[House Hearing, 117 Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]




 
  EXAMINING THE PRESIDENT'S FISCAL YEAR 2022 BUDGET PROPOSAL FOR THE 
  U.S. BUREAU OF RECLAMATION, U.S. GEOLOGICAL SURVEY, U.S. FISH AND 
  WILDLIFE SERVICE, AND NATIONAL OCEANIC AND ATMOSPHERIC ASSOCIATION

=======================================================================

                           OVERSIGHT HEARING

                               before the

              SUBCOMMITTEE ON WATER, OCEANS, AND WILDLIFE

                                 of the

                     COMMITTEE ON NATURAL RESOURCES
                     U.S. HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                    ONE HUNDRED SEVENTEENTH CONGRESS

                             FIRST SESSION

                               __________

                        Wednesday, July 21, 2021

                               __________

                            Serial No. 117-8

                               __________

       Printed for the use of the Committee on Natural Resources
       
       
       
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        Available via the World Wide Web: http://www.govinfo.gov
                                   or
          Committee address: http://naturalresources.house.gov
          
          
          
          
                        ______                       
 

             U.S. GOVERNMENT PUBLISHING OFFICE 
45-231 PDF           WASHINGTON : 2022 
           
          


                     COMMITTEE ON NATURAL RESOURCES

                      RAUL M. GRIJALVA, AZ, Chair
                JESUS G. ``CHUY'' GARCIA, IL, Vice Chair
   GREGORIO KILILI CAMACHO SABLAN, CNMI, Vice Chair, Insular Affairs
                  BRUCE WESTERMAN, AR, Ranking Member

Grace F. Napolitano, CA              Don Young, AK
Jim Costa, CA                        Louie Gohmert, TX
Gregorio Kilili Camacho Sablan,      Doug Lamborn, CO
    CNMI                             Robert J. Wittman, VA
Jared Huffman, CA                    Tom McClintock, CA
Alan S. Lowenthal, CA                Paul A. Gosar, AZ
Ruben Gallego, AZ                    Garret Graves, LA
Joe Neguse, CO                       Jody B. Hice, GA
Mike Levin, CA                       Aumua Amata Coleman Radewagen, AS
Katie Porter, CA                     Daniel Webster, FL
Teresa Leger Fernandez, NM           Jenniffer Gonzalez-Colon, PR
Melanie A. Stansbury, NM             Russ Fulcher, ID
Nydia M. Velazquez, NY               Pete Stauber, MN
Diana DeGette, CO                    Thomas P. Tiffany, WI
Julia Brownley, CA                   Jerry L. Carl, AL
Debbie Dingell, MI                   Matthew M. Rosendale, Sr., MT
A. Donald McEachin, VA               Blake D. Moore, UT
Darren Soto, FL                      Yvette Herrell, NM
Michael F. Q. San Nicolas, GU        Lauren Boebert, CO
Jesus G. ``Chuy'' Garcia, IL         Jay Obernolte, CA
Ed Case, HI                          Cliff Bentz, OR
Betty McCollum, MN
Steve Cohen, TN
Paul Tonko, NY
Rashida Tlaib, MI
Lori Trahan, MA

                     David Watkins, Staff Director
                        Sarah Lim, Chief Counsel
               Vivian Moeglein, Republican Staff Director
                   http://naturalresources.house.gov
                                 ------                                

              SUBCOMMITTEE ON WATER, OCEANS, AND WILDLIFE

                        JARED HUFFMAN, CA, Chair
                    CLIFF BENTZ, OR, Ranking Member

Grace F. Napolitano, CA              Jerry L. Carl, AL
Jim Costa, CA                        Don Young, AK
Mike Levin, CA                       Robert J. Wittman, VA
Julia Brownley, CA                   Tom McClintock, CA
Debbie Dingell, MI                   Garret Graves, LA
Ed Case, HI                          Aumua Amata Coleman Radewagen, AS
Alan S. Lowenthal, CA                Daniel Webster, FL
Steve Cohen, TN                      Jenniffer Gonzalez-Colon, PR
Darren Soto, FL                      Russ Fulcher, ID
Raul M. Grijalva, AZ                 Lauren Boebert, CO
Nydia M. Velazquez, NY               Bruce Westerman, AR, ex officio
Melanie A. Stansbury, NM

                                 ------                                
                                CONTENTS

                              ----------                              
                                                                   Page

Hearing held on Wednesday, July 21, 2021.........................     1

Statement of Members:

    Bentz, Hon. Cliff, a Representative in Congress from the 
      State of Oregon............................................     5

    Huffman, Hon. Jared, a Representative in Congress from the 
      State of California........................................     2
        Prepared statement of....................................     4

    Westerman, Hon. Bruce, a Representative in Congress from the 
      State of Arkansas..........................................     6
        Prepared statement of....................................     7

Statement of Witnesses:

    Cline, Don, Associate Director of Water Resources, U.S. 
      Geological Survey..........................................    18
        Prepared statement of....................................    19

    Guertin, Stephen D., Deputy Director for Program Management 
      and Policy, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.................    22
        Prepared statement of....................................    24
        Questions submitted for the record.......................    29

    Palumbo, David, Deputy Commissioner of Operations, U.S. 
      Bureau of Reclamation......................................     9
        Prepared statement of....................................    10
        Questions submitted for the record.......................    15

    Spinrad, Richard W., Administrator, National Oceanic and 
      Atmospheric Administration.................................    40
        Prepared statement of....................................    42
        Questions submitted for the record.......................    50




OVERSIGHT HEARING ON EXAMINING THE PRESIDENT'S FISCAL YEAR 2022 BUDGET 
 PROPOSAL FOR THE U.S. BUREAU OF RECLAMATION, U.S. GEOLOGICAL SURVEY, 
 U.S. FISH AND WILDLIFE SERVICE, AND NATIONAL OCEANIC AND ATMOSPHERIC 
                              ASSOCIATION

                              ----------                              


                        Wednesday, July 21, 2021

                     U.S. House of Representatives

              Subcommittee on Water, Oceans, and Wildlife

                     Committee on Natural Resources

                             Washington, DC

                              ----------                              

    The Subcommittee met, pursuant to notice, at 10:06 a.m., in 
room 1324, Longworth House Office Building, Hon. Jared Huffman 
[Chairman of the Subcommittee] presiding.
    Present: Representatives Huffman, Napolitano, Brownley, 
Dingell, Case, Lowenthal, Soto, Grijalva, Stansbury; Bentz, 
Carl, Wittman, Graves, Radewagen, Webster, Boebert, and 
Westerman.
    Also present: Representative Herrell.

    Mr. Huffman. Our Subcommittee on Water, Oceans, and 
Wildlife will now come to order.
    We are meeting today to examine the President's proposed 
Fiscal Year 2022 budget for agencies under this Subcommittee's 
jurisdiction.
    Under Committee Rule 4(f), any oral opening statements at 
this hearing are limited to the Chairman and the Ranking 
Member. This allows us to hear from our witnesses sooner, and 
helps Members keep their schedules. I, therefore, ask unanimous 
consent that all other Members' opening statements be made part 
of the hearing record if they are submitted to the Clerk by 5 
p.m. today, or the close of the hearing, whichever comes first.
    Hearing no objection, it is so ordered.
    Without objection, the Chair may also declare a recess, 
subject to the call of the Chair.
    As described in the notice, statements, documents, or 
motions must be submitted to the electronic repository at the 
following email address: [email protected]. Members 
physically present should provide a hard copy for staff to 
distribute by e-mail.
    Additionally, please note, as always, Members are 
responsible for their own microphones. As with our fully in-
person meetings, in this hybrid meeting, Members who are 
joining us online can be muted by staff, but only to avoid 
inadvertent background noise.
    Pursuant to Committee Rule 3(l) and the latest guidance 
from the Attending Physician, anyone present in the hearing 
room today must wear a mask covering their mouth and nose if 
they are not fully vaccinated, or if they are uncomfortable 
telling us whether they are fully vaccinated. So, if you are 
not wearing a mask in the hearing room today, you are 
representing to this Committee that you are fully vaccinated.
    It is my hope that with everyone's cooperation, we can 
protect the safety of Members, staff, and the families that 
they return to at home. The Committee does have masks available 
for anyone who needs one.
    Finally, Members or witnesses experiencing technical 
problems should inform Committee staff immediately.
    I will now recognize myself for 5 minutes.

   STATEMENT OF THE HON. JARED HUFFMAN, A REPRESENTATIVE IN 
             CONGRESS FROM THE STATE OF CALIFORNIA

    Mr. Huffman. We are here today for an oversight hearing on 
the Administration's Fiscal Year 2022 budget requests for the 
Bureau of Reclamation, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the 
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, and the U.S. 
Geological Survey.
    These agencies testifying today are responsible for some 
very important things: delivering water to millions of people 
across the West, developing data that helps operate our water 
systems, understanding changes to our climate and environment, 
making our coastal communities more resilient, and conserving 
and enhancing our Nation's biodiversity, fish, and wildlife 
resources.
    Today's hearing gives us an opportunity to discuss what the 
Administration is doing to address and plan for the threat 
posed by climate change to our water supply, our native fish 
and wildlife, and our ecosystems, and the many communities that 
depend on these natural resources. I especially look forward to 
hearing more today about proposed and planned drought response 
activities, now and in the upcoming fiscal year.
    Federal drought response is essential, as extreme drought 
conditions intensify across the West. Ninety-five percent of 
the West is currently in drought. Reservoirs in the Colorado 
River Basin continue to fall to record lows, plummeting to 
levels that will likely soon trigger the first-ever shortage 
declaration in that basin.
    And it is not just the Colorado Basin and the Central 
Valley Project. Closer to home, in my north coast California 
district, I have communities that are preparing for the 
likelihood of running out of water and making plans to bring in 
modular desalination units.
    Water supplies are strained across California, and iconic 
salmon runs are being devastated. Temperatures have climbed as 
much as 17 degrees above normal in the Pacific Northwest, 
shattering previous records. And in the Klamath River Basin, it 
is especially dire; tribes, farmers, and communities in the 
districts that Ranking Member Bentz and I represent are dealing 
with some of the most challenging drought impacts in the 
country. So, I look forward to hearing more about Reclamation's 
strategy to use the legal authorities and the funding provided 
by Congress to respond to these conditions.
    At today's hearing, we will also discuss Administration 
plans to use several new water management tools that Congress 
provided last December, including several programs the 
Administration specifically requested funding for in this 
budget request.
    For example, we will discuss plans for the newly 
established Aging Infrastructure Account, the Aquatic Ecosystem 
Restoration Program, new WaterSMART grant program authorities, 
amendments to Reclamation's Cooperative Watershed Management 
Program, and new authorities for improved snowpack measurement.
    Tackling climate change requires that we simultaneously 
address the current threats, such as extreme drought, 
wildfires, and heat waves, while maintaining systems that are 
going to be critical to avoiding even worse impacts in coming 
years. So, alongside reducing our greenhouse gas emissions, we 
need to talk about nature-based solutions as a key tool to 
mitigate climate change.
    Our Nation's natural capital can sequester and store carbon 
and provide critical services that are often overlooked. Blue 
carbon ecosystems, for example, protect coasts and shorelines, 
support livelihoods, and sequester 27 million teragrams of 
carbon--a teragram is an awful lot of carbon.
    Of course, our emissions right now far exceed what nature 
can sustain, and the adverse impacts of climate change continue 
to hammer our ecosystems and wildlife. So, I am pleased to see 
a new emphasis on climate change mitigation and ecosystem 
monitoring throughout the budgets that we will be discussing 
here today.
    These proposals are timely. A recent report issued by the 
IPCC emphasized the important role of ecosystems in sustaining 
our natural carbon fluxes. Climate change cannot be addressed 
without simultaneous action to resolve the biodiversity crisis. 
And as that report highlights, these systems are complex.
    So, addressing climate change requires a multi-faceted 
approach, and many of the necessary tools highlighted in the 
budgets before us today are responsive to that. Both NOAA and 
the Fish and Wildlife Service are prioritizing climate 
monitoring, and protections for carbon sequestering ecosystems 
and habitats. USGS also requests these important priorities, 
along with sorely needed biodiversity research and ecosystem 
services assessments.
    I look forward to hearing more from our witnesses and 
understanding more about these efforts.
    There is a real urgency to this work. This year we have 
already seen the highest levels of carbon dioxide on record. 
Nearly the entire western United States is in drought. Hundreds 
of people have died from extreme heat waves in the Pacific 
Northwest, and wildfires threaten numerous American 
communities.
    Climate change is here and it is relentless, so we have to 
be relentless, as well. This Subcommittee stands ready to work 
with the Administration, and we look forward to today's 
discussion on how Federal budget plans can best advance 
solutions to tackle the climate crisis.

    [The prepared statement of Mr. Huffman follows:]
 Prepared Statement of the Hon. Jared Huffman, Chair, Subcommittee on 
                       Water, Oceans and Wildlife
    We are here today for an oversight hearing on the administration's 
Fiscal Year 2022 budget requests for the Bureau of Reclamation, the 
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric 
Administration, and the U.S. Geological Survey.
    The agencies testifying today are responsible for delivering water 
to millions of people across the West, developing data that help us 
operate our water systems, understanding changes to our climate and 
environment, making our coastal communities more resilient, and 
conserving and enhancing our nation's biodiversity, fish, and wildlife 
resources.
    Today's hearing will give us an opportunity to discuss what the 
administration is doing to address and plan for the threat posed by 
climate change to our water supply, native fish and wildlife, and 
ecosystems--and the many communities that depend on these natural 
resources.
    In particular, I look forward to hearing more today about proposed 
and planned drought response activities now and in the upcoming fiscal 
year. Federal drought response is essential as extreme drought 
conditions intensify across the West.
    Ninety-five percent of the West is currently in drought. Reservoirs 
along the Colorado River continue to fall to record lows, plummeting to 
levels that will likely soon trigger the first-ever shortage 
declaration in that Basin.
    Water supplies are strained across California and iconic salmon 
runs are being devastated. Temperatures have climbed as much as 17 
degrees above normal in the Pacific Northwest, shattering previous 
records.
    And in the Klamath River Basin, Tribes, farmers, and communities in 
the districts that Ranking Member Bentz and I represent are dealing 
with some of the most challenging drought impacts in the country.
    I look forward to hearing more about Reclamation's strategy to use 
the legal authorities and funding provided by Congress to respond to 
these ongoing drought conditions.
    At today's hearing, we'll also discuss the administration's plans 
to use several new water management tools that Congress provided last 
December, including several programs the administration specifically 
requested funding for in this year's budget request.
    For example, we'll discuss plans for the newly established Aging 
Infrastructure Account, the Aquatic Ecosystem Restoration program, new 
WaterSMART grant program authorities, amendments to Reclamation's 
Cooperative Watershed Management Program, and new authorities for 
improved snowpack measurement.
    Tackling climate change requires that we simultaneously address the 
current threats--such as extreme drought, wildfires, and heatwaves--
while maintaining systems that offset even worse impacts we face in the 
coming years.
    Alongside reducing our greenhouse gas emissions, nature-based 
solutions are a key tool to mitigate climate change.
    Our nation's natural capital can sequester and store carbon and 
provide critical services that are often overlooked. Blue carbon 
ecosystems, for example, protect coasts and shorelines, support 
livelihoods, and sequester 27 million teragrams of carbon--that is 
equivalent to sequestering emissions from 2.6 million barrels of 
petroleum.
    Of course, our emissions well-exceed what nature can sustain, and 
the adverse effects of climate change continue to impact ecosystems and 
wildlife. So I'm pleased to see such emphasis on climate change 
mitigation and ecosystem monitoring throughout the budgets we will 
discuss today.
    These proposals are timely. A recent report issued by the IPCC 
emphasized the important role of ecosystems in sustaining our natural 
carbon fluxes. Climate change cannot be addressed without simultaneous 
action to resolve the biodiversity crisis.
    And as the IPCC report highlights, these systems are complex. 
Addressing climate change requires a multifaceted approach, many of 
which are highlighted in the budgets before us today.
    Both NOAA and the Fish and Wildlife Service prioritize climate 
monitoring and protections for carbon-sequestering ecosystems and 
habitats. The USGS request also includes these important priorities, 
along with sorely needed biodiversity research and ecosystem services 
assessments. I look forward to hearing from our witnesses and 
understanding how these efforts can work collaboratively.
    This year, we've already seen the highest levels of carbon dioxide 
on record, nearly the entire western United States is in drought, 
hundreds of people have died from extreme heat waves in the Pacific 
Northwest, and wildfires threaten numerous American communities.
    Climate change is here, and it is relentless. We must be as well. 
This Subcommittee stands ready to work with the administration, and we 
look forward to today's discussion on how federal budget plans can best 
advance solutions to tackle climate crisis.

                                 ______
                                 

    Mr. Huffman. I will now recognize Ranking Member Bentz for 
his opening statement.

STATEMENT OF THE HON. CLIFF BENTZ, A REPRESENTATIVE IN CONGRESS 
                    FROM THE STATE OF OREGON

    Mr. Bentz. Thank you, Mr. Chair, and thank you for holding 
this hearing.
    It is important that Congress exercise its oversight 
authorities on the executive branch. One of the ways to do that 
is to have these agencies explain their budgets and their 
missions, and that is what we are doing here today.
    This Subcommittee has a broad swath of jurisdictions shared 
with the agencies before us. These agencies, the Bureau of 
Reclamation, the U.S. Geological Survey, the U.S. Fish and 
Wildlife Service, and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric 
Administration, impact the lives of Americans daily. They have 
a direct impact on many of my constituents. And, in fact, all 
four agencies have a say in how water is managed--or 
mismanaged, as many believe--in the Klamath Basin, mentioned 
earlier by the Chair, where the Endangered Species Act and 
other laws continue to have tremendous effects on the way life 
up and down that basin is lived.
    Let me give you a snapshot. The Bureau of Reclamation owns 
the Klamath Irrigation Project. The USGS measures water 
quantity and quality throughout the basin for various purposes. 
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Refuge manages the Upper Klamath 
Lake and other nearby waters for two endangered suckerfish 
species. And the National Marine Fisheries Service under NOAA 
manages Klamath and other river flows for endangered coho and 
other salmon species. I know everyone will be shocked, but 
sometimes these agencies have a hard time communicating and, in 
some cases, conflict with one another, especially when it 
relates to single species management. And catastrophic drought, 
such as that which is taking place right now, makes matters 
exponentially more complicated.
    Hundreds of millions of dollars have been poured into 
fixing the Klamath situation over the last 20 years, through 
both Democrat and Republican administrations, and Democrat and 
Republican Congresses, but I don't know one person who has said 
that such efforts have succeeded.
    Many irrigators served by the Klamath Project are 
rightfully upset that they have the first-ever zero allocation 
of water. While there seems to be an abundance of water in the 
Upper Klamath Lake reserved for two suckerfish species, which I 
mentioned before, and tribal communities are suffering, as 
well, certainly disaster money will be utilized in the short 
term. But that is a mere band-aid on what could be a fatal 
wound to many in the basin.
    People, including the agencies before us today, have come 
to the table to help find lasting solutions so that everyone 
gets better together, and has a future, I hope, in the Western 
United States. The status quo isn't working here, and I venture 
to say that it isn't working in a lot of other places in 
Oregon, and the Northwest, and in fact, the Western United 
States, which is being pummeled by drought.
    In Oregon, the catastrophic Bootleg Fire and other places 
in the West are growing dramatically in size. In fact, if you 
look out the window over the past couple of days, right here in 
Washington, DC, you would see parts of Oregon passing by in the 
form of smoke.
    These agencies, and we here in Congress, can certainly do 
better, and must do better.
    While most of the West is burning rapidly or running out of 
water, I want to hear what these agencies are doing in the 
short term and long term, when it comes to drought and species 
management. These agencies have an opportunity before us today 
to engage in visionary thinking, or continuing to think in the 
short term, which is tantamount to rearranging the deck chairs 
on the Titanic.
    With that, I thank the Chairman for this hearing, and I 
look forward to hearing from our Members and the witnesses 
before us today.
    Mr. Huffman. I thank the Ranking Member, and I understand 
that the Ranking Member of the Full Committee, Mr. Westerman, 
is joining us, and would like to give us an opening statement. 
So, if we have him with us online, I will recognize Ranking 
Member Westerman for 5 minutes.
    Oh, wait, he is right here.
    Mr. Westerman. Thank you, Chairman Huffman.
    Mr. Huffman. This is even better.
    Mr. Westerman. Yes, I snuck in here on you.
    Mr. Huffman. I didn't see you come in. Welcome.
    Mr. Westerman. Good to see you in person, and not on a 
grid.
    Mr. Huffman. Good to be with you.
    Mr. Westerman. Good to be here in person.
    Mr. Huffman. Take it away.

