Service to conduct the salmon
stock assessment and fishery management programs required to implement
the treaty's conservation and allocation provisions for coho, sockeye,
Chinook, chum, and pink salmon fisheries. Effective, science-based
implementation of negotiated salmon fishing arrangements and abundance-
based management approaches for Chinook, southern coho, Northern
Boundary and Transboundary River salmon fisheries includes efforts such
as increased annual tagging and tag recovery operations, harvest
monitoring, genetic stock identification and other emerging stock
identification techniques. The U.S. Section identified a need of
$8,864,303 for fiscal year 2016 to fully carry out these activities.
The Chinook Salmon Agreement line item in Salmon Management
Activities funded at $1,601,697 in fiscal year 2014 represents a
reduction of $235,000 for previous levels. This funding supports
research and stock assessment necessary to acquire and analyze the
technical information needed to fully implement the abundance-based
Chinook salmon management program provided for by the treaty. The
States of Alaska, Washington, Oregon, and Idaho, and the 24 treaty
tribes conduct projects selected in a rigorous competitive process.
The International Fisheries Commissions line, under Regional
Councils and Fisheries Commissions in the NMFS budget funded at
$358,879 and provides the U.S. contribution to bilateral cooperative
salmon enhancement on the transboundary river systems which rise in
Canada and flow to the sea through Southeast Alaska. This project was
established in 1988 to meet U.S. obligations specified in the treaty
and had been previously funded at $400,000 annually.
The 2008 Agreement line supports programs for coded wire tag
improvements and Puget Sound critical chinook stocks necessary to reach
the agreement on revised fishery provisions between the U.S. and
Canada. The level of funding needed for 2008 Agreement programs was
$3,000,000 and the amount appropriated for fiscal year 2014 was
$2,828,646. The U.S. Commissioners view continued funding of these
programs in the fiscal year 2016 Federal budget as necessary to address
Chinook salmon conservation needs and to meet existing treaty
commitments.
The core treaty implementation projects included in the Pacific
Salmon Treaty line, and the U.S. Chinook Agreement line under Salmon
Management Activities as well as the International Fisheries Commission
line under Regional Councils and Fisheries Commissions consist of a
wide range of stock assessment, fishery monitoring, and technical
support activities for all five species of Pacific salmon in the
fisheries and rivers between Cape Suckling in Alaska to Cape Falcon in
Oregon. The States of Alaska, Washington, Oregon, Idaho, and the
National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) conduct a wide range of
programs for salmon stock abundance assessment, escapement enumeration,
stock distribution, and fishery catch and effort information. The
information is used to establish fishing seasons, harvest levels, and
accountability to the provisions of treaty fishing regimes.
Like many other programs, funding to implement the Pacific Salmon
Treaty decreased in recent years. Prior to that, the base annual treaty
implementation funding remained essentially flat since the inception of
the treaty in 1985. In order to continue to fulfill the Federal
commitments created by the treaty, as costs and complexity increased
over time, the States had to augment Federal funding with other Federal
and State resources. However, alternative sources of funding have seen
reductions or in some cases have been eliminated.
In addition to the recent budget reductions due to sequestration,
NOAA changed the way administrative fees applied to the funding to
implement the Pacific Salmon Treaty. Last year NOAA decided to apply an
administrative fee to the treaty funding, after years of not charging
administrative fees to this account. Administrative fees are applied at
Commerce headquarters, National Marine Fisheries headquarters and at
the regional levels. The result is less funding available for the
activities to implement the treaty. While the U.S. Section understands
the need for offices in the Department of Commerce to have appropriate
funding for administrative activities, the change in the way
administrative fees are applied compromises the efforts to successfully
implement the treaty.
The provisions of five annex chapters to the treaty expire on
December 31, 2018. These chapters contain the specifics for
implementing the treaty for each species in each geographic area. The
renegotiation for revised annex chapters is underway. In order to
ensure that the renegotiations are successfully completed, the programs
in the National Marine Fisheries Service contained within the Salmon
Management Activities account must be adequately funded. The
consequences of not successfully completing the renegotiations will be
increased to the health of the fish populations and the fisheries that
depend on them.
This concludes the statement of the U.S. Section of the Pacific
Salmon Commission submitted for consideration by your committee. We
wish to thank the subcommittee for the support given us to us in the
past. Please let us know if we can supply additional information or
respond to any questions the subcommittee members may have.
Thank you.
______
Prepared Statement of the University Corporation for Atmospheric
Research
On behalf of the University Corporation for Atmospheric Research
(UCAR), I am pleased to submit this testimony to the Senate
Appropriations Subcommittee on Commerce, Justice, Science and Related
Agencies. UCAR is a consortium of over 100 research institutions,
including 77 doctoral degree granting universities, which manages and
operates the National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR) on behalf
of the National Science Foundation (NSF).