  STATEMENT OF THE HON. BRUCE WESTERMAN, A REPRESENTATIVE IN 
              CONGRESS FROM THE STATE OF ARKANSAS

    Mr. Westerman. Thank you for holding this hearing.
    From the Pond Creek Wildlife Refuge in my district, and the 
nearby red snapper fishery in the Gulf of Mexico, to Alaska's 
longline fishing industry, to California's Central Valley Water 
Project, and to the Chesapeake Bay, the four agencies before us 
today have an impact on the daily lives of all Americans, 
either directly or indirectly. The agencies play a vital role 
in our recreational pursuits, including hunting and fishing; 
they deliver water to farms so Americans have access to fruits, 
nuts, vegetables, and other foods; and they provide jobs to our 
communities.
    But what they give, they can also take away. Government 
fiat can quickly replace abundance, and replace that with 
scarcity. This is why it is so important that Congress have 
oversight on these agencies.
    We could discuss, literally, hundreds of matters today. But 
I want to focus on just a few in the short time that I have.
    Testimonies by the Fish and Wildlife Service and NOAA talk 
about the 30x30 initiative, which has now been rebranded by 
what the Administration now calls, ``The America the Beautiful 
Initiative.'' Other than a catchy bumper sticker slogan, this 
effort still remains largely undefined. We believe that 
conservation, not preservation, of our natural resources is the 
best policy, and that the American people deserve transparency 
and clarity on this issue.
    Next, NOAA's testimony barely touches on fisheries 
management, particularly red snapper. The Center for 
Sportfishing Policy, which is composed of recreational anglers 
and related industries, recently gave the Agency a red flag, 
due to the Agency's failure to incorporate state data on how it 
counts fish. The five Gulf states have vastly improved access 
to our red snapper fishery, and have led the way on fish 
counting innovation, but NOAA seems to be a boat lost at sea 
when it comes to working with the states.
    Next, more than 95 percent of the West is under severe 
drought. While we can't make it rain or snow at this point, we 
can take proactive steps to avoid the next drought. The 
Administration should provide a long-term strategy for doing 
this, not just pave the way to the next disaster. I, and my 
Republican colleagues, offer an all-of-the-above approach when 
it comes to water, starting with water storage that was 
advanced by the last administration.
    Finally, the Biden administration is threatening rural 
America with potential future listings of the greater sage-
grouse and the lesser prairie chicken. These decisions will 
reverse millions of dollars of successful conservation efforts, 
and will shut the door on future investment.
    Additionally, this Administration is ignoring science on 
northern spotted owl critical habitat, seeking again to lock up 
more land across the West. The end result of this will be more 
destruction, as this locked-up land will eventually be engulfed 
in catastrophic wildfires like we are seeing today.
    I have concerns with how the Administration's approach thus 
far seems to be just over-turning many of the past 
administration's efforts. That is really not a plan. The ping-
pong approach continually fails to provide certainty to people, 
species, and our environment. I am hoping today that we will 
have a dialogue on how we can work collaboratively toward a 
better future.
    I yield back.

    [The prepared statement of Mr. Westerman follows:]
  Prepared Statement of the Hon. Bruce Westerman, a Representative in 
                  Congress from the State of Arkansas
    Thank you for holding this hearing.

    From the Pond Creek National Wildlife Refuge in my district and the 
nearby red snapper fishery in the Gulf of Mexico, to Alaska's longline 
fishing industry to California's Central Valley Project, and to the 
Chesapeake Bay, the four agencies before us today have an impact on the 
daily lives of all Americans.
    The agencies play a vital role in our recreational pursuits, 
including hunting and fishing; they deliver water to farms so Americans 
have access to fruits, nuts, vegetables and other foods; and they 
provide jobs to our communities. But what they give, they can also take 
away. Government fiat can quickly replace abundance replaced with 
scarcity.

    This is why it's so important that Congress have oversight on these 
agencies.

    We could discuss hundreds of matters today, but I want to focus on 
just a few.

     Testimonies by the Fish and Wildlife Service and NOAA talk 
            about the 30 by 30 initiative, which has now been rebranded 
            by what the Administration now calls ``the America the 
            Beautiful initiative''. Other than a catchy bumper-sticker 
            slogan, this effort still remains largely undefined. We 
            believe that conservation, not preservation, of our natural 
            resources is the best policy and that the American people 
            deserve transparency and clarity on this issue.

     NOAA's testimony barely touches on fisheries management, 
            particularly red snapper. The Center for Sportfishing 
            Policy, which is composed of recreational anglers and 
            related industries, recently gave the agency a red flag due 
            to the agency's failure to incorporate state data on how it 
            counts fish. The five Gulf states have vastly improved 
            access to our red snapper fishery and have led the way on 
            fish counting innovation, but NOAA seems to be a boat lost 
            at sea when it comes to working with the states.

     More than 95 percent of the West is under a severe drought 
            advisory. While we can't make it rain or snow at this 
            point, we can take proactive steps to avoid the next 
            drought. The Administration should provide a long-term 
            strategy for doing this, not just pave the way to the next 
            disaster. I and my Republican colleagues are for an all-of-
            the-above approach when it comes to water, starting with 
            water storage advanced by the last administration.

     Lastly, the Biden Administration is threatening rural 
            America with potential future listings of the Greater Sage 
            Grouse and the Lesser Prairie Chicken. These decisions will 
            reverse millions of dollars of successful conservation 
            efforts and will shut the door on future investment. 
            Additionally, this Administration is ignoring science on 
            northern spotted owl critical habitat, seeking again to 
            lock up more land across the West. The end result of this 
            will be more destruction, as this locked-up land will 
            eventually be engulfed in catastrophic forest fires.

    I have concerns with how this Administration's approach thus far 
seems to be just over-turning many of the past Administration's 
efforts. That's not a plan. This ping-pong approach continually fails 
to provide certainty to people, species and our environment. I'm hoping 
today that we will have a dialogue on how we can work collaboratively 
toward a better future.

                                 ______
                                 

    Mr. Huffman. Thank you, Ranking Member Westerman.
    We will now hear witness testimony. Under Committee Rules, 
I ask the witnesses to limit their oral statements to 5 
minutes. But your entire statement will appear in the hearing 
record.
    When you begin, the timer will start counting down. It 
turns orange when you have 1 minute remaining. I recommend that 
Members and witnesses joining us remotely use the grid view, so 
that they can lock the timer on their screen. After the 
witnesses complete testimony, please remember to mute yourself 
to avoid any inadvertent background noise.
    I will allow all the witnesses to testify before we bring 
it back to the Members for questioning.
    We will first hear from Mr. David Palumbo, Deputy 
Commissioner of Operations for the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation, 
and next we will hear from Dr. Don Cline, Associate Director of 
Water Resources at the U.S. Geological Survey. Then we will 
hear from Mr. Stephen Guertin, Deputy Director for Program 
Management and Policy for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. 
And finally, we will hear from Dr. Richard Spinrad, the 
Undersecretary of Commerce for Oceans and Atmosphere, as well 
as the Administrator of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric 
Administration.
    The Chair now recognizes Mr. Palumbo to testify for 5 
minutes.
    Welcome, sir.

STATEMENT OF DAVID PALUMBO, DEPUTY COMMISSIONER OF OPERATIONS, 
                   U.S. BUREAU OF RECLAMATION

    Mr. Palumbo. Thank you, Chairman Huffman, Ranking Member 
Bentz, Ranking Member Westerman, and members of the 
Subcommittee. I am David Palumbo, Deputy Commissioner of 
Operations, and I am happy to be here to discuss the 
President's budget for the Bureau of Reclamation, alongside my 
partners with USGS, Fish and Wildlife Service, and NOAA.
    The Bureau of Reclamation is the largest supplier and 
manager of water in the Nation, and the second largest producer 
of hydropower. Reclamation manages water for agricultural, 
municipal, and industrial uses, the environment, and provides 
flood control and recreation.
    Reclamation enjoys a close, bipartisan working relationship 
with both the Subcommittee and the Full Committee. This 
relationship has helped us to address both long-standing and 
emerging challenges in the West. Many of these challenges will 
continue to require close cooperation and innovative solutions. 
Addressing drought, climate change, and issues of equity and 
sustainability are essential, as are the continuing needs to 
secure, maintain, and modernize our Nation's water 
infrastructure.
    To start, I would like to acknowledge what is at the 
forefront of many Members' minds: the significant, expansive, 
and persistent drought. It has been an extraordinarily dry year 
for much of the West. As you can see from the current U.S. 
Drought Monitor map, every state west of the 100th Meridian is 
experiencing some level of water stress, with many of the 17 
Western states experiencing extreme or exceptional drought.
    These dire hydrologic conditions have resulted in the need 
to make difficult decisions. Many farmers, tribes, 
stakeholders, and related communities have had to make 
significant sacrifices. This situation further highlights the 
need for extensive planning and work to make our infrastructure 
more resilient to withstand future water resource scarcity and 
variability, as well as to maintain healthy ecosystems. 
Reclamation's priorities reflect this vital need through a 
commitment to drought planning and response activities such as 
the seven basin states' drought contingency plans and system 
conservation agreements.
    This budget request also acknowledges the need to continue 
to develop and deploy science-based drought and climate change 
adaptation strategies. Reclamation's WaterSMART and Science and 
Technology programs directly contribute to these administration 
priorities.
    Reclamation also continues to emphasize its important role 
in renewable energy. The 40 million megawatt hours of clean 
energy we generate each year displaces over 18 million tons of 
carbon dioxide emissions, and supports grid stability and other 
renewables like wind and solar power.
    Reclamation must also plan for the future of its 
infrastructure. Reclamation's dams and reservoirs, water 
conveyance systems, and power generating facilities serve as 
the water and power infrastructure backbone of the American 
West. However, much of this infrastructure is aging and in need 
of critical maintenance.
    B.F. Sisk Dam in California, for example, which provides 2 
million acre-feet of water storage south of the Delta, is one 
of the most significant funding needs under Reclamation's Dam 
Safety Program. Our Fiscal Year 2022 budget request includes 
pre-construction funding for the dam safety work. And 
meanwhile, in December, we published the final feasibility 
report on further expanding the reservoir behind Sisk to add 
130,000 acre-feet of new storage. And we are working with 
potential local cost-share partners to arrange for that 
project.
    However, it is not sufficient to address infrastructure 
needs without also considering economic inequities and the 
needs of underserved communities. As illustrated by the 
President's executive orders and the recently proposed American 
Jobs Plan, this Administration is committed to generating 
broader economic opportunities and fostering greater social 
inclusion.
    Reclamation is establishing and rebuilding water 
infrastructure for underserved populations by ensuring that 
clean drinking water is reliably provided to all communities. 
Our budget includes funding for Reclamation's Native American 
Affairs program to enhance our technical assistance to tribes, 
and includes funding for Reclamation's Rural Water Program.
    The Bureau of Reclamation remains committed to working with 
Congress and our operating partners and stakeholders in 
executing our mission, and responsibly planning for the future. 
Reclamation wants to play a meaningful role in the 
modernization of water and energy sectors of our Nation. The 
challenges of drought and climate change demand such action, 
and the need for broader economic development and more 
equitable outcomes do, as well.
    I again thank the Subcommittee, and I am happy to answer 
any questions.

    [The prepared statement of Mr. Palumbo follows:]
Prepared Statement of David Palumbo, Deputy Commissioner of Operations, 
                       U.S. Bureau of Reclamation
    Thank you, Chairman Huffman, Ranking Member Bentz, and members of 
the Subcommittee, for the opportunity to discuss with you the 
President's Fiscal Year (FY) 2022 Budget for the Bureau of Reclamation. 
I am David Palumbo, Deputy Commissioner of Operations for the Bureau of 
Reclamation.
    The Bureau of Reclamation (Reclamation) is the largest supplier and 
manager of water in the Nation and the second largest producer of 
hydroelectric power. Reclamation manages water for agriculture, 
municipal and industrial use, and the environment, as well as providing 
flood control and recreation for millions of people. Reclamation's 
activities, including recreation benefits, support economic activity 
valued at $66.63 billion, and support approximately 472,000 jobs. 
Reclamation delivers 10 trillion gallons of water to more than 31 
million people each year, and provides water for irrigation of 10 
million acres, which yields approximately 25 percent of the Nation's 
fruit and nut crops, and 60 percent of the vegetable harvest.
    Reclamation's fundamental mission and programs--modernizing and 
maintaining infrastructure, conserving natural resources, using science 
and research to inform decision-making, serving underserved 
populations, and staying as nimble as possible in response to the real-
time resiliency and long-term adaptation requirements of drought and a 
changing climate--position our agency to deliver significant 
contributions to the Biden-Harris Administration's core priorities. The 
Bureau of Reclamation's FY 2022 budget provides the foundation to meet 
our mission: to manage, develop, and protect water resources, 
consistent with applicable State and Federal law, in a cost effective 
and environmentally responsible manner in the interest of the American 
public. Reclamation remains committed to working with a wide range of 
stakeholders, including water and power customers, Tribes, State and 
local officials, and non-governmental organizations, to meet its 
mission.
    Reclamation is requesting $1,532,949,000 in gross Federal 
discretionary appropriations. Of the total amount, $1,379,050,000 is 
for the Water and Related Resources account, which is Reclamation's 
largest account, $64,400,000 is for the Policy and Administration 
account, and $33,000,000 is for the California Bay Delta account. A 
total of $56,499,000 is budgeted for the Central Valley Project 
Restoration Fund, to be offset by expected discretionary receipts in 
the amounts collected during the fiscal year. Reclamation also 
anticipates approximately $900 million in other Federal, including 
mandatory, and non-Federal funds to support FY 2022 activities.

Racial and Economic Equity: Activities to Support Underserved 
        Communities, Tribal Programs & Tribal Water Rights Settlements:

    Reclamation tackles the challenges of racial equity and underserved 
communities through investments in tribal water rights settlements, the 
Native American Affairs technical assistance program, rural water 
projects, and investments in specific projects for underserved 
communities. Reclamation is confident in its ability to meet the 
legislated deadlines of tribal settlements.
    Reclamation's budget supports Indian water rights settlements, 
continuing the high prioritization of these projects to meet Tribal 
trust and treaty obligations. The FY 2022 budget request includes a 
total of $157.6 million for Indian water rights settlements consistent 
with settlement dates required by statute. In addition to requesting 
discretionary funding, these settlements will draw on available 
mandatory funding to support current settlement implementation 
activities.
    The FY 2022 budget includes $20.0 million for the Native American 
Affairs program to increase the capacity to work with and support 
Tribes in water resources development, including the resolution of 
water rights claims, sustainable and equitable water sharing 
agreements, and other water related technical and resource management 
activities. This funding will also strengthen Department-wide 
capabilities to achieve an integrated and systematic approach to Indian 
water rights negotiations to consider the full range of economic, 
legal, and technical attributes of proposed settlements.
    By means of its request of $92.9 million for the Rural Water 
program, Reclamation is also establishing and rebuilding clean water 
infrastructure for underserved populations, furthering the President's 
environmental justice goals as well as his commitment to Tribal Nations 
by ensuring that clean, safe drinking water is a right in those 
communities. The request consists of $68.1 million for construction and 
$24.8 million for operation, maintenance, and replacement of completed 
Tribal features.

Conservation, Climate Resilience, and Climate Science:

    Reclamation's projects were primarily designed and constructed in 
the first half of the 20th century with snowpack serving as the largest 
reservoir. The decrease in snowpack and earlier spring runoff have made 
climate resilience and adaptation an important focus area for 
Reclamation. Our investments address the unprecedented and persistent 
drought and our ability to combat climate change by continuing to fund 
the WaterSMART program, to improve water conservation and energy 
efficiency as well as proactive efforts to provide sound climate 
science, research and development, and clean energy. We will continue 
to seek to optimize non-Federal contributions to accomplish more with 
our Federal dollars.
    Reclamation is continuing efforts to manage drought. Across the 
West, we are seeing drought at a scale and intensity that we have not 
seen before. California is currently experiencing its third driest year 
on record; the second two consecutive driest years on record, and the 
driest year since 1977. In the Central Valley of California, 
precipitation has been far below normal, at the bottom 10th percentile 
of historic levels, which equates to snow and rain precipitation of 
less than half of average for this date. Reclamation plays a crucial 
role in managing and regulating water operations in California, 
coordinating closely with the State, fishery agencies and local 
operating partners to evaluate options. The FY 2022 budget continues to 
support drought mitigation and planning efforts, including a request of 
$184.7 million for operations within the Central Valley Project, which 
includes work to modernize facilities and take advantage of water 
conservation efforts. In addition, the FY 2022 budget includes $33 
million for the California Bay-Delta Restoration account and $56.5 
million for the Central Valley Project Restoration Fund. In the 
Colorado River Basin, the period from 2000 through 2021 has been the 
driest 22-year period in more than 100 years of record-keeping and one 
of the driest in the past 1,200 years based on paleohydrology data. The 
FY 2022 budget includes salinity control efforts along the river with 
both the Title I ($17.6 million) and Title II ($7 million) Programs, 
while continuing to implement the Drought Contingency Plans (DCP) in 
coordination with the Seven Basin States through the Lower and Upper 
Colorado River Programs. Drought response activities include $15 
million for the DCP to conserve water in Lake Mead to reduce the 
likelihood of the Lake declining to further critical elevations and $3 
million for the Upper Colorado River Operations Program for Demand 
Management.
    The Klamath Basin is also experiencing one of the driest hydrologic 
years on record. The 2022 budget includes $24.1 million for the Klamath 
Project with $3.3 million for water conservation, water quality 
monitoring, and water measurement operations; $15.7 million for Tribal 
Trust Obligations and Endangered Species Act compliance, and $2.5 
million for maintenance activities and the rehabilitation of Link River 
Dam.
    Climate change adaptation is a focus of Reclamation's science 
efforts. Funding will focus on innovation strategies that are necessary 
to address present and future hydrologic changes. The Desalination 
Program supports water purification science, development, and 
demonstrations for the purpose of converting unusable waters to useable 
water supplies. The Science and Technology Program addresses the full 
range of technical issues confronting Reclamation water and hydropower 
managers.

WaterSMART:

    The WaterSMART Program directly contributes to Administration 
priorities for conservation, climate science, adaptation, and 
resiliency. WaterSMART also serves as the primary contributor to the 
Reclamation/Interior Water Conservation Priority Goal. Projects funded 
through WaterSMART since 2010, including WaterSMART Grants and Title 
XVI projects, are expected to save more than one million acre-feet of 
water each year, once completed. The FY 2022 budget includes $54.1 
million for WaterSMART programs.

Modernizing and Maintaining Infrastructure:

    Reclamation's dams and reservoirs, water conveyance systems, and 
power generating facilities serve as the water and power infrastructure 
backbone of the American West. Reclamation's water and power projects 
throughout the western United States provide water supplies for 
agricultural, municipal, and industrial purposes. Reclamation's 
projects also provide energy produced by hydropower facilities and 
maintain ecosystems that support fish and wildlife, hunting, fishing, 
and other recreation, as well as rural economies. Changing demographics 
and competing demands are increasingly impacting already strained 
systems, and the proper management of this infrastructure is critical 
to Reclamation's ability to achieve progress on its mission objectives. 
This budget addresses priorities by allocating funds based on objective 
and performance-based criteria to most effectively implement 
Reclamation's programs and its management responsibilities for its 
water and power infrastructure in the West.
    Funding is provided for dam safety and Extraordinary Maintenance 
(XM) of Reclamation facilities. Reclamation manages 491 dams throughout 
the 17 Western States. Reclamation's Dam Safety Program has identified 
364 high and significant hazard dams. Through constant monitoring and 
assessment, Reclamation strives to achieve the best use of its limited 
resources to ensure dam safety and to maintain our ability to store, 
conserve, and deliver water and to generate hydropower. The FY 2022 
budget request includes $207.1 million for the Dam Safety Program. 
Reclamation's XM request is part of its overall Asset Management 
Strategy that relies on condition assessments, condition/performance 
metrics, technological research and development, and strategic 
collaboration to better inform and improve the management of its assets 
and address infrastructure maintenance challenges. Additional XM items 
are directly funded by revenues, customers, or other Federal agencies 
(e.g., Bonneville Power Administration). The FY 2022 budget includes 
$125.3 million for XM related activities.

Renewable Energy:

    Reclamation owns 78 hydroelectric power plants and operates 53 of 
those plants that account for 15 percent of the hydroelectric capacity 
and generation in the United States. Each year on average, Reclamation 
generates about 40 million megawatt hours of electricity and collects 
over $1.0 billion in gross power revenues for the Federal Government. 
It would take more than 130 billion cubic feet of natural gas or about 
7.1 million tons of coal to produce an equal amount of energy with 
fossil fuels; as a result, Reclamation's hydropower program displaces 
over 18 million tons of carbon dioxide that may have otherwise been 
emitted by traditional fossil fuel power plants.
    Reclamation's FY 2022 budget request includes $3.5 million to 
support Department energy initiatives through increasing Reclamation 
Project hydropower capabilities. These activities include: policy 
development, oversight, and support services facilitating non-Federal 
hydropower development on Reclamation projects through Lease of Power 
Privilege and Federal Energy Regulatory Commission licensing. These 
actions allow Reclamation to derive additional value and revenue from 
existing public infrastructure and reduce project operating costs 
(e.g., water and power delivery costs). Revenues derived from 
incremental hydropower production are invested in the underlying public 
infrastructure to ensure continued, reliable operations and benefits. 
These investments, in combination with prior year's efforts will ensure 
that Reclamation can continue to provide reliable water and power to 
the American West.
    Water management, improving and modernizing infrastructure, using 
sound science to support critical decision-making, finding 
opportunities to expand capacity, reducing conflict, and meeting 
environmental responsibilities were all addressed in the formulation of 
the FY 2022 budget. Reclamation continues to look at ways to plan more 
efficiently for future challenges faced in water resources management 
to improve the way it does business.
                         account level details
    The FY 2022 budget allocates funds to projects and programs based 
on objective, performance based criteria to implement Reclamation's 
programs and its management responsibilities most effectively for its 
water and power infrastructure in the West.
    The FY 2022 budget for Reclamation totals $1.533 billion in gross 
budget authority. The budget is partially offset by discretionary 
receipts in the Central Valley Project Restoration Fund ($56.5 million) 
resulting in net discretionary budget authority of $1.476 billion.
              water and related resources: $1,379,050,000
    The FY 2022 Water and Related Resources budget provides funding for 
five major program activities--Water and Energy Management and 
Development ($434.0 million), Land Management and Development ($49.1 
million), Fish and Wildlife Management and Development ($193.2 
million), Facility Operations ($322.0 million), and Facility 
Maintenance and Rehabilitation ($380.7 million). The funding proposed 
in Reclamation's FY 2022 budget supports key programs important to the 
Department and in line with Administration objectives.
    By far, the greatest portion of Reclamation's Water and Related 
Resources budget is dedicated to delivering water and generating power. 
This is accomplished within over 300 congressionally authorized 
projects. Certain programs are also particularly notable, including Dam 
Safety--described above--and others, due to their unique nature and 
interest to Congress and other stakeholders. In addition to 
infrastructure needs and other overarching initiatives that fulfill the 
President's priorities noted above, a few additional programs that 
directly respond to Administration goals are described below.
    Reclamation's FY 2022 budget of $27.5 million for Research and 
Development (R&D) programs includes both Science and Technology, and 
Desalination and Water Purification Research--both of which focus on 
Reclamation's mission of water and power deliveries.
    The Science and Technology program supports engineering innovation 
that promotes economic growth, supports maintaining and improving our 
water and power infrastructure, and spurs continued generation of 
energy. Program outcomes enable reliable water and power delivery to 
our customers, improve safety, limit the impacts of invasive species, 
and ensure that Reclamation can meet its environmental compliance 
responsibilities. These activities support the Administration's 
priorities for the FY 2022 budget, including job creation by supporting 
technology transfer activities that may lead to new business 
opportunities for private industry. The program also supports 
Administration priorities related to maintaining and improving our 
water and power infrastructure by partnering with the U.S. Army Corps 
of Engineers to foster research projects to develop technologies that 
extend the operating life and reduce maintenance costs of Reclamation's 
structures. The Administration's priority related to energy from all 
sources is supported by hydropower research that ensures that 
Reclamation is maximizing reliability, reducing maintenance costs, and 
exploring new energy development opportunities. Research on safety is 
ensuring our workers can perform their jobs safely and securely.
    The Desalination and Water Purification Research program priorities 
include development of improved and innovative methods of desalination 
and reducing costs to develop new water supplies. The research and 
testing funded out of this program supports Executive Order 14008 
including job creation, by supporting innovative new solutions that 
spur the creation of new businesses by entrepreneurs and by advancing 
Reclamation's competitive edge in the area of water treatment and 
desalination.
    Reclamation's continued water delivery and power generation cannot 
be accomplished without meeting our environmental responsibilities. 
Reclamation meets these responsibilities associated with individual 
projects, such as the Central Valley Project and the Middle Rio Grande 
Collaborative Program, through a large number of activities. The FY 
2022 budget funds Reclamation's Endangered Species Act recovery 
programs and other programs that contribute toward these efforts, such 
as the Columbia/Snake River Salmon Recovery Program, the San Juan River 
Recovery Implementation Program, the Upper Colorado Recovery 
Implementation Program, and the Multi-Species Conservation Program 
within the Lower Colorado River Operations Program, among many others.
    Including other efforts, Reclamation helps address the West's water 
challenges through the WaterSMART program. Through WaterSMART, 
Reclamation works cooperatively with States, Tribes, and local entities 
as they plan for and implement actions to address current and future 
water shortages, including drought; degraded water quality; increased 
demands for water and energy from growing populations; environmental 
water requirements; and the potential for decreased water supply 
availability due to climate change, drought, and population growth.
    The Aquatic Ecosystem Restoration Program is a new program that 
addresses aquatic ecosystems in connection to Reclamation projects. The 
FY 2022 budget includes $1 million for the Aquatic Ecosystem 
Restoration Program. The program provides broad authority for 
Reclamation to fund fish passage improvements and aquatic habitat 
enhancement, including removal of dams or other aging infrastructure if 
such projects are supported by a broad multi-stakeholder group, and if 
it maintains water security for all involved. This new authority aligns 
with the Administration's priorities for climate change and climate 
resiliency.

Aging Infrastructure Program and Account:

    Sec. 1101, Title XI of P.L. 116-260 amends 43 U.S.C. 510b to 
establish the Aging Infrastructure Account, authorizing an annual 
appropriation for Reclamation to provide for the extended repayment of 
work by a transferred works operating entity or project beneficiary to 
conduct extraordinary operation and maintenance work at a Reclamation 
facility. It is envisioned that the discretionary funds would be from a 
transfer from Water and Related Resources as proposed in FY 2022 
appropriations language. The FY 2022 budget includes $1 million. 
Mandatory funds would be appropriated from the receipt account.
    The account would receive deposits from repayment of reimbursable 
costs under a repayment contract. Under the program, Reclamation will 
provide funding to non-Federal partners who rehabilitate infrastructure 
projects that are owned by the Federal Government. Those entities would 
repay the funds to the Aging Infrastructure Account over periods of up 
to 50 years. Funds from that account would be available to be spent 
without further appropriation for future projects.

Electric Vehicles and Charging Infrastructure:

    A total of $3.5 million is included in this request to support the 
DOI Zero Emission Vehicle (ZEV) investment strategy that is comprised 
of three core elements: replacing hydrocarbon powered vehicles with 
ZEVs; investing in ZEV charging infrastructure; and integrating ZEV 
fleet and infrastructure management.
      central valley project restoration fund (cvprf): $56,499,000
    This fund was established by the Central Valley Project Improvement 
Act, Title XXXIV of P.L. 102-575, October 30, 1992. The budget of $56.5 
million is expected to be offset fully by discretionary receipts based 
on what can be collected from project beneficiaries under provisions of 
Section 3407(d) of the Act. The discretionary receipts are adjusted on 
an annual basis to maintain payments totaling $30.0 million (October 
1992 price levels) on a 3-year rolling average basis. The budget was 
developed after considering the effects of the San Joaquin River 
Restoration Settlement Act (P.L. 111-11, March 30, 2009), which 
redirects certain fees, estimated at $2.0 million in FY 2022, collected 
from the Friant Division water users to the San Joaquin Restoration 
Fund.
           california bay-delta restoration fund: $33,000,000
    The CALFED Bay-Delta Restoration Act (P.L. 108-361), as amended, 
authorized multiple Federal agencies to participate in the 
implementation of the CALFED Bay-Delta Program as outlined in the 
August 28, 2000, Record of Decision (ROD) for the CALFED Bay-Delta 
Program Programmatic Environmental Impact Statement and Environmental 
Impact Report. The legislation directed the implementing agencies to 
undertake a set of broadly described programmatic actions identified in 
the ROD to the extent authorized under existing law. In addition, the 
Act authorized $389.0 million in Federal appropriations for new and 
expanded authorities.
    The FY 2022 budget of $33.0 million implements priority activities 
pursuant to P.L. 108-361. Six Federal agencies--the Department of the 
Interior, Department of Commerce, Department of Agriculture, Department 
of the Army, Environmental Protection Agency, and the Council on 
Environmental Quality--work together to ensure that the Federal actions 
and investments the Administration is undertaking are coordinated in a 
fashion to help address California's current water supply and 
ecological challenges. This budget supports actions under the following 
program activities: $1.7 million for Renewed Federal State Partnership, 
$2.3 million for Smarter Water Supply and Use, and $29.0 million to 
address the Degraded Bay Delta Ecosystem.
                 policy and administration: $64,400,000
    The $64.4 million budget will be used to: (1) develop, evaluate, 
and directly implement Reclamation-wide policy, rules, and regulations, 
including actions under the Government Performance and Results Act; and 
(2) manage and perform functions that are not properly chargeable to 
specific projects or program activities covered by separate funding 
authority. A new Diversity, Inclusion and Compliance initiative will 
address identified high priority needs in support of Executive Order 
13985, Advancing Racial Equity and Support for Underserved Communities 
through the Federal Government, and Executive Order 13988, Preventing 
and Combatting Discrimination on the Basis of Gender Identity and 
Sexual Orientation. In addition, $1.6 million is requested for 
increased cybersecurity as a sustained response to the SolarWinds 
attack, and to improve future protection and detection capabilities.
             central utah protection completion act (cupca)
    The Department's 2022 CUPCA Program budget of $20 million reflects 
the Administration's commitment to strengthening our climate resiliency 
and supporting conservation partnerships. As authorized, the completion 
of the Central Utah Project (CUP) Utah Lake System pipelines will 
deliver 60,000 acre-feet of municipal and industrial water to Salt Lake 
and Utah Counties. The completed project will provide increased water 
security, helping communities adapt to and increase their resiliency 
under changing climate conditions.
    The request provides funding to continue construction of the 
system; support the recovery of endangered species; and implement fish, 
wildlife, and recreation mitigation and water conservation projects. 
One of the goals of the project is the recovery of the June sucker 
fish, a critical element of listed species recovery efforts.

                                 ______
                                 

      Questions Submitted for the Record to David Palumbo, Deputy 
         Commissioner of Operations, U.S. Bureau of Reclamation
              Questions Submitted by Representative Costa
    Question 1. Congress is currently discussing expanding the amount 
of funding dedicated to infrastructure, particularly water 
infrastructure in the Western United States. What large-scale storage 
and conveyance projects would Reclamation prioritize in California to 
increase the reliability of water supplies, should additional funding 
be made available by Congress?

    Answer. On Friday, July 23, 2021, Reclamation transmitted a letter 
to House and Senate Appropriations Committee leadership with 
Reclamation's funding recommendations for Water Infrastructure 
Improvements for the Nation (WIIN) Act of 2016 (Public Law 114-322). 
That list proposed the allocation of previously appropriated funds for 
the construction of Sites Reservoir, the construction of Del Puerto 
Canyon Reservoir, the enlargement of Los Vaqueros Reservoir, and the 
enlargement of San Luis Reservoir, all in California. The other two 
categories of water supply projects referenced in the July 23, 2021, 
letter besides WIIN Section 4007 Water Storage projects were WIIN 
Section 4009(c) Title XVI Water Recycling projects, and WIIN Section 
4009(a) Desalination projects.
    In addition to sending funding recommendations for WIIN, 
Reclamation transmitted its spend plan for Fiscal Year 2022 for the 
Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (P.L. 117-58) that outlines at the 
programmatic level, how and where we will spend the funding provided 
for storage, recycling, and desalination. This includes $210 Million in 
FY 2022 for Water Storage, Groundwater Storage, and Conveyance 
Projects. This funding could be used to cover identified needs for 
Federal share of WIIN-authorized projects. A copy of our spend plan can 
be found at www.usbr.gov/bil.

    Question 2. Two years ago, California experienced one of the 
wettest winters in its history and there was a surplus of water. What 
would be the difference in available water supplies this year, had some 
of these projects that are under discussion actually been built? 
Specifically, if the conveyance capacity of the Delta-Mendota, Friant-
Kern and California Aqueduct were restored to their original design 
capacity, and San Luis Reservoir were raised by 10 feet, and Los 
Vaqueros Reservoir expanded as proposed, and Sites Reservoir were 
built, what allocation would Reclamation have been able to make to its 
customers this year?

    Answer. The Department and Reclamation are unable to answer this 
hypothetical question with specificity.

    Question 3. There has been a great deal of discussion about the 
impacts of various regulatory changes and the trade-offs between water 
supply and fisheries impacts. My understanding is that one of the 
changes contained in Reclamation's proposed action in the 2019 
Reconsultation on the Long-Term Operations of the Central Valley 
Project and State Water Project resulted in additional cold water 
supplies being available on a general basis for temperature management 
for salmon in the Sacramento river. Has Reclamation performed an 
analysis of the estimated performance differences between the previous 
biological opinions and the current biological opinions related to 
drought operations? If so, what benefits, if any, did the current 
biological opinions provide to water supply and environmental outcomes 
relative to the previous rules?

    Answer. Reclamation utilizes a variety of modeling tools to 
continue to evaluate the changing conditions in the system and has a 
goal to improve the operational capability to manage the infrastructure 
in the system for all project purposes including water quality, health 
and safety, and the environment. The 2019 and 2020 Record of Decision 
are the subject of ongoing litigation. Reclamation notified FWS/NMFS 
regarding an intent to reinitiate consultation on the project 
operations to address changing conditions in a September 30, 2021, 
letter.

          Questions Submitted by Representative Gonzalez-Colon
    Question 1. Last year, Congress included within the Consolidated 
Appropriations Act, 2021 (Public Law 116-260) my legislation to make 
Puerto Rico an eligible applicant location for the Bureau of 
Reclamation's WaterSMART Grants and Drought Resiliency Project Grants.

    (a) What outreach efforts, if any, has the Bureau of Reclamation 
carried out to date to inform appropriate stakeholders in Puerto Rico 
about WaterSMART Grants and any other Reclamation funding opportunities 
that are now available to eligible applicants on the Island?

    (b) If no outreach has been conducted yet, does the Bureau of 
Reclamation plan to engage with stakeholders in Puerto Rico to inform 
them about these funding opportunities?

    Answer. As a first step, Reclamation revised WaterSMART funding 
opportunities to ensure that the documents clearly state that entities 
located in Puerto Rico are eligible to apply for funding. In August, 
Reclamation posted the first three fiscal year 2022 WaterSMART funding 
opportunities \1\ and posted four more fiscal year 2022 funding 
opportunities in January 2022.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
    \1\ https://www.grants.gov/web/grants/view-
opportunity.html?oppld=335035; https://www.grants. gov/web/grants/view-
opportunity.html?oppld=335103; https://www.grants.gov/web/grants/view-
opportunity.html?oppld=335081.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
    Where eligible, Reclamation has explicitly included language 
acknowledging eligibility for applicants in Puerto Rico.
    On September 8, 2021, Reclamation held a webinar, with assistance 
from your office and staff to publicize the event so that as many 
potential applicants as possible were made aware of the opportunity to 
learn more about the program. Reclamation is continuing to explore 
additional outreach, including plans for additional webinars in 2022, 
and will coordinate with your office as we do so.

             Questions Submitted by Representative Boebert
    Question 1. I know that there are current lawsuits over Reclamation 
projects. I ask that Reclamation provide the Committee a list of grants 
awarded by Reclamation to any entity that has sued them. Will you 
provide that to the Committee and my office?

    Answer. Please see Table below.


------------------------------------------------------------------------
                              Approval to Attend the
                               U.S. Society on Dams
         Plaintiff                (USSD) Annual          Award Number
                              Conference 2022, April
                               11-15, San Diego, CA
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Klamath Irrigation District  KLAMATH IRRIGATION              R20AP00060
                              DISTRICT
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Klamath Irrigation District  KLAMATH IRRIGATION              R20AP00062
                              DISTRICT
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Klamath Irrigation District  KLAMATH IRRIGATION              R15AP00096
                              DISTRICT
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Klamath Irrigation District  KLAMATH IRRIGATION              R21AP10430
                              DISTRICT
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Montana                      NATURAL RESOURCES & CON         R21AP10318
                              SERVATION, MONTANA
                              DEPT OF
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Montana                      NATURAL RESOURCES & CON               R16AC00110
                              SERVATION, MONTANA
                              DEPT OF
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Montana                      NATURAL RESOURCES & CON         R18AP00050
                              SERVATION, MONTANA
                              DEPT OF
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Montana                      NATURAL RESOURCES & CON               R21AC10071
                              SERVATION, MONTANA
                              DEPT OF
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Montana                      FISH, WILDLIFE AND              R17AP00010
                              PARKS, MONTANA
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Montana                      FISH, WILDLIFE AND              R18AP00125
                              PARKS, MONTANA
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Montana                      FISH, WILDLIFE AND              R18AP00281
                              PARKS, MONTANA
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Montana                      FISH, WILDLIFE AND              R19AP00070
                              PARKS, MONTANA
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Montana                      FISH, WILDLIFE AND              R20AP00300
                              PARKS, MONTANA
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Montana                      FISH, WILDLIFE AND              R16AP00218
                              PARKS, MONTANA
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Montana                      FISH, WILDLIFE AND                    R17AC00066
                              PARKS, MONTANA
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Montana                      FISH, WILDLIFE AND              R19AP00050
                              PARKS, MONTANA
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Montana                      FISH, WILDLIFE AND                    R12AC60042
                              PARKS, MONTANA
------------------------------------------------------------------------
White Mountain Apache Tribe  WHITE MOUNTAIN APACHE           R14AV93002
 of the Fort Apache           TRIBE RURAL
 Reservation, Arizona
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Yurok Tribe of the Yurok     YUROK TRIBE                     R18AV00006
 Reservation, California
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Yurok Tribe of the Yurok     YUROK TRIBE                     R19AV00012
 Reservation, California
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Yurok Tribe of the Yurok     YUROK TRIBE                     R20AV00002
 Reservation, California
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Yurok Tribe of the Yurok     YUROK TRIBE                     R21AV00011
 Reservation, California
------------------------------------------------------------------------

                                 ______
                                 
    Mr. Huffman. Thank you, Mr. Palumbo.
    The Chair now recognizes Dr. Cline to testify for 5 
minutes.

STATEMENT OF DON CLINE, ASSOCIATE DIRECTOR OF WATER RESOURCES, 
                     U.S. GEOLOGICAL SURVEY

    Dr. Cline. Chairman Huffman, Ranking Member Bentz, and 
members of the Subcommittee, thank you for the invitation to 
deliver this testimony regarding the Fiscal Year 2022 budget 
request for the Water Resources Mission Area of the U.S. 
Geological Survey.
    The 2022 budget requests $1.6 million. This request 
recognizes the important role of the Nation's largest water, 
earth, and biological science and civilian mapping agency--
tackling the climate crisis, while also supporting economic 
growth and security, and informing resource management 
decisions across the United States.
    For the Water Resources Mission Area, the budget requests 
$288.4 million. This includes $64.5 million for cooperative 
matching funds, which would allow the USGS to partner with 
nearly 1,600 local, state, regional, and tribal agencies to 
monitor and assess water in every state, protectorate, and 
territory.
    The USGS works with partners to monitor, assess, conduct 
targeted research, and deliver information on a wide range of 
water resources and conditions. The budget sustains national 
water monitoring networks, provides capacity to research 
quantity and quality limits on water availability, and supports 
the development of regional and national-scale water models and 
model-based support tools.
    In 2022, the Water Resources Mission Area focused on 
delivering integrated water availability assessments, advancing 
USGS water observing systems, modernizing the USGS National 
Water Information System, and building integrated water 
prediction capabilities. These activities would be advanced 
through both USGS nationwide, as well as targeted plans to 
extensively monitor and study selected Integrated Water Science 
basins. Three of these basins have already been selected: the 
Delaware River Basin, the Upper Colorado River Basin, and the 
Illinois River Basin. And a fourth basin, the Pacific 
Northwest, is to be selected at the beginning of Fiscal Year 
2022. In each basin, the USGS will be developing an assessment 
of predictive methodologies and tools that can be expanded from 
the basin to the larger surrounding region and, ultimately, the 
Nation.
    The 2022 budget invests in these efforts. Under our Water 
Availability and Use Science Program, the budget would enable 
the USGS to continue to work on integrated water availability 
assessments in the Delaware River Basin and the Colorado River 
Basin and would allow the USGS to begin work in the Illinois 
River Basin.
    In addition, the USGS would continue to develop techniques 
to evaluate water availability, advance the models and 
infrastructure that support assessments, and deliver tools that 
resource managers can use to support research.
    In Fiscal Year 2022, efforts would focus on incorporating 
climate change and variability, land-use and land-cover change, 
and socio-economic drivers into our water prediction 
capabilities. USGS would also enhance prediction capability 
related to the water availability impacts of climate-driven 
extreme events, such as drought, wildfire, and hurricanes.
    Through our Groundwater and Streamflow Information Program, 
the budget would maintain our core monitoring--while also 
allowing us to continue to enhance monitoring infrastructure 
through the Next Generation Water Observing System. Efforts 
would be advanced across the three Integrated Water Science 
basins, as well as a fourth basin in the Pacific Northwest.
    USGS would also continue advancements in storm tide sensors 
and Rapidly Deployable Gages to facilitate the availability of 
more data prior to, during, and after water hazard events.
    Under our National Water Quality Program, the budget would 
support activities to assess water quality factors such as 
salinity and temperature in the Delaware River Basin, 
groundwater salinity and selenium in the Upper Colorado River 
Basin, and developing a framework for assessing the impacts of 
nutrients on water availability in the Illinois River Basin.
    In addition, the USGS will continue to invest in research 
that is needed to understand water quality processes, so that 
knowledge can be incorporated into our national and regional 
scale models.
    Lastly, in Fiscal Year 2022 our Water Resources Research 
Act Program will continue to plan, facilitate, and coordinate 
water resources research, education, and information transfer 
and partnership with State Water Resources Research Institutes. 
Annual base grants will support undergraduate and graduate 
students in education and training, while competitive grants 
will support research on water issues of regional or interstate 
importance, and align with USGS priorities.
    On behalf of the USGS, I thank the Committee for its 
interest in the USGS water programs. I appreciate the 
opportunity to testify and am happy to answer any questions. 
Thank you.