I urge the subcommittee to provide the maximum amount of support
possible for the vital research and education programs administered by
the NSF, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), and
the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) in fiscal
year 2016. These essential research agencies fund atmospheric and
fundamental science in hundreds of universities across the country,
benefitting from the knowledge, expertise and innovation of our
academic institutions. UCAR is proud to collaborate with and enhance
the capabilities of this unparalleled American resource and it is our
honor to be able to draw attention to the excellent atmospheric
research that is done on campuses across the United States.
UCAR has worked tirelessly to elevate the understanding of, and
support for, the atmospheric sciences nationwide. The atmospheric
science departments at our 105 member institutions are drivers of
innovation and the fundamental scientific research that has pushed our
understanding of weather, climate, space weather, atmosphere, and their
interplay, into exciting and groundbreaking new areas. These advances
have improved our ability to predict and understand some of the most
dangerous phenomena that occur on our planet every day. Protection of
life and property are the central drivers of this scientific innovation
and discovery. However, more broadly, these innovations play a
significant role in protecting our national security, our homeland, our
businesses, our infrastructure and most importantly, our families and
communities. As demand for information, prediction, and mitigation
increase nationally and across the globe, it is the collaborative and
exhaustive research being conducted in our universities and research
laboratories that will answer this call and make our families,
communities, businesses, and infrastructure better equipped and
prepared to meet the challenges and dangers of living inside Earth's
dynamic atmosphere.
The challenges we face as we attempt to better understand our
planet could not be faced without the strong support of the U.S.
Congress, in particular this subcommittee, and the critical research
agencies you fund each year. The economic impact of any single
investigator's research is often difficult to quantify, however we know
that investments in research and development (R&D) taken as a whole
have an extremely high rate of return on investment. Economists
studying the link between science funding and economic growth have
found that innovation through R&D is the primary driver of growth over
the long run. Nobel Prize winning MIT economist Robert Solow famously
found that over half of increases in economic productivity can be
attributed to new innovations and technologies. Another similar study
that attempted to quantify the impact of R&D on economic growth found
that increases in the level of research intensity in the United States
and four other developed countries may have accounted for close to 50
percent of U.S. economic growth between 1950 and 1993.
The return on investments in the atmospheric sciences exemplifies
how Federal R&D drives economic growth. The commercial weather industry
leverages U.S. investments in weather observation, atmospheric
research, and computer modeling to produce tailored products for a wide
variety of clients, including the general public. There are now more
than 350 commercial weather companies in the United States, generating
nearly $3 billion in annual revenues. The growth rate of this industry
is estimated to be about 10 percent per year. The vast majority of
these innovations and technological advances are products of our
academic institutions. Researchers, graduate students, and
investigators at our universities are an astounding and innovative
resource that, in light of the linkage between innovation and our
economy, should be seen for what they are--our most valuable national
asset. Across the country there is groundbreaking atmospheric science
being done that will power our economy, save lives, protect our
citizens, and impact every single American in a profound way.
Innovations don't occur in a vacuum and the U.S. Congress has long
recognized and supported the symbiotic and intertwined relationship
between the academic, public, and private sectors with respect to
research that drives advancement. Progress made in the atmospheric
sciences is a reflection of this beneficial relationship and our
Federal investments. UCAR actively facilitates and initiates
partnerships between these sectors. For example, the development of new
weather satellite technology in the COSMIC program. COSMIC is
collaboration between UCAR, NASA, NSF, the U.S. Air Force (USAF), and
the Government of Taiwan. COSMIC's micro satellites harness existing
GPS satellite assets to provide atmospheric readings at a fraction of
the cost of the much larger weather satellite programs, while providing
greater resolution for our weather prediction models. This data can
mitigate any potential weather data gap and will feed the current and
future forecast models while greatly improving our ability to predict
severe weather and track hurricanes. The research underpinning these
advancements was done at Utah State University.
Multipurpose Phase Array Radar (MPAR) is the future of ground based
aviation radar and has very promising weather radar applications. MPAR
will advance our real-time radar imagery and forecast ability well
beyond the current Doppler radar platforms that we rely on every day.
MPAR is being developed and tested for this application at NOAA's
National Weather Radar Testbed (NWRT) based at the University of
Oklahoma. This collaborative effort also involves the Massachusetts
Institute of Technology (MIT) Lincoln Lab, the Federal Aviation
Administration (FAA), and NOAA. Additional collaborations between the
Georgia Institute of Technology and FAA will help to rapidly advance
these applications, allowing for improved sever weather forecasting,
including advances in tornado prediction and warning systems, which
will save lives immediately.
Researchers at Rice University using a computer code, known as the
Rice Convection Model, successfully simulated an important class of
aurora called ``growth phase arcs,'' which occur when solar wind
interacts with the Earth's magnetosphere. Understanding the dynamics of
Sun-Earth interactions are important aspects for improving our ability
to comprehend and predict effects of space weather on Earth. These
aurora events have enormous potential economic and national security
impacts as they have the potential to destroy electrical grids,
satellites, and the complex electrical and communications systems that
we rely on in nearly every aspect of our lives.