    [The prepared statement of Dr. Cline follows:]
 Prepared Statement of Don Cline, Associate Director, Water Resources 
             Mission Area, United States Geological Survey
    Chairman Huffman, Ranking Member Bentz, and members of the 
Subcommittee, thank you for the invitation to deliver this testimony 
regarding the Fiscal Year (FY) 2022 budget request for the Water 
Resources Mission Area (WMA) of the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS).
    The FY 2022 budget requests $1.6 billion for the USGS. This request 
recognizes the important role that the Nation's largest water, earth, 
and biological science and civilian mapping agency can play in tackling 
the climate crisis while also supporting economic growth and security 
and informing resource management decisions across the U.S. These 
investments in USGS science span a range of activities focused on 
climate adaptation, land change science, carbon sequestration and 
greenhouse gas monitoring, critical minerals, mine waste reclamation 
and reuse, hazards monitoring, and water prediction.

    The budget also includes $60.0 million in USGS collaborative 
research with the new Advanced Research Projects Agency for Climate 
(ARPA-C) within the Department of Energy. This high-risk, accelerated 
research can achieve transformational advancement in climate adaptation 
and resilience in areas in which industry by itself is not likely to 
invest due to technical and financial uncertainty. USGS investment will 
focus on work in five areas critically important to Interior's mission 
and to tackling the climate crisis:

     Planning tools to support habitat health and biodiversity,

     Improved models for prediction of drought and its impacts,

     Predictive tools for wildfire and post-wildfire risk 
            management,

     Coastal change and vulnerability forecasts for planning 
            and support of disaster response and recovery, and,

     Models to assess the potential, and risks, for geologic 
            storage of hydrogen created using renewable energy.

    Many of these activities will also support the management 
responsibilities of Interior bureaus such as the Fish and Wildlife 
Service and Bureau of Reclamation (BOR), as well as other federal 
agencies, such as the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, 
Department of Agriculture, and Department of Defense, and States, 
Tribes, local water resource management agencies, and the International 
Boundary and Water Commission.
                      water resources mission area
    The WMA works with partners to monitor, assess, conduct targeted 
research, and deliver information on a wide range of water resources 
and conditions, including streamflow, groundwater, water quality, and 
water use and availability. These activities support an overarching 
science strategy for the USGS to observe, understand, predict, and 
deliver water science to the Nation. The information and tools provided 
by the USGS allow first responders, the public, water managers and 
planners, policy makers, and other decision makers to: (1) minimize 
loss of life and property as a result of water-related hazards, such as 
floods, droughts, landslides, and chemical spills; (2) manage 
freshwater for domestic, public, agricultural, commercial, industrial, 
recreational, and ecological uses; (3) protect and enhance water 
resources for human health, aquatic health, and environmental quality; 
(4) and contribute to the effective development and conservation of the 
Nation's water resources for the benefit of present and future 
generations.
    The FY 2022 budget request for the WMA is $288.4 million. This 
includes a total of $64.5 million for cooperative matching funds, which 
would allow the USGS to partner with nearly 1,600 local, State, 
regional, and Tribal agencies to monitor and assess water in every 
State, protectorate, and territory. The budget sustains USGS national 
water monitoring networks (including the National Streamgaging 
Network), provides capacity to research quantity and quality limits on 
water availability, and supports the development of regional and 
National-scale water models and model-based decision support tools.
    In FY 2022, the WMA would focus on: delivering integrated water 
availability assessments (IWAAs) at national and regional scales; 
advancing USGS water observing systems; modernizing the National Water 
Information System (NWIS); and building integrated water prediction 
capabilities. These activities would be advanced through both USGS work 
nationwide as well as targeted plans to intensively monitor and study 
select Integrated Water Science basins. These basins are medium-sized 
watersheds that represent a wide range of environmental, hydrologic, 
and landscape settings and human stressors on water resources to 
improve understanding of water availability across the Nation. In each 
basin, the USGS will be developing assessment and predictive 
methodologies and tools that can be expanded from the basin to the 
larger surrounding region and ultimately the Nation. The USGS will 
deploy multiple water science efforts, such as the Next Generation 
Water Observing System (high-density monitoring networks designed to 
provide high temporal and spatial resolution data on water quantity, 
quality, and use), IWAAs, and Integrated Water Prediction to better 
understand and predict water challenges. Three Integrated Water Science 
basins have already been selected--the Delaware River Basin, the Upper 
Colorado River Basin, and the Illinois River Basin--and a fourth basin 
in the Pacific Northwest is to be selected at the beginning of FY 2022.
Water Availability and Use Science Program
    The Water Availability and Use Science Program (WAUSP) fulfills the 
goals established by Congress in the SECURE Water Act (Public Law 111-
11, Section 9508) by investing in research and assessments that improve 
the Nation's understanding of water availability (defined as the 
spatial and temporal distribution of water quantity and quality, as 
related to human and ecosystem needs, as affected by human and natural 
influences). Specifically, the WAUSP supports the National Water 
Census, a USGS activity designed to systematically provide information 
that will allow resource managers to assess the quantity, quality, and 
use of the Nation's water. The WAUSP focuses on conducting national and 
regional water availability assessments; developing methods to estimate 
water budgets (i.e., the natural and human-influenced inputs and 
outputs of water for a given watershed or basin); and evaluating trends 
in water availability.
    Under this program, the FY 2022 budget would enable the USGS to 
continue work on Regional IWAAs in the Delaware River Basin and Upper 
Colorado River Basin, and allow the USGS to begin work in the Illinois 
River Basin. In addition, the USGS would continue to develop techniques 
to evaluate water availability, advance the models and infrastructure 
that support assessments, and deliver tools that resource managers can 
use to support resource planning. In FY 2022, efforts would focus on 
incorporating climate change and variability, land-use/land-cover 
change, and socio-economic drivers into USGS water availability 
prediction capabilities. The USGS would also enhance prediction 
capabilities related to the water availability impacts from climate-
driven extreme events such as drought, wildfire, and hurricanes for 
incorporation into IWAAs and the National Water Census. In FY 2022, the 
USGS would work to better understand model uncertainty for each 
component of the water budget. This includes specific activities in 
understanding models that assess and predict snowpack as a driver of 
water availability in the Upper Colorado River Basin.
Groundwater and Streamflow Information Program
    The Groundwater and Streamflow Information Program (GWSIP) focuses 
on the collection, management, and dissemination of high-quality and 
reliable water information in real-time and over the long-term, both of 
which are critical for managing the Nation's water resources and 
anticipating and responding to water hazards that can result in loss of 
life and property. Serving as one of the largest water data holders in 
the world, the USGS partners with more than 1,600 Federal, regional, 
State, Tribal, and local agencies to maintain and manage its water 
monitoring networks.
    In addition to maintaining surface water and groundwater monitoring 
networks, the FY 2022 budget would allow the GWSIP to continue to 
enhance monitoring network infrastructure through the USGS Next 
Generation Water Observing System in: the Delaware River Basin, the 
Upper Colorado River Basin, the Illinois River Basin and a fourth basin 
in the Pacific Northwest to be selected at the beginning of FY 2022. 
The USGS would also continue advancements in storm tide sensors and 
Rapidly Deployable Gages to facilitate the availability of more data 
prior to, during, and after major water hazard events such as floods, 
storm-surge, harmful algal blooms (HABs), and spills. In FY 2022, the 
USGS would continue to modernize data infrastructure and data delivery 
components of NWIS. Data delivery efforts will directly benefit data 
users by enhancing the National Water Dashboard (a mobile USGS tool 
that provides real-time information on water levels, weather and flood 
forecasts all in one place), adding new public search and data download 
functionality, and enhancing delivery of camera imagery, geospatial 
information, and discrete groundwater data. The long-term data supplied 
by the program are a critical component to sustaining the viability of 
industries such as agriculture, fishing, and outdoor recreation, and 
are used for decisions related to water-supply planning, aquifer 
storage and recovery, infrastructure design, floodplain and ecosystem 
management, energy development, and resolution of water disputes.
National Water Quality Program
    The National Water Quality Program (NWQP) supports the data 
collection, assessments, modeling, and research needed to assess the 
quality of freshwater resources. Activities are focused on 
understanding the role that water quality plays in water availability. 
The long-term data, assessments, and models supported by the program 
are critical components to sustaining the viability of industries such 
as agriculture, fishing, and outdoor recreation, and are used for 
decisions related to water-supply planning, aquifer storage and 
recovery, infrastructure design, floodplain and ecosystem management, 
energy development, and resolution of water disputes.
    The FY 2022 budget for NWQP would maintain USGS networks that 
monitor the water quality of both surface water and groundwater 
resources as well as wet atmospheric deposition (chemical constituents 
deposited via snow, sleet, rain). In addition, the NWQP would support 
activities across USGS Integrated Water Science basins to assess water-
quality factors such as salinity and temperature in the Delaware River 
Basin, groundwater salinity and selenium in the Upper Colorado River 
Basin, and developing a framework for assessing the impacts of 
nutrients on water availability in the Illinois River Basin. These 
efforts are being developed in partnership with stakeholders to ensure 
they are informative at local and regional levels but can also be 
assimilated into national-scale products as part of the National IWAA.
    The multi-scale prediction of water quality and availability will 
provide new tools for decisionmakers who manage freshwater resources. 
These capabilities will be advanced through Integrated Water Prediction 
activities designed to develop comprehensive and consistent hydrologic 
modeling frameworks for the U.S. Fundamental to this work will be USGS 
efforts to advance understanding of water quality processes and 
incorporate that knowledge into national and regional scale models. In 
FY 2022, the USGS is continuing efforts to understand the processes 
that influence both existing and emerging water-quality challenges such 
as HABs and per- and poly-fluorinated compounds (PFAS).
Water Resources Research Act Program
    The Water Resources Research Act Program, authorized by Section 104 
of the Water Resources Research Act (WRRA) of 1984, is a Federal-State 
partnership that plans, facilitates, and coordinates water resources 
research, education, and information transfer through a matching grant 
program. The WRRA authorized the establishment of State Water Resources 
Research Institutes at land grant universities across the Nation. There 
are currently 54 Institutes: one in each State, the District of 
Columbia, Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands, and Guam. Institutes 
are funded through annual base grants (Section 104b) that support about 
250 undergraduate and graduate students annually. Additionally, the 
WRRA program, in cooperation with the Institutes, supports annual 
competitive grants (Section 104g) that fund research with a focus on 
water problems and issues that are of a regional or interstate 
importance and align with USGS priorities. In FY 2022, a subset of 
these competitive grants is offered for specific priority research 
areas, including an improved understanding of the impacts of aquatic 
invasive species on lakes and rivers in the Upper Mississippi River 
basin as well as the fate, persistence, and transport of PFAS 
nationally.
                               conclusion
    On behalf of the USGS, I thank the Committee for its interest in 
USGS water programs and appreciate the opportunity to testify today. I 
am happy to answer any questions you may have.

                                 ______
                                 

    Mr. Huffman. Thank you, Dr. Cline.
    The Chair now recognizes Mr. Guertin to testify for 5 
minutes.
    Welcome.

 STATEMENT OF STEPHEN D. GUERTIN, DEPUTY DIRECTOR FOR PROGRAM 
     MANAGEMENT AND POLICY, U.S. FISH AND WILDLIFE SERVICE

    Mr. Guertin. Good morning, Chairman Huffman, Ranking Member 
Bentz, and members of the Subcommittee. I am Steve Guertin, 
Deputy Director for Policy for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife 
Service. Thank you for the opportunity to testify today on our 
budget request for Fiscal Year 2022. We appreciate your 
continued support for the Service's work.
    For more than 150 years, the Service has worked closely 
with partners to conserve, protect, and enhance fish, wildlife, 
plants, and their habitats for the continuing benefit of the 
American people. Our work is more important now than ever, as 
our Nation's people and natural resources face drought and 
fire, other climatic changes, a global pandemic, and many other 
unprecedented threats.
    Our proposed budget would provide funding to help us better 
accomplish our mission in a changing world, and recognizes the 
Service's potential to build a brighter future for fish, 
wildlife, and people.
    Our Fiscal Year 2022 request includes $1.9 billion in 
current appropriations for the Service. This reflects a $331 
million increase over the 2021 enacted level, the largest 
proposed budget increase in the Service's history.
    Our budget also includes $1.6 billion in permanent funding, 
most of which is apportioned to the states and territories to 
support their fish and wildlife conservation and outdoor 
recreation programs.
    The President's budget recognizes the Service's key role in 
supporting the Administration's top priorities: the 
intersecting challenges of climate change, the COVID-19 
pandemic, economic recovery, and racial justice through our 
targeted investments to advance climate mitigation, adaptation, 
and resilient efforts throughout the entire agency to prevent 
future pandemics associated with zoonotic disease, to create 
new jobs, infrastructure, and recreational opportunities, and 
to enhance equity in all the services and recreational 
experiences we provide and promote agency-wide.
    I will summarize and highlight some of these ways in which 
the budget request addresses these critical priorities. Most of 
the requests and the Service work maintains and increases 
conservation efforts, and helps address the climate crisis.
    Across Service programs there is a total increase of about 
$240 million above the 2021 enacted level for programs and 
projects that will contribute to minimizing the negative 
effects of climate change, bolster community resilience, and 
increase carbon sequestration. This also supports economic 
activity and creates jobs, and it provides key support for the 
America the Beautiful initiative, which aims to conserve 30 
percent of U.S. land and water by 2030 through investments in 
partner programs, climate science, and habitat adaptation and 
resilience.
    Additional funding will be used to support land management 
and restoration, while creating job opportunities for Americans 
in the outdoors, including $585 million in funding for the 
operations and maintenance needs across 568 national wildlife 
refuges. This is an increase of almost $81 million above 2021 
levels.
    Addressing the deferred maintenance backlog is critical to 
our long-term investment in America's treasured public lands, 
and also creates jobs. Our budget includes $49 million for 
deferred maintenance at our refuges, and, in addition, we have 
a $31 million investment that almost doubles funding for 
deferred maintenance at our National Fish Hatchery System.
    The budget requests $35 million for climate science, an 
almost twofold increase over last year. This is needed to guide 
expanded use of clean energy sources, and improve resilience to 
changing temperatures, water levels, and weather patterns 
resulting from climate change.
    Our work supports the responsible development of clean 
energy sources to create new industries, support American 
workers, while reducing emissions that contribute to climate 
change. With the request of $28 million, the budget more than 
doubles funding for Service activities associated with clean 
energy development. This includes a key increase for $8 million 
for Ecological Services program for planning and consultation 
to support reviews and permitting of clean energy projects.
    There is also a corollary increase of $5.1 million for a 
Migratory Bird Management program to support clean energy 
permitting and increased renewable resource development, while 
protecting migrating birds, including bald and golden eagles.
    Finally, we are requesting $1.4 million as part of the 
Department of the Interior-wide Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, 
and Accessibility Budget Initiative. In addition to supporting 
Administration priorities, our budget will ensure and restore 
and enhance capacity across the Service's programs, building 
our conservation workforce, and enhancing our ability to 
implement the laws that direct our conservation mission on 
behalf of the American public.
    We have provided programmatic budget highlights in our 
written testimony. We thank you for the opportunity to testify 
today, and for your interest in the Service's 2022 budget 
request. We would be pleased to answer any questions that you 
may have. Thank you.

    [The prepared statement of Mr. Guertin follows:]
Prepared Statement of Stephen Guertin, Deputy Director for Policy, U.S. 
         Fish and Wildlife Service, Department of the Interior
    Chairman Huffman, Ranking Member Bentz, and members of the 
Subcommittee. I am Stephen Guertin, Deputy Director for Policy for the 
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service) within the Department of the 
Interior. Thank you for the opportunity to testify before you today on 
the Service's Fiscal Year 2022 budget request.
    For more than 150 years, the Service has worked closely with 
partners to conserve, protect, and enhance fish, wildlife, plants, and 
their habitats for the continuing benefit of the American people. From 
rocky coasts to hardwood forests and black-footed ferrets to bald 
eagles, the Service stewards an array of natural resources for a 
diverse public. Our work is especially important now as our nation's 
natural resources and people face climate change, a global pandemic, 
and other unprecedented threats. The proposed budget would provide 
funding to help better accomplish our mission in a changing world and 
it recognizes the Service's potential to build a brighter future for 
fish, wildlife, and people.
    The Fiscal Year 2022 budget requests $1.9 billion in current 
appropriations for the Service. This reflects a $331 million increase 
over the 2021 enacted level--the largest proposed budget increase in 
the Service's history. The budget also includes $1.6 billion in 
permanent funding, most of which is apportioned to the States and 
Territories to support their fish and wildlife conservation and outdoor 
recreation programs.

    The President's budget will restore capacity across the Service's 
programs, building our conservation workforce and enhancing our ability 
to care for our trust resources. It also recognizes the Service's key 
role in supporting the Administration's top priorities--the 
intersecting challenges of climate change, COVID-19, economic recovery, 
and racial justice. Leveraging the Service's existing work and 
capacities in these areas, the budget provides targeted investments to 
advance climate mitigation, adaptation, and resilience efforts agency-
wide; prevent future pandemics associated with zoonotic diseases; 
create new jobs, infrastructure, and recreational opportunities; and 
enhance equity in all the services and recreational experiences we 
provide. Administration priorities for the Service are reflected in the 
budget, including implementing the America the Beautiful initiative, 
deploying clean energy, and promoting agency-wide equity and diversity.

     Conservation Efforts, such as the America the Beautiful 
            Initiative. The budget proposal for the Service is a total 
            of $1.2 billion in funding to support President Biden's 
            efforts to increase conservation efforts to help address 
            the climate crisis. The budget includes an increase of $240 
            million above the 2021 enacted level for programs and 
            projects that will contribute to minimizing the negative 
            effects of climate change, bolster community resilience, 
            and increase carbon sequestration. The budget also 
            accelerates conservation efforts by supporting the America 
            the Beautiful initiative, which aims to conserve 30 percent 
            of U.S. land and water by 2030 through investments in 
            partner programs, climate science and habitat adaptation 
            and resilience. Additional funding will be used to support 
            land management and restoration while creating job 
            opportunities for Americans in the outdoors, including 
            $584.4 million in funding for the operations and 
            maintenance needs across 568 National Wildlife Refuges, an 
            increase of $80.5 million above the 2021 level.
     Advancing Science to Pursue Clean Energy and Climate 
            Resiliency. The budget request includes $35.5 million, an 
            increase of $15 million above 2021, for climate science 
            that is necessary to guide expanded use of clean energy 
            sources and improve resiliency to changing temperatures, 
            water levels, and weather patterns. Fish, wildlife, and 
            plant resources are integral to the nation's natural 
            landscapes and have played a major role in shaping 
            America's history, identity, and character, but global and 
            national conservation challenges such as wildfire, drought, 
            invasive species, changing ocean conditions, and other 
            impacts to the land, water, and wildlife are magnified by a 
            rapidly changing climate. The budget will expand the 
            application of scientific research into the assessment and 
            understanding of habitat requirements to enable economic 
            development and inform conservation decisions in 
            cooperation with the U.S. Geological Survey and other 
            federal agencies, state, Tribal, and local government 
            partners, and non-government organizations.

     Deploying Clean Energy. The budget proposes $27.6 million 
            for the Service, an increase of $13 million, for activities 
            associated with clean energy development, including a 
            program increase of $8 million for the Ecological Services 
            Planning and Consultation program to support reviews and 
            permitting of clean energy projects. Within the Migratory 
            Bird Management Program, the budget includes a program 
            increase of $5.1 million for clean energy project 
            permitting to enable renewable resource development while 
            protecting migratory birds, notably iconic bald and golden 
            eagles. The Service supports the responsible development of 
            clean energy sources to create new industries to support 
            American workers while reducing emissions that contribute 
            to climate change.

     Promoting Equity and Diversity. The budget request for the 
            Service includes $1.4 million as part of a Department of 
            the Interior-wide Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and 
            Accessibility budget initiative to address high-priority 
            needs in support of Executive Order 13985, Advancing Racial 
            Equity and Support for Underserved Communities Through the 
            Federal Government, and Executive Order 13988, Preventing 
            and Combating Discrimination on the Basis of Gender 
            Identity and Sexual Orientation.

National Wildlife Refuge System
    The Service administers the National Wildlife Refuge System, the 
nation's network of lands and waters dedicated to conserving America's 
rich fish and wildlife heritage. Founded in 1903, the Refuge System 
contains 568 refuges that span more than 850 million acres of lands and 
waters, including over 760 million marine acres. It protects many of 
the country's most iconic ecosystems and provides high-quality habitat 
for a diverse array of fish, wildlife, and plants, including hundreds 
of threatened and endangered species.
    With a refuge in every state and territory and over 100 refuges 
within 25 miles of cities with populations over 250,000, the Refuge 
System also provides premier recreational opportunities for a diverse 
public. In 2020, the Refuge System hosted a record breaking 61.4 
million visits, reflecting a growing interest in outdoor recreation. 
These recreation visits yield major economic benefits for local 
communities, generating $1.1 billion annually in job income and over 
41,000 jobs.
    Recognizing the potential of the Refuge System to make significant 
strides toward meeting the administration's climate, conservation, and 
job creation goals, the budget requests $584.4 million for the Refuge 
System in 2022. An increase of $51.7 million for Refuge System 
operations will help accelerate climate adaptation and resilience 
efforts across the nation and improve climate science. This funding 
will be used to develop new climate adaptation decision support tools, 
advance landscape-scale conservation planning, and monitor and study 
key wildlife populations including pollinators, migratory birds, and 
endangered species.
    The budget also provides funding to help the Refuge System ``Build 
Back Better'' in several different ways. Targeted investments to 
restore the Refuge System's conservation and management capacity will 
enable us to hire new biologists, visitor service professionals, and 
federal wildlife officers. This will benefit both the natural resources 
we manage and the millions of Americans who enjoy them. The budget 
includes $13 million for the Refuge System to administer the Civilian 
Climate Corps, which will create living wage jobs and provide a pathway 
to careers in conservation and recreation--a win-win for the economy 
and the environment.
    Additionally, the budget includes $48.6 million for deferred 
maintenance at our refuges, which is a start in supporting the 
resources needed to address our maintenance backlog and shift to life-
cycle investments. Analysis shows that investing in cyclical 
maintenance saves taxpayers 40% over waiting until maintenance is 
deferred.
    Additional funding is requested to expand the Refuge System's work 
in urban communities through the Urban Wildlife Conservation Program. 
These investments will help address inequalities in recreational access 
and establish long-term, meaningful connections with culturally and 
ethnically diverse urban communities to achieve our conservation 
mission.
Ecological Services
    The Service's Ecological Services program is a leader in conserving 
our nation's imperiled species and their habitats, ensuring that 
sustainable populations of fish, wildlife, and plants continue to 
thrive for future generations. One of its primary responsibilities is 
administering the Endangered Species Act (ESA), one of our Nation's 
most important wildlife conservation laws. The ESA has had notable 
success since its passage nearly 50 years ago, including the recent 
recovery of the interior least tern, Monito gecko, Hawaiian hawk, and 
Borax Lake chub. Preventing extinction and achieving recovery of listed 
species continues to be one of the Service's highest priorities. To 
further this priority, the Service's budget request proposes a total of 
$332 million to implement the ESA and other laws under the Ecological 
Services program, including the Marine Mammal Protection Act and 
Coastal Barrier Resources Act.
    The Service will align funds from this proposed increase with our 
highest priority actions to prevent extinction and achieve recovery for 
listed species. This includes supporting voluntary conservation efforts 
on private lands, which are essential to many species-recovery efforts 
and consistent with the Administration's goals for the America the 
Beautiful initiative. Habitat conservation and restoration efforts for 
at-risk species often have the added benefit of helping us mitigate the 
effects of climate change, including high-severity wildfire and 
invasive species.
    Within Ecological Services, the budget proposes an increase of $8 
million to support reviews and permitting of clean energy projects. 
This funding will to allow us to improve and streamline consideration 
of these projects, facilitating environmentally sound energy 
development while ensuring conservation of trust resources.
    The budget request will also support work to restore and protect 
resilient ecosystems through the maintenance of undeveloped coastal 
barriers; restoration of fish, wildlife, and habitats injured by 
hazardous substances; and advancement of tools and knowledge to assist 
partners in their wetland conservation efforts.
Migratory Birds
    As climate change and other threats drive declines in North 
America's bird populations, the Service's Migratory Bird Program plays 
a critical conservation leadership role at home and abroad. The 
Migratory Bird Program leads migratory bird conservation and management 
efforts in the U.S. and internationally through effective partnerships, 
applied science, and innovative strategies. Working closely with 
States, Tribes, sporting and conservation groups, and other partners, 
the program monitors and assesses bird populations, works to balance 
human-wildlife conflicts, and provides a variety of migratory bird-
related recreational opportunities.
    To address climate change, habitat loss, and other threats to 
migratory birds, the 2022 budget proposal requests $66.1 million for 
Migratory Bird Management--an $18.2 million increase over the 2021 
level. This funding will enable the program to conduct new habitat and 
species analyses, develop new management techniques, and promulgate 
regulations that protect birds and provide greater certainty to 
regulated parties. The budget contains more than $5 million for the 
clean energy review and permitting processes, enabling us to advance 
the Administration's clean energy goals while minimizing impacts to 
migratory birds. Funding for the Joint Venture Program will increase 
habitat resilience across the nation's four migratory bird flyways.
    In addition, the budget request reflects the important role the 
Migratory Bird Program plays in promoting more equitable access to 
nature. The budget includes increased funding for the Urban Bird Treaty 
program, which will allow the Service to improve bird conservation in 
cities and expand recreational and educational opportunities to 
underserved communities.
Fish and Aquatic Conservation
    The Fish and Aquatic Conservation Program (FAC) leads the Service's 
efforts to study, protect, and restore our fish and aquatic species, 
working collaboratively with a broad array of partners.
    The program administers the National Fish Hatchery System, a 
national network of 70 propagation hatcheries, 6 Fish Health Centers, 
and 7 Fish Technology Centers. The National Fish Hatchery System is an 
international leader in the propagation of imperiled aquatic species, 
including endangered freshwater mussels, and rears more than 100 
million fish annually. This work aids in the recovery of threatened and 
endangered species, helps fulfill the Service's tribal trust 
responsibilities, mitigates the impact of federal water development 
projects, and enhances recreational fishing opportunities for the 
public. In addition, FAC staff at our 51 Fish and Wildlife Conservation 
Offices work closely with a wide range of partners through programs 
like the National Fish Passage Program and the National Fish Habitat 
Partnership to improve and restore aquatic habitats across the country.
    The program's work generates significant environmental and economic 
returns for fish and people. In 2020, the Hatchery System implemented 
almost 300 recovery actions benefiting 92 listed species and provided 
refugia for dozens more. The program also provided fishing and other 
aquatic-based recreational activities at a time when interest in 
outdoor recreation continues to grow.
    The budget requests $254.9 million for Fisheries and Aquatic 
Resource Conservation, an increase of $48.3 million above the 2021 
enacted level. The request includes a $16.2 million increase for 
operation of the National Fish Hatchery System and an additional $24.7 
million for maintenance and equipment to help maintain an aging 
hatchery infrastructure, address a $293 million deferred maintenance 
backlog, and support propagation programs vital to the health of our 
nation's aquatic ecosystems and fisheries.
    The request also includes program increases to expand aquatic 
invasive species prevention efforts, $1 million for the National Fish 
Habitat Action Plan, and $2.9 million to support the species population 
assessment and habitat conservation work of our 51 Fish and Wildlife 
Conservation Offices.
International Affairs
    The International Affairs Program leads domestic and international 
efforts to protect, restore, and enhance the world's diverse wildlife 
and their habitats. The program provides technical and financial 
assistance to conserve priority species and habitats across the globe, 
such as elephants and rhinos. It also implements the Convention on 
International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora 
(CITES) and other laws and treaties to ensure wildlife trade is legal 
and does not threaten the survival of species in the wild. The 
program's work to enhance the resilience of wildlife, habitats, and 
local communities is more important than ever, as the COVID-19 pandemic 
continues to underscore the critical role that biodiversity 
conservation plays in preventing future pandemics.
    The budget proposal includes $29.3 million for the International 
Affairs Program. This funding will enable us to expand conservation 
capacity in range countries; combat wildlife trafficking; and develop 
conservation methods to address the impacts of climate change. The 
budget will also support the program's engagement in the governmentwide 
One Health approach, which considers how animal, human, and 
environmental health are closely linked. Funding will be used to 
support wildlife and habitat conservation projects in Asia, Africa, and 
Latin America, including in regions that are hotspots for disease. 
These investments will also support education and outreach to build 
awareness of the role of conservation in preventing the spread of 
zoonotic disease.
    Additionally, the budget supports ongoing efforts to modernize the 
Service's permitting system and address administrative and security 
issues pertaining to CITES permits. The budget proposal also includes 
increased funding necessary to address the Service's significant 
international permitting workload and eliminate the existing permitting 
backlog.
Office of Law Enforcement
    As the Service's investigative arm, the Office of Law Enforcement 
supports our conservation mission by enforcing wildlife laws, ensuring 
sustainable and legal wildlife trade, and investigating wildlife 
crimes. Wildlife trafficking is a multi-billion-dollar criminal 
industry that fuels instability and has been linked to other illicit 
activities such as human, arms, and drug trafficking. The Service's 
special agents leverage their investigative skills to combat the 
transnational criminal organizations behind the global wildlife 
trafficking crisis. The Service's wildlife inspectors are the front-
line defense in the illegal wildlife trade, inspecting and interdicting 
shipments entering and moving through U.S. ports of entry. Working 
closely with international and domestic partners, the Office of Law 
Enforcement plays a key role in addressing the conservation and global 
security threat posed by illegal wildlife trade and trafficking.
    The budget requests $95 million for the Office of Law Enforcement, 
which will support efforts to ensure legal wildlife trade, reduce 
demand for illegal wildlife products, and build local enforcement 
capacities in other nations. This investment will also enable the 
Service's special agents and inspectors to focus their efforts on 
preventing the spread of zoonotic diseases through the illegal wildlife 
trade. The proposed budget also focuses on special agent and wildlife 
inspector staffing levels. Due to mandatory retirement age for law 
enforcement positions, field agents are at a historical low while 
global responsibilities continue to grow. An increase of $7.7 million 
is included to hire a new class of Special Agents, enabling the program 
to build its workforce to keep pace with its growing global 
responsibilities.
Science Applications
    Since climate change, habitat loss, and other environmental issues 
span geographic and political boundaries, addressing these issues 
requires collaboration between diverse partners at a landscape scale. 
The Service's Science Applications program plays a vital national 
leadership and coordination role in helping the Service and its 
partners address these issues using an inclusive and participatory 
approach to landscape conservation. Science Applications convenes and 
facilitates States, Tribes, private landowners, NGOs and other partners 
in identifying and addressing shared conservation priorities. This work 
helps secure durable conservation outcomes, such as proactive and 
voluntary actions to conserve at-risk species.
    In addition, Science Applications provides science support to 
Service programs and partners that helps coordinate, inform, and 
advance landscape and species conservation and climate adaptation 
efforts. Through the Science Support activity, the program works with 
partners to identify knowledge gaps around shared conservation 
priorities and provides technical assistance, tools, and coordination 
support to inform conservation and management actions. Science 
Applications also provides science support for other Service programs 
by providing resources, guidance, and information that inform decision-
making on a variety of conservation actions.
    The 2022 budget requests $18.8 million for the Cooperative 
Landscape Conservation activity and $22.9 million for Science Support. 
These requests reflect a $6.3 million and $12.3 million increase above 
the 2021 levels, respectively. This funding will enable the Service to 
continue convening partners and facilitating collaborations around the 
country--a critical need for landscape conservation. It will also 
support new investments in technical, geospatial mapping, and social 
science capacity, allowing the program to work at the field-level and 
engage new partners, with a focus on underserved communities. This work 
will directly support the America the Beautiful initiative and climate 
and environmental justice priorities.
    The increase in funding for Science Support will also advance 
Administration and Service priorities. The budget request includes $7 
million for climate science, enabling Science Applications to expand 
collaborative efforts to address climate change impacts with nature-
based solutions at the landscape level. $5 million is provided for the 
Service to advance pollinator science, partnerships, and outreach and 
engagement, which will help stabilize pollinator populations and 
sustain the economic and ecosystem services that they provide. Finally, 
funding is included to engage students from minority and under-served 
communities in internships that contribute to America the Beautiful 
while providing interns with the opportunity to explore careers in 
public service.
Wildlife and Sport Fish Restoration
    The Wildlife and Sport Fish Restoration (WSFR) Program addresses 
the challenges of managing America's natural resources by providing 
federal aid and grants to states designed to benefit fish and wildlife 
while capitalizing on recreational opportunities across the country. 
The WSFR Program administers several types of grants for projects that 
improve and manage aquatic habitats, protect, and conserve coastal 
wetlands, hunter education, and provide important access and 
infrastructure for boaters. The programs are funded by Federal excise 
taxes on firearms, ammunition, archery gear, fishing equipment, 
electric motors, and a portion of the Federal gasoline tax.
    The WSFR Program also administers the State Wildlife Grant program, 
which supports a strategic national conservation framework through 
individual State Wildlife Action Plans. These plans, developed in 
coordination with government agencies, conservation organizations and 
the public, are integral to national efforts to effectively address 
threats to priority habitats and species of greatest conservation need. 
The core value of all WSFR Programs is fostering cooperative 
partnerships between Federal and State agencies, working alongside 
hunters, anglers, and other outdoor interests, to enhance recreational 
opportunities while advancing sustainable resource goals. The budget 
includes $74.4 million for State Wildlife Grants, an increase of $8 
million, to support the protection of wildlife habitat benefiting non-
game species.
Working with Tribes
    The Service is committed to the priorities outlined in President 
Biden's Memorandum on Tribal Consultation and Strengthening Nation-to-
Nation Relationships. Tribes are important conservation partners, and 
the Service's FY 2022 budget request recognizes the valuable role they 
play in efforts to conserve our nation's wildlife and the habitat upon 
which they depend.
    The Service is requesting $8 million for the Tribal Wildlife Grants 
(TWG) Program, an increase of $2 million from the FY 2021 enacted 
level. The TWG Program supports Tribes in the development and 
implementation of wildlife and habitat conservation programs. The TWG 
Program directly benefits many Tribes whose members depend on wildlife 
for subsistence, cultural uses, and livelihoods. Other increases in the 
FY 2022 request include $16.2 million for the National Fish Hatchery 
System to support Tribal partnerships and fulfillment of trust 
responsibilities, among other activities, and $2 million for the 
Service's Native American Program to expand Tribal consultations.
    The Service will continue to enforce the Indian Arts and Crafts Act 
(IACA). The Office of Law Enforcement has found extensive violations of 
the IACA, where criminal networks are mass-producing counterfeit Native 
American art and fraudulently selling it as authentic Native American-
made. This criminal activity threatens the livelihoods and culture of 
Native American artists, and Service agents are working hard to disrupt 
these networks and bring criminals to justice.
Administration Proposals
    The Service's budget request also includes language to seek 
compensation from responsible parties who injure or destroy Refuge 
resources. This provision would provide the Service with similar 
authority to the National Park Service and National Oceanic and 
Atmospheric Administration. Today when Refuge System resources are 
injured or destroyed, the costs of repair and restoration falls upon 
the appropriated budget for the affected field station or office, often 
at the expense of other Service programs. Between 2015 and 2017, the 
National Wildlife Refuge System documented over 76,000 incidents of 
trespass, arson, and vandalism, with a total cost estimate of $1.1 
million of unrecovered damages.
    This provision would allow persons responsible for harm--not 
taxpayers--to pay for any injury they cause. The Service has criminal 
penalties (fines) for those injuries occurring on Service property. In 
most cases, the injuries far exceed any fines recovered by the U.S. 
Government. With this authority, the recovery of damages for injury to 
Refuge System resources would be used to reimburse assessment costs; 
prevent or minimize the risk of loss; monitor ongoing effects, and/or 
use those funds to restore, replace, or acquire resources equivalent to 
those injured or destroyed.
    The Service also recommends a decrease in the minimum required 
match for State Wildlife Grants for FY 2022. The decrease from 25 
percent to 10 percent (for planning projects) and from 35 percent to 10 
percent (for implementation projects) is necessary as States are facing 
unprecedented budget challenges due to the impacts of the COVID-19 
pandemic.
Conclusion
    Thank you for the opportunity to testify today and for your 
interest in the Service's FY 2022 budget request. The budget request 
promotes strategic investments that begin to address the impacts of 
climate change, provide all Americans with the opportunity to connect 
with the outdoors, enable economic development, and create job 
opportunities. I would be pleased to answer any questions that you may 
have.

                                 ______
                                 

Questions Submitted for the Record to Stephen Guertin, Deputy Director 
 for Policy, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Department of the Interior
               Questions Submitted by Representative Soto
    Question 1. Mr. Guertin, Florida's manatee population has seen 
record breaking deaths this year. Your agency declared an Unusual 
Mortality Event (UME) to investigate the cause of these deaths. Is your 
agency also willing to commit to the reclassification of manatee's from 
``threatened'' to ``endangered''?

    Answer. The Service issued a notice of its intent to initiate an 
in-depth status assessment on the West Indian manatee. As a part of 
that notice, the Service requested comments and information from the 
public and scientific experts to help with that review. This review 
will inform our next steps on recovery and other actions for the 
manatee, with due consideration given to the ongoing Unusual Mortality 
Event and the potential for it to recur. While the West Indian manatee 
is listed as a threatened species, it does not receive any diminished 
federal protections compared to those species listed as endangered. 
Threatened manatees are afforded all protections of the ESA and MMPA, 
including protected areas and conservation activities.

              Questions Submitted by Representative Bentz
    Question 1. In response to a question by Congressman Bentz, Mr. 
Guertin noted that ``the Administration has issued its intent to revise 
critical habitat for the northern spotted owl. We believe that it 
involves a combination of control of barred owl as well as a lot of 
habitat restoration measures. However, our planning also supports a 
very robust fuels treatment as well as timber management program.'' 
Please provide responses to the following questions:

    (a) Mr. Guertin's response suggested that the Biden 
administration's July 20, 2021 proposal to revise the USFWS' 2021 
northern spotted owl (NSO) critical habitat designation was somehow 
connected to barred owl control efforts and habitat restoration 
measures. For the record, please clarify how or if the July 20, 2021 
proposal to revise the NSO critical habitat designation has any 
connection to barred owl removal efforts or habitat restoration 
activities to reduce the risk of catastrophic wildfire.

    Answer. The 2012 critical habitat rule helps to guide federal 
forest land management and identifies areas where habitat conservation 
is most important and where restoration is appropriate. The final rule, 
published November 10, 2021, at 86 FR 62606, revising critical habitat 
builds upon the 2012 rule and addresses the Bureau of Land Management's 
(BLM) updated resource management plans (RMP), which incorporate 
recovery strategy for maintaining and restoring high-value habitat, 
addressing barred owl management, and actively managing fire-prone 
forests to address climate change and wildfire threats.

    (b) In light of the USFWS' recognition about the importance of 
habitat restoration and a ``very robust fuels treatment as well as a 
timber management program'' as referenced by Mr. Guertin, please 
provide the Committee the number of acres of NSO critical habitat that 
are at a moderate to high risk of catastrophic wildfire, any associated 
maps produced by the agency outlining these areas, and any examples of 
communications or reports sent by the USFWS to federal land management 
agencies recommending specific areas where forest health treatments be 
conducted.

    Answer. The 2011 Northern Spotted Owl Recovery Plan explicitly 
recommends ``active management'' of dry forests to reduce the risk of 
high-severity wildfire. Specific areas identified include the Klamath 
Provinces, the Eastern Washington Cascades, the Eastern Oregon 
Cascades, and the California Cascade Provinces. While the Department 
defers to the USDA Forest Service for information related to that 
agency's land management actions, since 2012 the BLM has conducted 
roughly 149,500 acres of forest health treatments in Oregon and 
Washington and 3,300 acres of hazardous fuels reduction treatments in 
California within northern spotted owl critical habitat. The BLM 
estimates the total area of northern spotted owl critical habitat 
burned within the perimeter of large wildland fires since 2012 is 
approximately 1.6 million acres, including 933,000 acres in California, 
553,000 acres in Oregon, and 172,000 acres in Washington.
    The BLM estimates 300 northern spotted owl nesting sites were 
within the perimeter of large wildland fires since 2012. Based on the 
relative suitability model from the Western Oregon Resource Management 
Plans, 1.9 million acres of nesting and roosting habitat and 3.5 
million acres of dispersal habitat have been burned by large wildland 
fires.

    (c) The 2011 revised recovery plan for the NSO and the 2019 NSO 
species assessment both highlighted the critical importance of 
mitigating the impact of the barred owl on the NSO. The USFWS' 
Biological Opinion for the 2016 BLM Resource Management Plan for 
western Oregon also committed to the completion of a barred owl removal 
plan by the USFWS. Other than conducting limited barred owl removal 
pilot studies, what has the USFWS done to finalize a barred owl removal 
plan? When will such a plan be finalized? Will the agency be requesting 
funding to finalize and implement such a plan?

    Answer. The Service is working collaboratively with an interagency 
team of biologists from multiple agencies, including the USFS, BLM, 
U.S. Geological Survey, National Park Service, and state wildlife 
agencies across the range of the northern spotted owl to develop a 
barred owl management strategy. The Service is also collaborating with 
private industry scientists. The Service anticipates completing a plan 
within two years. The best science concludes that managing the barred 
owl threat is the most pressing near term conservation need for spotted 
owls, while long term habitat conservation remains fundamental to 
preventing the species' extinction.

    Question 2. In response to a question by Congressman Huffman, Mr. 
Guertin suggested that critical habitat designations do not preclude 
forest thinning and fuels reduction efforts on federal lands. Please 
provide responses to the following questions:

    (a) Do critical habitat designations create additional consultation 
requirements for federal land management agencies that propose forest 
thinning and fuels reduction activities within designated critical 
habitat?

    Answer. Under section 7 of the ESA, federal agencies must ensure 
that actions they authorize, fund, or carry out do not jeopardize the 
existence of any species listed under the ESA, or destroy or adversely 
modify designated critical habitat of any listed species. However, in 
cases where the proposed activities would also provide benefits to the 
species and its critical habitat, such benefits would also be 
considered during consultation.

    (b) Do critical habitat designations expose federal land management 
agencies or the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to additional litigation 
risk challenging projects conducted within these areas, including 
claims regarding ``adverse modification of critical habitat?''