It has been shown that weather variability can cost the United
States as much as 3 percent of our annual GDP, and risks lives both in
the United States and globally. At Texas A&M, atmospheric scientists
are expanding our understanding of how past climate regimes influenced
weather. This knowledge will allow decision makers and emergency
managers to be better prepared for and therefore potentially mitigate
some of the risk and costs of extreme events. Another atmospheric
scientist at Texas A&M, is using computer models to study how
hurricanes behave in different climate conditions. This work will
improve predictions about hurricane season strength and storm numbers.
A Texas A&M professor and his research group are also working with
scientists at the Naval Research Lab (NRL) to improve weather
forecasting models by developing techniques that make better use of
atmospheric observations, ultimately improving the forecasts our
citizens, businesses, and military personnel rely on every day.
Researchers associated with the National Drought Mitigation Center
(NDMC), located at the University of Nebraska, Lincoln, are leading a
4-year NASA-funded project to develop the Quick Drought Response Index,
or ``QuickDRI.'' QuickDRI compliments the currently operational
``VegDRI,'' which detects drought's effects on vegetation at time
intervals of a month or less. The two programs will be used by the
agriculture industry and farmers as tools to detect fast-onset or
``flash'' drought. This collaboration includes input and support from
the University of Maryland, the U.S. Department of Agriculture, the
U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), the High Plains Regional Climate Center
(HPRCC), and NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center. These models will
cover the entire mainland U.S. and be a valuable tool in future drought
prediction and mitigation.
The NCAR-Wyoming Supercomputing Center (NWSC) provides advanced
computing services to scientists studying a broad range of disciplines,
including weather, climate, oceanography, air pollution, space weather,
computational science, energy production, and carbon sequestration. The
supercomputer is a national resource located in Cheyenne, Wyoming.
Using this tool, University of Wyoming (UW) researchers are working on
a NSF funded project in collaboration with Brigham Young University,
Utah University, and Utah State University that is producing a
comprehensive model of the upper Colorado River Basin. This model will
be 100 times higher resolution than is currently available and it will
play a vital role in policy and management decisions regarding the
basin's water--water that supports over 30 million people in North
America.
The NWSC is also used by UW researchers in a Department of Energy
(DOE) funded project that is creating a computational platform to
simulate (including effects of complex terrain) an entire windfarm
installation of 100 turbines or more. This model will to improve wind
farm siting decisions and wind turbine designs. With NASA support, UW
is also developing algorithms, which incorporate geographic and weather
profiles, to more efficiently design wind turbines and arrays. These
technologies will maximize design efficiency and allow private power
companies and their consumers to reap the cost savings from cheaper
energy production.
Scientists from Scripps Institution of Oceanography at UC San
Diego, NOAA, DOE, NASA, the California Department of Water Resources
and other agencies are studying the phenomena of ``atmospheric
rivers.'' These ``rivers'' of clouds flow through the sky and can
contain water vapor in excess of 10 times the flow of the lower
Mississippi River. Researchers are trying to better understand the role
atmospheric rivers play in drought ending precipitation events and how
the composition of aerosols, which can be natural or man-made,
influence the amount of rain and snow that these clouds release. This
research will lead to improved forecasting that can help water managers
in California and other drought afflicted States plan for precipitation
events that can cause damaging floods and potentially refill
reservoirs.
The University of Alabama, Huntsville (UAH) and the NASA Marshall
Space Flight Center (MSFC) have entered into a partnership to form the
Global Hydrology and Climate Center (GHCC). The GHCC ``Lightning Team''
has been investigating the causes and effects of lightning as well as
analyzing a wide variety of atmospheric measurements related to
thunderstorms. The primary objective of this research group is to
determine the relationship between the electrical characteristics of
storms and precipitation, convection, and severe weather. In order to
achieve this objective, the GHCC Lightning Team has designed,
constructed and deployed numerous types of ground based, airborne, and
space based sensors used to detect lightning and characterize the
electrical behavior of thunderstorms. Understanding of the science that
occurs in thunderstorms and lightning storms will improve our ability
to predict, prepare for, and perhaps prevent the causes of lightning
strikes; potentially saving lives and protecting property.
Members of the subcommittee I offer these examples not only to
highlight the extraordinary work done by UCAR's member institutions but
also to illustrate the fundamental role that this subcommittee plays in
providing the resources that enable our most valuable national asset,
our university researchers, to answer our most pressing and important
questions. As Edward Teller, American physicist and member of the
Manhattan Project said, ``The science of today is the technology of
tomorrow.'' With this in mind, I again urge you on behalf of our member
universities, scientists, students, and all those that rely on the
products and ideas born from the investments that this subcommittee
makes in our scientific communities, to continue to recognize the value
and return on investment that scientific R&D has provided, and will
continue to provide, this great country.