    Answer. As noted above, federal agencies consult with the Service 
to ensure their actions are not likely to jeopardize listed species or 
destroy or adversely modify designated critical habitat. The ESA allows 
a party to file a lawsuit to enforce compliance with section 7 of the 
ESA, including the Service's biological findings under section 7(a)(2).

    (c) Since the adoption of the 2012 NSO critical habitat rule, how 
many acres of mechanical fuels reduction treatments within NSO critical 
habitat have been approved through USFWS' consultations of Forest 
Service and BLM forest management projects?

    Answer. The section 7 consultation process allows for site-specific 
adjustments to proposed actions to minimize adverse effects while still 
allowing the project to move forward. To date, we have not found that 
fuels reduction projects consulted on are incompatible with critical 
habitat or the recovery of the northern spotted owl. As noted in 
response to a previous question, while we must defer to the USDA Forest 
Service for information related to that agency's land management 
actions, since 2012 the BLM has conducted roughly 149,500 acres of 
forest health treatments in Oregon and Washington and 3,300 acres of 
hazardous fuels reduction treatments in California within northern 
spotted owl critical habitat. The BLM estimates the total area of 
northern spotted owl critical habitat burned within the perimeter of 
large wildland fires since 2012 is approximately 1.6 million acres, 
including 933,000 acres in California, 553,000 acres in Oregon, and 
172,000 acres in Washington.
    The BLM estimates 300 northern spotted owl nesting sites were 
within the perimeter of large wildland fires since 2012. Based on the 
relative suitability model from the Western Oregon Resource Management 
Plans, 1.9 million acres of nesting and roosting habitat and 3.5 
million acres of dispersal habitat have been burned by large wildland 
fires.

    (d) In a December 14, 2020 comment letter on the 2021 NSO critical 
habitat rule, the USDA noted that ``critical habitat designations added 
restrictions to forest management on millions of acres of national 
forests'' and ``have unfortunately created challenges in recovery of 
the NSO.'' Does the USFWS agree with the views of the USDA Forest 
Service that critical habitat designations make it more difficult for 
that agency to implement forest management activities?

    Answer. As described above, the Service strongly supports science-
based forest fuels management to improve forest health. Section 7 of 
the ESA does not prohibit all impacts to critical habitat; only those 
impacts that appreciably diminish the value of critical habitat for the 
NSO are prohibited. In those cases, the Service works with USFS to 
identify reasonable and prudent alternatives to the proposed activities 
that allow for forest management without destroying or adversely 
modifying the critical habitat. The final rule published on November 
10, 2021, at 86 FR 62606, allows for appropriate fuels management for 
forest health. Land managers such as the USFS and BLM must comply with 
the ESA and other federal, state, and local laws as they plan and 
implement fuels treatment. The Service works closely with these 
partners to develop programmatic approvals to these types of projects 
that streamline the process and minimize the time taken to review and 
approve actions.

          Questions Submitted by Representative Gonzalez-Colon
    Question 1. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service administers five 
National Wildlife Refuges across Puerto Rico: the Desecheo, Laguna 
Cartagena, Cabo Rojo, Culebra, and Vieques National Wildlife Refuges. 
These play a crucial role in supporting our tourism and outdoor 
recreation economy. For example, in 2018, the five National Wildlife 
Refuges hosted nearly 338,000 visitors. However, before the impact of 
Hurricane Maria in 2017, visitation at these refuges exceeded a half 
million.
    As we reopen our economy, what strategies or efforts is the Service 
pursuing, or plans to pursue, to increase the number of visitations and 
promote outdoor recreation at the National Wildlife Refuges in Puerto 
Rico, including any efforts or collaborations with the surrounding 
municipalities and tourism authorities?

    Answer. The outdoor areas of the Culebra, Vieques, Laguna Cartagena 
and portions of the Cabo Rojo National Wildlife Refuges (NWRs) are open 
to the public. This includes bike and hiking trails, beaches, and most 
observation towers/platforms. Projects to improve access and promote 
outdoor activities at Puerto Rico's refuges include: repairing the Cabo 
Rojo NWR bike trail; constructing a boardwalk for wildlife observation 
at Laguna Cartagena NWR; building an observation platform at the 
Vieques NWR, which is being completed in collaboration with a local 
nonprofit organization; and repairing roads on Vieques NWR that have 
improved access to refuge beaches and gazebos/kiosks on popular refuge 
beaches.
    The Service also recently hired a new employee stationed at Culebra 
NWR that will help to enhance relationships with the community. That 
refuge is also working closely with Para La Naturaleza and the 
municipality in developing plans for the restoration of the Culebrita 
lighthouse, as well as collaborating to improve access, including with 
trails and the potential for future boat access.
    Finally, the Service routinely collaborates with municipal and 
Commonwealth agencies and tourism entities. Pre-pandemic involvement 
included providing guided tours and talks, participating in educational 
fairs and activities, and visiting schools and other organized groups. 
Many of these activities continued virtually throughout the COVID-19 
pandemic. The Service anticipates these types of activities will occur 
more frequently as conditions allow.

    Question 2. The Cabo Rojo National Wildlife Refuge headquarters 
were damaged by the 2017 hurricanes and last year's earthquake in 
southwestern Puerto Rico. It is my understanding that the building will 
need to be demolished.
    Can you provide an update on the status of these efforts, including 
how much funding is needed to rebuild the site and any efforts the 
Service is pursuing to identify the necessary resources to cover these 
costs?

    Answer. A contract for the demolition of the existing visitor 
center/administrative building has been issued and work has begun.
    Construction of the visitor center and office at Cabo Rojo NWR is a 
priority in the Service's Southeast Region. The Service has issued a 
contract for the design of a new building. The Service estimates the 
design and construction of the new facilities to be around $9 million. 
So far, the Service has secured $5,237,000 in FY 2022 Emergency 
Supplemental Appropriations. The Service has identified Great American 
Outdoors Act funding as a source for the remaining funds needed to 
complete the rebuild.

    Question 3. It is my understanding that rising sea levels, coupled 
with the loss of natural protective barriers like mangroves and dunes, 
are threatening the Cabo Rojo Salt Flats (Las Salinas) located within 
the Cabo Rojo National Wildlife Refuge. The area's ecological 
importance cannot be overstated, as it consists of saline lagoons, salt 
flats, and mangrove swamps that serve as critical habitat for numerous 
shorebird species. The Cabo Rojo Salt Flats also help support the local 
economy, both as an important tourism destination and under a special 
use permit with a private operator who continues to manage water levels 
as part of a commercial salt-harvesting operation, in accordance with 
the needs of shorebirds.
    What actions has the Service taken to date to protect the Cabo Rojo 
Salt Flats from the impact of rising sea levels and other threats like 
natural disasters? Has the Service funded, or intends to fund, any 
mitigation projects?

    Answer. The Service recognizes the importance of the Cabo Rojo salt 
flats as a natural, economic, and cultural asset to the Municipality of 
Cabo Rojo and Puerto Rico as a whole. Thousands of tourists visit Cabo 
Rojo NWR every year. The Cabo Rojo salt flats are valuable migratory 
and resident shorebird habitat. In addition to the area's ecological 
value, the shallow and hypersaline lagoons known as Fraternidad and 
Candelaria have been used for salt extraction for more than 500 years.
    Numerous storms, rising sea levels, and possible seismic activity 
in the area have led to the breach of Bahia Sucia and Punta Aguila 
coastal dunes/berms, resulting in extensive flooding to the salt flats. 
The continuous influx of seawater has affected the salt harvesting 
company's ability to produce salt and the habitat upon which migratory 
shorebirds depend for foraging and nesting. The Service has worked 
closely with federal, Commonwealth, and nonprofit partners on short- 
and long-term solutions for conserving the salt flats. The Service 
obtained $1.2 million for a restoration project for Bahia Sucia and 
Punta Aguila dunes and developed a cooperative agreement with a 
nonprofit organization (Protectores de Cuencas, Inc.). Other partners 
are supporting the project by providing technical expertise or 
equipment and materials, adding to the funding obtained by the Service. 
The restoration will be accomplished in three phases: (1) planning and 
permitting (ongoing), (2) implementation, and (3) post-implementation 
monitoring. Due to the complexity of the permitting process and the 
need to incorporate resiliency into the project design, the Service 
anticipates the planning and implementation phases will be completed 
within a two-year time frame. Various meetings and site visits have 
been held with these partners and project contractors to start 
delineating course of actions related to permits, outreach, and 
community involvement.

    Question 4. One of the marine mammal species that falls under the 
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service's jurisdiction is the West Indian 
manatee. We've recently seen an increase in the number of manatee 
deaths in Florida. Moreover, in Puerto Rico, so far this year 11 
manatees have died on our coasts, with 8 of those having been killed 
due to vessel impacts. In fact, it is estimated that 20% of all manatee 
deaths reported on the Island may be due to watercraft collisions.
    Can you discuss some of the efforts the U.S. Fish and Wildlife 
Service is currently pursuing to address these trends and protect the 
West Indian manatee population, particularly in Puerto Rico and 
Florida? Does the Service believe its current authorities are 
sufficient to carry out this work, or would you need additional 
legislation or tools to strengthen these efforts?

    Answer. In Puerto Rico, like in Florida, boat strikes are the 
leading human-related cause of death to manatees. In Florida, key tools 
to address boat strikes are manatee protection areas, speed zones, and 
enforcement. The Service is looking for ways to use such tools with our 
partners in Puerto Rico to improve in-water speed zone regulations and 
enforcement. The Service is currently working to increase boater 
awareness of manatees and the dangers presented by boats through signs 
placed in waterways.
    The Service is also supporting efforts to rescue and rehabilitate 
manatees injured by watercraft collisions through its Prescott Grant 
program. Over the past two years, the Service provided nearly $300,000 
under the Prescott Grant program to the Caribbean Stranding Network to 
support their work with sick and injured Antillean manatees.
    As for the Unusual Mortality Event (UME) in Florida, the Service is 
actively engaged in an investigation into the root causes of these 
mortalities so that it can better respond in the future. The Service 
and Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) approved a 
Temporary Response Station in cooperation with Florida Power and Light. 
The Response Station supports several UME response operations already 
underway in the central Indian River Lagoon, such as manatee rescues 
and limited field health assessments. Both agencies have also approved 
staff to conduct a short-term feeding trial (i.e., supplemental 
feeding). The Service will continue to work closely with FWC and other 
partners to restore important habitats and helping to make sure that 
partners have the resources that they need to adequately respond in the 
future.

    Question 5. The economic importance of our National Wildlife 
Refuges is especially true in Vieques and Culebra, where the National 
Wildlife Refuges cover a large portion of the island-municipalities and 
support tourism.

    (a) What efforts has the Service pursued to strengthen community 
relations in Vieques and Culebra and support their economies?

    Answer. Both refuges are working to maintain and strengthen 
relationships with the communities and governments of each island 
municipality. Vieques NWR participates actively in municipal committees 
and efforts, including Disaster Relief Operations, the Covid-19 Task 
Force, and the Composting Program. Over 35 special use permits have 
been issued to operators of wildlife-related small businesses on and 
adjacent to the Vieques refuge for birdwatching, snorkeling, 
paddleboarding, and other activities. This, together with operators of 
transport companies, have resulted in the creation of an estimated 250 
jobs on Vieques.
    The Service recently hired a new employee stationed at Culebra NWR 
that will help to enhance relationships with the community. That refuge 
is also working closely with Para La Naturaleza and the municipality in 
developing plans for the restoration of the Culebrita lighthouse, as 
well as collaborating to improve access, including with trails and the 
potential for future boat access. These efforts will provide additional 
tourism opportunities on Culebra. Culebra NWR has a number of ongoing 
biological studies through cooperative agreements with nongovernmental 
organizations.
    In addition, Culebra and Vieques NWRs have a long history of active 
participation in the Youth Conservation Corps program, employing 5-10 
community youth annually for the past 15-20 years.

    (b) What actions does the Service intend to take to help DOD and 
local authorities expedite the clean-up process in the Vieques and 
Culebra National Wildlife Refuges?

    Answer. The Service participates in the Vieques Federal Facilities 
Team and the Culebra Technical Project Committee, which includes the 
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, U.S. Navy, and the Commonwealth. 
The Service actively reviews documents related to the cleanup, 
participates in Team meetings, and participates in community 
Restoration Advisory Board meetings. For both refuges, the Service 
prioritizes areas for cleanup, based on public interest in the areas 
and the natural resources present. Vieques NWR has assisted the Navy 
with equipment and personnel upon request and cooperates in providing 
sites needed for locating equipment used to accelerate the cleanup.

    Question 6. What is the current cost of the deferred maintenance 
backlog at each of the five National Wildlife Refuges in Puerto Rico, 
and at any other U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service site or facilities on 
the Island? What efforts is the Service pursuing to address it?

    Answer. The current deferred maintenance backlog for national 
wildlife refuges in Puerto Rico totals more than $15 million. Deferred 
maintenance projects at these facilities will be considered for funding 
through the annual budgeting process.

    Question 7. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service was a pioneer in 
establishing the first official program to restore native shade coffee 
plantations in Puerto Rico, helping rural communities, wildlife 
species, and the Island's economy.

    (a) Can you provide us with a report on the history, 
accomplishments, and challenges of this effort?

    Answer. Shade-grown coffee plantations are stable agro-ecosystems 
that provide habitat, nesting, and feeding for many native, endemic, 
threatened, endangered and migratory species. These plantations serve 
as ecological corridors that create buffer zones around natural 
reserves and provide a smooth transition between urban and natural 
areas. In addition to the benefits for wildlife, shade-grown coffee 
practices produce better-quality coffee beans, use fewer herbicides and 
lesser amounts of fertilizers, increase the life span for the coffee 
trees, and result in cooler field temperature that helps when 
collecting coffee.
    In 1999, the Service, in collaboration with local nongovernmental 
organizations (NGOs), began working through the Partners for Fish and 
Wildlife Program to restore shade-grown coffee plantations in the 
northcentral coffee region of Puerto Rico. These restoration actions 
are important to the wildlife and support the local rural economy. In 
2009, the Service formalized a partnership with Natural Resource 
Conservation Service (NRCS) and private landowners to expand the 
initiative throughout the island. Throughout this partnership, the 
Service has provided technical assistance to private landowners, 
coordinated tree delivery, demonstrated practices in the field, 
evaluated the implemented practices through research, and promoted 
education and outreach.
    Since 1999, the initiative has restored more than 5,000 acres, 
planted more than 150,000 shade trees, and benefited approximately 800 
properties and landowners in Puerto Rico. The restoration efforts 
continue to overcome challenges and to thrive across the island as a 
result of the commitment of the partners.
    (b) Does the Service intend to continue funding shade coffee 
restoration projects in Puerto Rico through the Partners for Fish and 
Wildlife Program? If so, what are the needs to fully implement this?

    Answer. Yes, the Service plans to continue funding these projects 
since they are important restoration initiatives benefiting trust 
species, sustainable agriculture, and private landowners. As the 
Service continues to implement this initiative, we recognize the 
importance of maintaining a strong partnership with the NRCS and local 
NGOs, increasing support from Commonwealth agencies to develop or 
modify regulations for promoting shade-grown coffee, and working with 
partners that may promote shade-grown coffee brands and special eco-
friendly and quality certifications to increase its market value and 
export potential.

             Questions Submitted by Representative Boebert
    Question 1. When can members of this Committee expect a response to 
the letter from June 16, 2021?

    Answer. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service transmitted a response 
to this letter on August 16, 2021.

             Questions Submitted by Representative Herrell
    Question 1. The Mexican Grey Wolf recovery program in Southwest New 
Mexico is causing serious damage to our ranching and farming community. 
There is a lack of communication with local governments and property 
owners, failure to recognize wolf kills among livestock herds, and 
massive delays in ranchers being paid for confirmed kills from the 
Mexican Wolf/Livestock Council.

    In the Administration's budget, are there funds set aside to offset 
the losses incurred by ranchers located within Mexican Wolf relocation 
areas? Current funds are extremely inefficient, proof of loss is a 
cumbersome process and most ranchers loose multiple animals for every 
kill identified. Many ranchers are being forced out of business. Fair 
compensation should be a program priority. Please provide a status of 
this program, identify what resources are available for local 
governments to help affected businesses and ranchers, and please 
provide a full accounting of all Wolf kills in Catron County, New 
Mexico over the past 5 years and how long it took for each rancher to 
receive compensation for each loss.

    Answer. The Service administers the Wolf Livestock Loss 
Demonstration Project (WLLDP) Grants, which Congress authorized in the 
Omnibus Public Lands Management Act of 2009 (P.L. 111-11). These grants 
provide funding through a competitive process to states and Tribes to 
assist livestock producers in undertaking proactive, non-lethal 
activities to reduce the risk of livestock loss due to predation by 
wolves and provide compensation to livestock producers for livestock 
losses due to wolf predation. Additional information about the program 
can be found here: https://www.fws.gov/service/wolf-livestock-loss-
demonstration-project-grant-program.
    In Fiscal Year 2021 (FY21), the Service provided $1,318,203 to nine 
states, including New Mexico, and one Tribe. In FY 21, the Service 
awarded a WLLDP Grant to New Mexico, through the New Mexico Department 
of Agriculture (NMDA): $60,000 under the prevention portion of the 
grant and $150,000 under the compensation portion of the grant in FY21 
(see Service memo following this response). WLLDP Grants require a 50-
50 non-federal match. Historically, matching funds have been provided 
by two non-profit organizations: Defenders of Wildlife and the Mexican 
Wolf Fund. Recently, NMDA developed methods to capture rancher in-kind 
efforts as match, greatly increasing match availability and reducing 
payment delays. The majority of compensation requests come from 
producers within Catron County.
    The Livestock Indemnity Program (LIP) authorized by the Farm Bill 
is another program that provides compensation to producers for 
livestock losses due to wolf depredation. LIP has significantly more 
funding but is less utilized locally, primarily due to compensation 
rates being based on a national average fair market value price for 
livestock versus the higher regional or local price.

                                 *****

                               ATTACHMENT
                               
                               
[GRAPHIC(S) NOT AVAILABLE IN TIFF FORMAT] 


                               
    Question 2. Lack of Coordination and transparency between Federal, 
State and local agencies has severely affected a positive relationship 
dealing with the wolf program. What are the guidelines or regulations 
requiring coordination with Federal agencies, State and local 
governments? What oversight of the program is being conducted at a 
regional or national level? Are there any current recommendations for 
changes in the program?

    Answer. The Service's Mexican Wolf Recovery Program (Program) is a 
collaborative effort involving partner agencies to jointly manage wild 
Mexican wolves in ways that reduce wolf-livestock conflicts. The 
Program operates under a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with 
federal, state, Tribal and county partner agencies. The MOU establishes 
a framework for collaboration enabling the signatory agencies to 
implement a long-term, science-based program to reintroduce and manage 
Mexican wolves in Arizona and New Mexico to contribute toward the 
recovery of this endangered subspecies, in accordance with the Mexican 
Wolf Recovery Plan, First Revision (Recovery Plan). MOU partners in New 
Mexico include the New Mexico Department of Game & Fish, USFS, U.S. 
Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services, BLM, NPS, and Catron 
County. Each partner agency plays an important role and contributes 
funding and on-the-ground personnel toward the management of wolves. 
This includes conducting fieldwork across the recovery area and working 
closely with livestock owners and permittees to reduce wolf-livestock 
conflicts and addressing depredation-related issues.
    The Service and its partners regularly communicate with ranchers 
and the public regarding wolf issues, including wolf location 
information. The Service has a publicly available online map displaying 
recent wolf locations and regularly calls ranchers when wolves are on 
their property or on permitted allotments. The Program is overseen by 
an Executive Committee, which provides input on decisions on actions 
and resources necessary for the reintroduction and management of the 
Mexican wolf. The Executive Committee meets at least twice a year, 
assesses implementation of the Program and makes changes as needed.

    Question 3. Below is an e-mail from the Mexican Wolf Recovery 
Program Fish & Wildlife Biologist sent to a local rancher on June 15, 
2021. As you can see, this particular rancher has not been compensated 
for wolf kills dating back to March 2020 and this rancher is currently 
owed $16,492.00. When is this rancher and all other ranchers going to 
be paid for the damages the wolf is doing to livestock in Southwest New 
Mexico? Please provide a complete accounting of all outstanding 
payments due and owing to New Mexico ranchers and property owners for 
livestock losses due to wolf predation.

                                 *****

        ``On Jun 15, 2021, at 1:28 PM, Gardner, Colby  wrote:

        Hi Audrey

        I wanted to let you know that I was able to submit the 
        following requests to NFWF for payment today. Hopefully NFWF 
        will process this request within the next 30 days.

        Hope you're doing well . . .

        Colby

    Depredation Summary

        On 3-24-2020, Wildlife Services (WS) conducted an investigation 
        on livestock owned by Audrey McQueen: WS determined the 
        probable cause of death of one calf to be wolf related. The 
        Mexican Wolf/Livestock Council has determined the compensation 
        value for this calf to be $450.

        On 4-24-2020, Wildlife Services (WS) conducted an investigation 
        on livestock owned by Audrey McQueen: WS determined the cause 
        of injury of one calf to be wolf related. The Mexican Wolf/
        Livestock Council has determined the compensation value for 
        this calf to be $450. In addition, the Mexican Wolf/Livestock 
        Council authorized the payment of veterinary costs associated 
        with the care of this calf in the amount $742.00. The total 
        payment amount for this depredation incident is $1,192.00.

        On 4-24-2020, Wildlife Services (WS) conducted an investigation 
        on livestock owned by Audrey McQueen: WS determined the cause 
        of death of one bull to be wolf related. The Mexican Wolf/
        Livestock Council has determined the compensation value for 
        this bull to be $3,500.

        On 5-19-2020, Wildlife Services (WS) conducted an investigation 
        on livestock owned by Audrey McQueen: WS determined the cause 
        of death of one calf to be wolf related. The Mexican Wolf/
        Livestock Council has determined the compensation value for 
        this calf to be $900.

        On 5-19-2020, Wildlife Services (WS) conducted a second 
        investigation on livestock owned by Audrey McQueen: WS 
        determined the cause of death of one calf to be wolf related. 
        The Mexican Wolf/Livestock Council has determined the 
        compensation value for this calf to be $900.

        On 6-30-2020, Wildlife Services (WS) conducted an investigation 
        on livestock owned by Audrey McQueen: WS determined the cause 
        of death of one calf to be wolf related. The Mexican Wolf/
        Livestock Council has determined the compensation value for 
        this calf to be $900.

        On 7-23-2020, Wildlife Services (WS) conducted an investigation 
        on livestock owned by Audrey McQueen: WS determined the cause 
        of death of one cow to be wolf related. The Mexican Wolf/
        Livestock Council has determined the compensation value for 
        this cow to be $1550.

        On 8-5-2020, Wildlife Services (WS) conducted an investigation 
        on livestock owned by Audrey McQueen: WS determined the cause 
        of death of one cow to be wolf related. The Mexican Wolf/
        Livestock Council has determined the compensation value for 
        this cow to be $1550.

        On 9-22-2020, Wildlife Services (WS) conducted an investigation 
        on livestock owned by Audrey McQueen: WS determined the cause 
        of death of one cow to be wolf related. The Mexican Wolf/
        Livestock Council has determined the compensation value for 
        this cow to be $1550.

        On 2-13-2021, Wildlife Services (WS) conducted an investigation 
        on livestock owned by Audrey McQueen: WS determined the cause 
        of death of one cow to be wolf related. The Mexican Wolf/
        Livestock Council has determined the compensation value for 
        this cow to be $1550.

        On 2-13-2021, Wildlife Services (WS) conducted a second 
        investigation on livestock owned by Audrey McQueen: WS 
        determined the cause of death of one cow to be wolf related. 
        The Mexican Wolf/Livestock Council has determined the 
        compensation value for this cow to be $1550.

        On 2-15-2021, Wildlife Services (WS) conducted an investigation 
        on livestock owned by Audrey McQueen: WS determined the cause 
        of death of one calf to be wolf related. The Mexican Wolf/
        Livestock Council has determined the compensation value for 
        this calf to be $900.

        The Mexican Wolf Livestock Council has authorized the payment 
        of $16,492.00 to be disbursed to Audrey McQueen from NM 
        Livestock Depredation Compensation Grant F20AP11091.

        Colby M. Gardner
        Fish & Wildlife Biologist
        Mexican Wolf Recovery Program''

                                 *****

    Answer. The NMDA transfers funding received through the WLLDP Grant 
to the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation, which disburses funds to 
producers once the non-federal match has been identified. The Service 
does not administer these payments. For a large portion of FY20, grant 
funding was available but non-federal matches had not been secured, 
resulting in payment delays to producers. In June, NMDA secured match 
funding and requests were made to NFWF to disburse funds, which 
included Ms. McQueen's requested $16,492. Subsequently, Ms. McQueen 
contacted the Service stating she had not received her payment within 
the estimated 30 days. The Service inquired with NFWF and we understand 
that her payment was sent on August 6, 2021.

    Question 4. Another species of concern is the Texas Hornshell 
Mussel, which to my knowledge will be the first aquatic species to have 
designated critical habitat in the Rio Grande international border.
    The proposed critical habitat notes that border protection may be 
affected by the Texas hornshell critical habitat designation. According 
to the proposed rule, U.S. Customs and Border Protection indicated 
construction and maintenance of boat ramps, sediment removal, and dam 
construction may be affected by the designation of critical habitat for 
the Texas hornshell. Why is the Service not considering or proposing 
any areas for exclusion from critical habitat based on national 
security impacts under Section 4(b)(2) of the ESA?
    The Service cites to the Secretary of Homeland Security's authority 
under the Illegal Immigration Reform and Responsibility Act of 1996, as 
amended (IIRIRA) to issue a waiver from all legal requirements that he 
or she deem necessary to ensure construction of barriers and roads 
governed by Section 102 of IIRIRA. The Service states that ``on 
February 20, 2020 the Secretary of Homeland Security issued waivers for 
legal requirements covering border barrier activities directly in the 
vicinity of the Texas Hornshell's known range (85 FR 9794).''

    (a) Is the Secretary of Homeland Security's authority to issue 
waivers the only reason why critical habitat on the Rio Grande 
international border are not being excluded?

    Answer. There were several factors considered in the proposed 
critical habitat exclusion areas. Under section 4(b)(2) of the ESA, the 
Secretary must designate critical habitat based on the best scientific 
data available. The Secretary must also consider economic impacts, the 
impact on national security, and any other relevant impacts. Page 30899 
of the Texas Hornshell proposed critical habitat rule (86 FR 30888) 
outlines considerations on exclusion areas under the subheading 
``Impacts on National Security and Homeland Security.''

    (b) Did the Service read the waiver that was issued by the 
Secretary of Homeland Security, and referenced in the proposed critical 
habitat for the Texas Hornshell?

    Answer. Yes, the Service read the waiver by the Acting Secretary of 
Homeland Security dated February 14th, 2020 (85 FR 9794, includes 
Determination and Waiver, Sections 1 & 2).

    (c) Of the counties referenced in the waiver, is the Service aware 
that only two counties overlap with the proposed critical habitat, and 
not all of the counties where critical habitat is proposed are included 
in the waiver? (The relevant counties that overlap are Maverick and Val 
Verde in Texas).

    Answer. As referenced in the February 20, 2020, Notice of 
Determination published at 85 FR 9794, the Del Rio Sector includes 
these two areas: the first, starting approximately two and one-half 
(2.5) miles north and west of the Del Rio Port of Entry and extending 
south and east for approximately three and one-half (3.5) miles (area 
(1)); and a second starting approximately one-half (0.5) mile south of 
the Eagle Pass II Port of Entry and extending north for approximately 
three (3) miles (area (2)).
    The Service is aware that area (1) is within Val Verde County and 
area (2) is within Maverick County; these are the only two areas 
referenced in the waiver that overlap the proposed critical habitat for 
Texas hornshell. The Service is also aware that not all counties that 
cover the proposed critical habitat are included in the waiver.

    (d) Is the Service expecting the Secretary of Homeland Security to 
issue additional waivers under IRRIRA for the entirety of the proposed 
critical habitat?

    Answer. The Service has no expectations or knowledge of plans by 
Homeland Security to issue additional waivers.

    Question 5. If you move forward with listing the Southern distinct 
population segment of the lesser prairie chicken as endangered, will 
landowners be able to continue to enroll new acreage under an active 
Candidate Conservative Agreement with Assurances (CCAA)?

    Answer. Candidate Conservation Agreements with Assurances (CCAAs) 
are available for enrollment prior to a species being listed under the 
ESA. Specific to the lesser prairie-chicken, if the proposed listing is 
finalized, CCAAs will not be available to enroll new lands upon the 
effective listing date. The Service encourages voluntary participation 
in conservation efforts and provides regulatory assurances that remain 
intact for all participants. The Service is committed to working with 
all of our partners and stakeholders to enhance existing conservation 
programs and pursue new options for voluntary programs to conserve the 
bird and the grasslands of the southern Great Plains.

                                 ______
                                 

    Mr. Huffman. Thank you, Mr. Guertin.
    The Chair now recognizes Dr. Spinrad to testify for 5 
minutes.

   STATEMENT OF RICHARD W. SPINRAD, ADMINISTRATOR, NATIONAL 
             OCEANIC AND ATMOSPHERIC ADMINISTRATION

    Dr. Spinrad. Good morning, Chairman Huffman, Ranking Member 
Bentz, and members of the Subcommittee. Thank you for the 
opportunity to testify on the President's Fiscal Year 2022 
budget request for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric 
Administration, or NOAA. My name is Rick Spinrad, and I serve 
as the Under Secretary of Commerce for Oceans and Atmosphere 
and NOAA Administrator. After spending much of my career in 
NOAA leadership roles, I am grateful to return, and I 
appreciate the opportunity to be here.
    [Audio malfunction.]
    Dr. Spinrad.  For Fiscal Year 2022, NOAA proposes a budget 
of $6,983,329,000 in discretionary appropriations, an increase 
of just over $1.5 billion from Fiscal Year 2021 Enacted. This 
budget supports NOAA's goal of scaling up efforts to research 
and mitigate impacts of the climate crisis through investments 
in NOAA's data, tools, and services including research, 
observations and forecasting, restoration and resilience, 
ecologically sound offshore wind development, and equity at 
NOAA through programs that touch everyday lives. It also 
includes additional investments in fleet support and satellites 
to ensure the continuity of vital observations, and space 
weather observations and prediction services to protect 
critical infrastructure that provides the backbone of this 
country's economic vitality and national security----
    [Audio malfunction.]
    Dr. Spinrad [continuing]. NOAA's FY 2022 budget reflects--
--
    [Audio malfunction.]
    Dr. Spinrad [continuing]. Which builds on NOAA's long 
history to meet the needs of the future by expanding, 
diversifying, and enhancing products and services for all 
Americans to ensure that NOAA builds economic opportunity and 
upholds our critical role of environmental stewardship, and to 
position NOAA to take an aggressive and active role in 
diversifying the Federal workforce and the STEM community in a 
just, equitable, and inclusive manner.
    To that end, I am announcing today the establishment of the 
NOAA Climate Council, comprised of the Agency's top leadership, 
charged with identifying, developing, and improving the 
delivery of the climate products and services that communities 
across our Nation need the most. The Council will focus on 
strengthening and galvanizing the relationship of NOAA with the 
other Federal agencies, such as those joining me today on the 
panel, the private sector, academia, non-governmental 
organizations, and philanthropy.
    Our proposed budget takes great strides toward ensuring 
that NOAA's climate products and services are deployed 
effectively to help all Americans mitigate, adapt to, and 
become more resilient against climate change.
    Communities around the country are struggling with the 
effects of extreme climate, weather events like hurricanes, 
floods, droughts, wildfires, and fisheries collapse.
    In fact, as I sit here in my home in Oregon, as a 
constituent of yours, Congressman Bentz, there are nine large, 
uncontained fires ravaging through acres of forest.
    The 2020 wildfire season was a devastating example of the 
environmental and socio-economic destruction that environmental 
events can wreak on communities, businesses, and the 
environment. There is an increasing need for NOAA's science and 
services, and we must be able to meet the needs of all 
communities.
    For over 50 years, NOAA has provided science, service, and 
stewardship to the Nation. NOAA leverages diverse authorities 
for climate, weather, fisheries, coasts, and the ocean to 
develop and deliver more knowledge and actionable products to 
meet the needs of decision makers. Through these additional 
investments across NOAA's mission, we will be on track to 
deliver and develop new and improved climate tools and products 
that provide useful information and services to communities, 
businesses, and the public.
    For example, our funding request would provide critical 
investments for us to better predict fire behavior. In 
addition, new improvements and engagement with Tribal Nations 
and at-risk communities related to drought implementation and 
mitigation strategies. Our funding request would increase 
fishery surveys, sampling, and analysis capabilities to deliver 
information on the distribution and abundance of valuable 
species, so that decision makers can determine best management 
strategies. And finally, it would allow NOAA to continue to 
invest in ecological restoration and community resilience.
    NOAA provides the Nation's authoritative climate and 
environmental services, and this budget request would enable us 
to understand, prepare for, and adapt to the changes that we 
are already seeing, and those that are yet to come. I look 
forward to working closely with you as we develop our science 
and services in Fiscal Year 2022 and beyond, and I look forward 
to discussing NOAA's mission more with you today. Thank you.

    [The prepared statement of Dr. Spinrad follows:]
   Prepared Statement of Dr. Richard W. Spinrad, Under Secretary of 
       Commerce for Oceans and Atmosphere and NOAA Administrator
    Chair Huffman, Ranking Member Bentz, and members of the Committee, 
thank you for the opportunity to testify today regarding the 
President's FY 2022 budget request. The Department of Commerce's 
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) appreciates the 
continued support of Congress, the Administration, and our broad and 
diverse base of stakeholders.
    For FY 2022, NOAA proposes a budget of $6,983,329,000 in 
discretionary appropriations, an increase of $1,543,531,000 from FY 
2021 Enacted. This budget supports NOAA's goal of scaling up efforts to 
research and mitigate impacts of the climate crisis through investments 
in NOAA's data, tools, and services including research, observations 
and forecasting, restoration and resilience, ecologically sound 
offshore wind development, and equity at NOAA through programs that 
touch everyday lives. It also includes additional investments in fleet 
support and satellites to ensure the continuity of vital observations, 
and space weather observations and prediction services to protect 
critical infrastructure that provides the backbone of this country's 
economic vitality and national security.
Climate

    The atmosphere, ocean, water, and land ecosystems all show 
indicators of a warming and changing climate. To persist and thrive in 
this changing world, the Nation must make well-informed choices and 
embrace solutions that pave the way for a viable economy and the 
sustainable infrastructure to support it.
    Communities around the country are struggling with the effects of 
extreme events like hurricanes, floods, droughts, wildfires, heat 
waves, and fisheries collapse. In 2020, there were 22 weather and 
climate disaster events in the United States that each had losses 
exceeding $1 billion.\1\ The 2020 wildfires in California--the worst in 
the state's history--are a paramount example of the environmental and 
socio-economic devastation that environmental events can wreak on 
communities, businesses, and the environment. NOAA's FY 2022 budget 
requests an additional $855.1 million over enacted levels to help meet 
the Administration's climate science goals, including implementation of 
Executive Order (EO) 14008 on Tackling the Climate Crisis at Home and 
Abroad, by expanding investments in climate research, supporting 
regional and local decision making with climate data, tools, and 
services, and helping the most vulnerable communities improve 
adaptation, mitigation, and resilience to climate change.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
    \1\ NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, U.S. 2020 
Billion-Dollar Weather and Climate Disasters, (2020), https://
www.ncdc.noaa.gov/billions/.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
    For over 50 years, NOAA has provided science, service and 
stewardship to the nation. NOAA develops actionable climate science and 
information needed to help solve the climate crisis. NOAA leverages 
diverse authorities for climate, weather, fisheries, coasts, and the 
ocean; huge stores of environmental data and observations; world-
renowned expertise; and networks of public, private, and academic 
partnerships to co-develop and deliver the most up-to-date knowledge 
and actionable products to meet the needs of decision makers. This 
information is critical to resilience-building, national security, and 
economic vitality; the protection of life and property; the sustainable 
use of our resources; and the preservation and resilience of our 
natural environment. From sun to sea, NOAA takes a comprehensive earth 
system approach.
    Through the following targeted investments to support an integrated 
approach to the climate crisis, NOAA will be on track to develop and 
deliver new and improved climate tools and products that provide useful 
climate information and services to decision makers, communities, 
businesses, and the public, including:

        Research: NOAA will strengthen core research capabilities 
        Foundational research will improve products and services and 
        will help communities prepare for and adapt to impacts of 
        extreme weather and climate events that have become more 
        frequent and costly in recent decades.

        Observations and Forecasting: NOAA will expand its delivery of 
        the best-available climate observations and information 
        (physical, biological, social, economic assessments, 
        predictions and projections) to understand, mitigate, prepare 
        for, and adapt to future conditions, especially in frontline 
        and underserved communities that are disproportionately 
        vulnerable to the impacts of climate change.

        Restoration and Resilience: NOAA will invest in ecological 
        restoration and community resilience, and address an increasing 
        demand for NOAA's science and services needed to enhance 
        natural and socioeconomic resilience of our ocean and coasts 
        through our expertise, robust on-the-ground partnerships, and 
        place-based conservation activities. NOAA will support the 
        Administration's goal to conserve at least 30 percent of the 
        Nation's lands and waters by 2030, collaborate with the new 
        Civilian Climate Corps, and coordinate with partners on other 
        related whole-of-government initiatives.

        Offshore Wind: NOAA will further the Administration's goal to 
        deploy 30 gigawatts of offshore wind in the U.S. by 2030, while 
        protecting biodiversity and promoting ocean co-use.

        Equity: NOAA will enhance its consideration of equity 
        dimensions across the organization, from management, to 
        policies, to service delivery. NOAA will cultivate a more 
        diverse, climate-ready workforce of the future that builds upon 
        NOAA's long history of investments in graduate and postgraduate 
        training, fellowships, and extension programs.

    Collectively, these investments will support our efforts to build 
resilient communities, economies, businesses, and ecosystems.
Research

    NOAA science plays a critical role in informing the Nation and the 
world about current and projected changes in the climate system. 
Standing on the firm foundation of world-class earth system and climate 
science, NOAA provides data, tools, and services that reach every 
American every day.
    To strengthen core research capabilities to respond to increasing 
demand for the data, tools, and services that this research provides, 
NOAA is requesting an increase of $149.3 million. We will improve 
understanding of climate change on time scales from weeks, to decades, 
to centuries. We will build on this understanding to improve 
precipitation, fire weather, and sea level rise forecasts, and identify 
impacts of climate change on fisheries, protected species, and living 
marine resources to improve management. Of these funds, NOAA will 
commit $40 million to the Advanced Research Projects Agency for Climate 
(ARPA-C), harnessing NOAA's restoration and conservation efforts to 
help sequester carbon while also protecting marine ecosystem diversity.
    NOAA will research the ways in which our ocean influences, and is 
influenced by, climate change. For example, the total amount of excess 
heat absorbed by the ocean, or how the ocean's role as a sink for 
anthropogenic carbon will change over time are still not fully 
quantified. It is imperative that NOAA dedicates research toward 
understanding and projecting coastal inundation from rising seas, high 
lake levels, heavier precipitation, shrinking sea ice, and more 
frequent extreme weather events associated with our warming climate.
    NOAA will invest additional resources to improve predictions and 
projections in a research environment. In particular, NOAA will improve 
precipitation predictions across weather and climate timescales for 
transition to operations through the Precipitation Prediction Grand 
Challenge Initiative. This is a cross-NOAA effort to advance 
subseasonal-to-seasonal and seasonal-to-decadal forecasts, and will be 
conducted in collaboration with our academic research partners, and 
will include more skillful precipitation forecasts using NOAA's Unified 
Forecast System. In addition, NOAA will develop a global high-
resolution model to improve the understanding and prediction of extreme 
events.
    As we increase our understanding of the changing climate in the 
short and long term, we will simultaneously research and develop new 
and improved tools for decision makers to address extreme impacts such 
as sea level rise, fire weather, and impacts on living marine 
resources. NOAA will enhance our Effects of Sea Level Rise (ESLR) 
extramural grant program in partnership with the Department of 
Transportation, to support research that informs adaptation planning 
and coastal management decisions in response to sea-level rise, 
flooding, and inundation threats, including evaluation of nature-based 
solutions for enhancing the resilience of coastal transportation 
infrastructure. NOAA also proposes an increase to develop a 
collaborative and integrated fire weather research program to enable 
new research into the coupled modeling for both the short-term fire-
atmosphere and sub-seasonal to climate-scale modeling systems.
    Our research will address the needs of sustaining a healthy ``blue 
economy,'' which includes tourism, recreation, commercial fishing, 
renewable energy, and more. Last year the Bureau of Economic Analysis, 
in partnership with NOAA, released initial findings showing that the 
U.S. marine economy contributed about $373 billion to the Nation's 
gross domestic product in 2018 and grew faster than the nation's 
economy as a whole.\2\ The NOAA Climate and Fisheries Initiative will 
significantly increase fisheries surveys, sampling, and analysis 
capabilities to deliver information on the changing distribution and 
abundance of commercial and recreationally valuable species due to 
climate change so that decision makers can determine best management 
strategies. In addition, NOAA will build a national ocean/ecosystem 
modeling and prediction system spanning U.S. coastal waters, the 
Arctic, and the Great Lakes, leveraging its global climate modeling 
system. This research will develop tools for decision makers to prepare 
for changing conditions in the ocean and Great Lakes, reduce climate 
impacts, and increase the resilience of all living marine and Great 
Lakes resources and the communities that depend on them.
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    \2\ Bureau of Economic Analysis and NOAA, Ocean Economy. (2020), 
https://www.bea.gov/data/special-topics/ocean-economy.
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    Through the ARPA-C initiative, NOAA will pioneer research on blue 
carbon, carbon stored in ocean and coastal ecosystems, and factors that 
influence sequestration. This will lead to a better understanding of 
the effectiveness of certain climate mitigation strategies, such as 
different renewable energy choices and the role of coastal and ocean 
ecosystems, including in National Marine Sanctuaries and National 
Estuarine Research Reserves in carbon sequestration.
    NOAA's data are critical for every Federal agency that seeks to 
better understand the impacts of climate change on their specific 
mission. To ensure these data are actionable, NOAA convenes and works 
directly with other Federal agencies to produce climate science and to 
support the agencies who need to use our science within their missions. 
One of the primary interagency collaborations is through the U.S. 
Global Change Research Program (USGCRP), under which NOAA co-leads the 
quadrennial National Climate Assessment and multiple interagency 
working groups focused on adaptation and resilience, international 
collaboration, climate and human health, sustained assessments, and the 
social sciences of climate and global change.
Observations and Forecasting

    Measuring and predicting climate change impacts are core to NOAA's 
mission. NOAA proposes a $368.2 million budget increase to enhance and 
improve climate observations and forecasting to assist the Nation to 
become safer and more resilient under a changing climate.
    NOAA provides timely, actionable access to global, national, 
regional, and local environmental data from satellites, radar, surface 
systems, atmospheric greenhouse gas sampling stations, ocean buoys, 
uncrewed systems, aircraft, and ships. In FY 2022, NOAA will continue 
to invest in these platforms to meet the increasing demand for 
observations. We will continue tracking marine ecosystem conditions to 
provide critical information for marine industries like fisheries, 
shipping, and offshore wind. We will also continue to track local 
environmental conditions that inform farming, forestry, building and 
construction, resource planning, disaster preparedness, and more. 
NOAA's local weather stations, climate monitoring stations, and 
research facilities across the country will continue to maintain long-
standing climate records, such as temperature and rainfall 
observations, taken by experts and community scientists. These records 
are made publicly available and used to prepare, plan, and execute 
critical decisions at the local level. NOAA uses these data to 
establish a baseline normal state against which to compare new 
environmental states over time.
    NOAA's ocean observing system is the basis for forecasting both 
natural climate variability, as well as the impacts of long-term 
climate change on our ocean resources and on ocean patterns that, in 
turn, drive our weather. The FY 2022 request will allow NOAA to begin 
addressing gaps that can be filled to improve forecasts. NOAA provides 
more than 50% of global in-situ ocean observing through our Argo and 
Tropical Pacific Observing System, to help us monitor the changing 
ocean environment. Enhancement and reconfiguration of the existing 
Tropical Atmosphere Ocean (TAO) moored array, implementation of the 
Tropical Pacific Observing System (TPOS) backbone observations, and 
calibrations of the radiation sensors across the observing network are 
essential to improving NOAA's climate forecast capabilities. These 
observations, supported by uncrewed platforms like ocean gliders, are 
also essential to describing the present state of the ocean, detecting 
long-term changes, and providing necessary operational weather, marine, 
and climate services worldwide.
    The FY 2022 request will allow NOAA to support and maintain long-
term atmospheric observations, which serve as a baseline and record of 
trends for the release and sequestration of carbon dioxide, methane, 
other important greenhouse gases, and other atmospheric aerosols and 
particles that affect climate, weather, and human health. NOAA will 
invest in our fleet of aircraft to continue to monitor long-term 
atmospheric and climate change trends. We will complete the acquisition 
of the G-550, which improves hurricane forecasting approximately 15-
25%. We will also conduct critical maintenance on our two P-3 Hurricane 
Hunter aircraft, which have unique airborne data collection tools.
    One of the greatest forecasting challenges facing NOAA is the need 
to improve precipitation forecasts across timescales from weather to 
climate. Related, there is a critical need for improved projections of 
how the climate will change on more granular, regional scales and over 
the next several decades. Investments to fully develop a Seasonal 
Forecast System will improve climate projections on these scales to 
better inform regional and local adaptation and resiliency planning for 
infrastructure, natural resource management, food production, finance, 
national security, and other sectors. Wildfires are influenced by the 
weather and climate, and the weather and climate are influenced by 
wildfires. Of particular interest to NOAA in FY 2022 are the 
opportunities to improve fire weather and smoke management forecasting. 
NOAA will work to improve short-term forecasts to better predict fire 
behavior and the longer-term modeling of interactions between climate 
variability, climate change, and the likelihood of hazardous wildfire 
conditions. Tools will be developed in concert with the U.S. Forest 
Service, the Department of the Interior, and relevant Tribal 
organizations.
    Looking beyond the interior to the coast, investments in improved 
precipitation forecasts, a modernization of water level and land height 
observations, and a completion of the operational coastal oceanographic 
modeling system will together provide real-time inundation alerts, 
high-tide flooding outlooks, and long-term sea level trends. NOAA will 
convey this information using a Next-Generation Coastal Inundation 
Dashboard to allow coastal decision makers to evaluate flood risk at a 
local level and varying timescales.
    NOAA's weather and climate predictions and information must be 
reliably delivered to users to impact decision making. The FY 2022 
request includes a critical investment in the NWS Integrated 
Dissemination Program plan to address reliability and capacity issues 
necessary to ensure the provision of weather and climate forecasts and 
warnings to the public, emergency management partners, and the U.S. 
weather and climate enterprise. NOAA will invest in dissemination of 
rapidly increasing open data with the establishment of a NOAA Cloud 
Program to streamline and accelerate the transition of all NOAA mission 
areas to the cloud. This, in conjunction with the evolution of NOAA's 
Open Data Dissemination, will provide worldwide cloud access to NOAA 
climate and earth system dynamics data crucial to improve climate 
modeling. NOAA will work with data users to ensure they have access to 
the data necessary to better understand and decrease climate risks. 
NOAA must also invest in the transition of legacy telecommunications 
infrastructure to the government-wide Enterprise Infrastructure 
Solutions contract, which will adopt modern technologies and a service-
based approach. This modernization effort will support all of the 
observing and forecasting efforts described above.
Restoration and Resilience

    Forty percent of the U.S. population live and work in coastal 
counties,\3\ making a disproportionate segment of our society and 
economy at increasing risk from such hazards as hurricanes and coastal 
inundation. Therefore, NOAA is requesting $259.3 million in FY 2022 for 
investments in ecological restoration and community resilience that are 
integral to NOAA's climate strategy. There is an increasing need for 
NOAA to create and foster natural and economic resilience along our 
coasts through direct financial support, expertise, robust, on-the-
ground partnerships, and place-based conservation activities. These 
activities would also support the Administration's efforts to conserve 
at least 30 percent of the Nation's lands and waters by 2030.
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    \3\ NOAA Office of Coastal Management and U.S. Census Bureau, 
American Community Survey Five-Year Estimates. (2017), https://
coast.noaa.gov/digitalcoast/data/acs.html.
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    Grants in the FY 2022 request will help states, Tribes, and other 
landowners plan and implement habitat conservation and restoration 
projects, including for candidate, proposed, and ESA-listed species, 
increasing habitat acres restored by over 60 percent. Healthy coastal 
habitats, such as marshes and coral reefs, protect ecosystems, 
shorelines, and communities from waves, storms, and floods, and help to 
prevent loss of life, property damage, and erosion. They also are a key 
source of livelihoods, through tourism and fishing. In addition, 
restoration activities and the construction of natural infrastructure 
employs construction workers, engineers, ecologists, project managers, 
and heavy-equipment operators, and generates a wide array of economic 
co-benefits. A 2020 reexamination confirmed an initial assessment that 
a $10 million investment in ecological restoration of Michigan's 
Muskegon Lake in 2011, would power up the local economy by 
approximately $60 million through increased home prices and 
recreational visits.\4\
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    \4\ Grand Valley State University, Muskegon Lake Area of Concern 
Habitat Restoration Project: Socio-Economic Assessment Revisited, 
(2020), https://www.glc.org/wp-content/uploads/Habitat-socioeconomic-
Study-July-2020.pdf.
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    NOAA will work with partners to foster resilience of coastal 
ecosystems and the communities that depend on them. NOAA requests funds 
to expand the National Coastal Resilience Fund to help coastal 
communities and ecosystems prepare for and recover from extreme weather 
events, climate hazards, and changing ocean conditions. NOAA also will 
enhance the National Coastal Zone Management Program for coastal states 
and territories to support community adaptation efforts, including a 
focus on underserved communities disproportionately vulnerable to 
hazards. With funding requested in FY 2022, NOAA will remove marine 
debris, increasing such removal by 60 percent, and foster public 
awareness of the effects of marine debris. NOAA will continue to 
partner with the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation through the 
Fishing for Energy program to provide funding support to commercial 
fishermen to aid removal, disposal, and prevention of derelict fishing 
gear and plastic found at sea and aid in economic recovery for this 
sector.
    NOAA will support endangered and threatened marine species through 
the U.S. Marine Biodiversity Observation Network, to support ecosystem-
based management of commercially harvested species through advanced 
biological observing, modeling, and other innovative tools to inform 
adaptation strategies. NOAA will combat stony coral tissue loss 
disease, an especially lethal disease first reported in 2014 that 
spreads rapidly, causing high coral mortality. NOAA will build capacity 
for disease detection, prevention, and response efforts, and engage 
partners, coral reef managers, and regional fisheries managers.
    NOAA's active engagement and partnerships with regional users and 
climate service delivery providers facilitate the uptake and 
application of NOAA's authoritative information. NOAA's National Sea 
Grant College Program will increase coastal community understanding of 
climate risk factors, develop key decision tools, and address critical 
knowledge gaps for coastal communities. NOAA's Regional Integrated 
Sciences and Assessments (RISA) program will work with communities to 
co-produce and operationalize lasting and equitable climate resilience 
plans in 50 cities around the Nation, prioritizing underserved 
communities particularly vulnerable to a changing climate. NOAA will 
improve response readiness in preparation for more emergency events 
through an investment in our Office of Response and Restoration. This 
will strengthen the national capacity to respond to emergency events by 
addressing internal and external preparedness gaps, investing in more 
efficient response equipment, and initiating a nationwide refresh of 
the Environmental Sensitivity Index to ensure an accurate understanding 
of the baseline for timely decisions during a disaster.
    NOAA's FY 2022 request supports locally driven management decisions 
regarding NOAA trust resources through increased engagement with 
partners, under-represented communities, Tribes, and local indigenous 
groups to strengthen conservation outcomes. For example, in National 
Marine Sanctuaries, NOAA will double climate vulnerability assessments, 
promote climate resilience, and enhance work with states and local 
communities to achieve on-the-ground conservation goals. NOAA will also 
provide enhanced technical support and increased capacity within the 
National Estuarine Research Reserve System to further the benefits of 
blue carbon, to monitor marsh resilience to sea level rise, and to 
identify conservation corridors and habitat gaps for conservation and 
restoration planning. NOAA will convene technical experts, decision 
makers, and stakeholders to ensure that coastal adaptation investments 
are science-based, community-driven, and offer equitable solutions, 
making communities and the environment more resilient to climate 
impacts.
Offshore Wind

    Offshore wind development is rapidly expanding in the United 
States, particularly in the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic, and is being 
considered along the Gulf and West Coasts as well. This represents a 
relatively new use of our marine waters and will require scientific and 
regulatory review to balance energy production with protecting marine 
resources and fisheries production. NOAA will continue to work closely 
with the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) to minimize the 
effects of offshore energy projects on protected resources, fisheries, 
and important habitats in the region; avoid delays and minimize adverse 
economic impacts to the fishing industry and related coastal 
communities; and mitigate impacts to fisheries surveys in the Northeast 
and Mid-Atlantic. NOAA is requesting a total of $20.4 million in four 
complementary areas to enhance interagency engagement, siting, and 
permitting of offshore energy projects to minimize impacts on our trust 
resources and constituencies: (1) Offshore energy assessment and 
scientific advice to support the regulatory process; (2) dedicated 
resources for offshore energy assessment related to protected 
resources; (3) increased support for environmental assessments and 
consultations with BOEM; and (4) development of new fisheries survey 
design and methods to address anticipated changes in habitats around 
offshore wind developments. Working in partnership with BOEM and other 
relevant agencies, these funds will support NOAA's role in achieving 
the Administration's goal to deploy 30 GW of offshore wind in the U.S. 
by 2030, while protecting biodiversity and promoting ocean co-use.
Equity

    The Biden Administration policies, including those described in EO 
13985 on Advancing Racial Equity and Support for Underserved 
Communities Through the Federal Government, make it clear that agencies 
will integrate equity dimensions into the DNA of their organizations--
from management, to policies, to service-delivery. Underserved 
communities are especially vulnerable to weather, water, and climate 
events, with large disasters posing public health and safety risks and 
causing poverty rates to increase.\5\ In FY 2022, NOAA requests $57.9 
million to develop a framework to lay the foundation for successfully 
integrating equity considerations throughout the organization. This 
will position NOAA to help vulnerable communities better prepare for 
and respond to extreme weather and climate disasters. For example, in 
many localities whose budgets have already been constrained by the 
pandemic, major storms cause local revenues to fall by 6% to 7%, with 
that figure two times greater for municipalities with a significant 
racial minority population.\6\
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    \5\ Hallegatte, S., Vogt-Schilb, A., Rozenberg, J., Bangalore, M., 
& Beaudet, C. (2020). From poverty to disaster and back: A review of 
the literature. Economics of Disasters and Climate Change, 4(1), 223-
247.
    \6\ Rhiannon Jerch & Matthew E. Kahn & Gary C. Lin, Local Public 
Finance Dynamics and Hurricane Shocks, (NBER Working Papers 28050, 
2020, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc. 2020).
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
    This effort includes investing in NOAA's internal capacity to 
better respond to the needs of vulnerable populations, assessing key 
services to identify and address barriers to access to all Americans, 
funding targeted investments in historically underserved communities, 
and enhancing NOAA's capabilities, such as the Drought Portal and the 
Sea Level Rise Viewer. NOAA's concrete goals will be responsive to 
promoting equitable delivery of government benefits and equitable 
opportunities as outlined in EO 13985 and provide an action plan to 
make service delivery more equitable. This includes delivering Spanish-
language translation of weather information from NWS offices and 
enhancing Tribal consultation on substantive policy matters with at 
least 30% of federally recognized Tribes in FY 2022. NOAA will also 
establish a NOAA Climate Cooperative Science Center as part of the Jose 
E. Serrano Educational Partnership Program with Minority Serving 
Institutions (EPP/MSI) to train post-secondary students in climate 
science. NOAA will modify award-winning Digital Coast tools and 
products to make them more accessible and conduct more robust 
engagement with underserved and vulnerable coastal communities. The 
National Sea Grant College Program will also increase, in FY 2022, the 
number of Sea Grant tools, products, and information services that are 
used to advance environmental literacy and workforce development 
services for underserved communities.
    NOAA also seeks to strengthen equity efforts internally to 
accelerate efforts to attract, retain, and develop talent, including 
from diverse backgrounds. NOAA will enhance recruitment programs and 
communication tools to support STEM recruitment efforts from 
Historically Black Colleges and Universities and other MSIs. NOAA will 
also leverage these institutions through more tailored recruitment in 
the NOAA Corps recruitment, and the IT Fellowship Program. NOAA will 
accelerate implementation of the Diversity and Inclusion Strategic Plan 
and training and outreach for staff, supervisors, and leaders. These 
investments in supporting equity in our current and prospective 
workforce will allow NOAA to leverage diversity to provide better 
services to all Americans.
Fleet

    The FY 2022 request includes significant investments for NOAA's 
observational infrastructure, such as the NOAA fleet, a key component 
of the NOAA mission. NOAA drives the Nation's economy, protects and 
creates better opportunities for the American public, and responds to 
climate-induced impacts with products and services firmly rooted in 
data. These data depend on NOAA's fleet of 15 ships. The $5.4 trillion 
and 31 million jobs that pass through our Nation's ports,\7\ the $244.1 
billion in sales and 1.74 million jobs connected to the Nation's 
fisheries,\8\ and resiliency and prosperity of coastal communities all 
use data from NOAA ships. NOAA's detailed recapitalization plan and 
transformational maintenance strategy is a targeted approach to provide 
the Nation the most effective at-sea data. NOAA has made significant 
advancements in reliability and capabilities and, in turn, increased 
the days at sea available to support national requirements for data 
collection.
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    \7\ Martin Associates for the American Association of Port 
Authorities, 2018 National Economic Impact of the U.S. Coastal Port 
System, Spring Conference 2019, http://www.aapa-ports.org.
    \8\ NOAA, Fisheries Economics of the United States, Economic Impact 
Trends, 2017, (2017) https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/national/
sustainable-fisheries/fisheries-economics-united-states.
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    In FY 2022, NOAA requests $101 million to support mid-life 
maintenance on the NOAA Ship Ronald H. Brown and to construct the 
Southeast Marine Operations Hub to replace Pier Romeo in Charleston, 
South Carolina, which is the homeport for the Brown and NOAA Ship Nancy 
Foster. The Brown, NOAA's largest oceanographic research vessel, 
collects oceanographic and atmospheric data worldwide in direct support 
of NOAA's climate missions, including data from buoys that drive 
accurate weather forecasts and climate models and ocean acidification 
data that informs global carbon models. Upon completion of maintenance, 
the Brown's expected life span will increase to provide 15 more years 
of reliable and highly capable support for at-sea data collection.
Satellites

    The FY 2022 request also includes significant investments for 
NOAA's observational infrastructure, such as NOAA satellites, a key 
component of the NOAA mission. NOAA is committed to a flat $2.0 billion 
budget for the National Environmental Satellite, Data, and Information 
Service (NESDIS) starting in FY 2022 with no outyear increases other 
than government-wide inflation assumptions. The FY 2022 budget request 
underscores NOAA's commitment to making crucial, time-sensitive 
investments to ensure that the Nation's next-generation satellite 
systems not only improve capabilities, but that they also expand 
delivery of essential climate, weather, atmospheric, and oceanographic 
information to meet the needs of the American public. In support of EO 
14008, the FY 2022 budget will help NOAA better observe environmental 
phenomena, including greenhouse gas measurement, connected to climate 
change-related impacts and patterns, and deliver products, information, 
and climate services to inform decision makers.
    The value of NOAA's data is dependent on users' ability to access 
and apply it. The FY 2022 budget supports much-needed improvements to 
NOAA's data infrastructure that will ensure that the data collected are 
preserved for the future and can be easily accessed in a cloud-based 
environment. This includes funding to transition NOAA to cloud 
computing for data ingest, processing, dissemination, and archiving, 
which will expand the size and diversity of NOAA user communities and 
data applications.
    For decades, the U.S. government was alone in developing Earth 
observing satellites on behalf of the Nation. Now the government is 
joined by U.S. companies in the midst of another space race--a race to 
deploy constellations of satellites for communications and 
connectivity. The growth of the U.S. space industry has created new 
opportunities for Federal agencies like NOAA. Plus, there are more 
sophisticated commercial technologies and capabilities available than 
ever before to advance NOAA's national mission. NOAA will initiate 
development of the next generation of cutting-edge earth observing 
instruments to continue leading the world in this critical science and 
technology field, setting the global standards for such observations.
    NOAA's current constellation has proven its worth and will continue 
to do so for close to another decade. While robust, NOAA must invest in 
the development of the next generation of environmental satellites with 
the needs of all of our communities in mind. Today's funding for future 
geostationary, low earth orbit, and space weather observations will 
ensure critical data continuity from legacy systems, while providing 
significant improvements in data and products that the U.S. requires to 
meet complex societal and environmental needs. Our program investments 
also allow us to immediately exploit the National Aeronautics and Space 
Administration (NASA)'s research satellite observations for NOAA 
requirements and to integrate critical research observations into 
NOAA's operational mission.
    With advances in technology, NOAA can build a more capable and 
efficient observing system, one that supports our vision to create an 
integrated, digital understanding of our Earth environment, that can 
evolve quickly to help our communities adapt and thrive, and maintain a 
stable and predictable budget path that avoids outyear cost growth 
which creates risk to both NESDIS as well as other NOAA priorities. 
This observing system, composed of satellites deployed by NOAA and our 
partners in Earth observations, including NASA, the Department of 
Defense (DOD), European Organization for the Exploitation of 
Meteorological Satellites (EUMETSAT), and others, will provide 
advanced, real-time data critical to saving lives and protecting 
property. It will improve Earth and space weather forecasting and 
expand capabilities for ocean, air quality, and climate observations. 
It will also enable NOAA to continue long-term monitoring and 
continuous services with no gaps in coverage of key climate parameters 
essential to understanding our changing environment.
    In the current world of increasing environmental changes and 
disasters, NOAA must invest in the next generation of satellites, 
products, and services to meet the demands for more accurate and 
expanded environmental information and services for the American 
public. Continuity of NOAA's current satellites and information 
services, exploitation of partner research observations, and 
implementation of NOAA's plans for enhanced observing capabilities of 
future satellites and for fostering vital partnerships, will directly 
support the entire weather enterprise and EO 14008.
Space Weather

    This request also supports additional capacity for the forecasting 
of space weather events, which can have far-reaching impacts on our 
Nation's economy, communications, and national security. An extreme 
space weather event can severely impact an entire hemisphere and the 
globe. Impacts might include disruptions to satellite communications, 
impacts to the terrestrial electric grid, and communication outages to 
cross polar airline flights, yet current observations and prediction 
services do not meet the needs of agencies and operators of critical 
infrastructure to mitigate against these events. The Space Weather 
Operations, Research, and Mitigation (SWORM) Interagency Working Group, 
which includes 34 Federal departments and agencies, identified 
research-to-operations and operations-to-research (R2O2R) as a critical 
gap in our Nation's ability to improve existing space weather forecast 
and warning services. To close the gap, the Promoting Research and 
Observations of Space Weather to Improve the Forecasting of Tomorrow 
Act (PROSWIFT) (Public Law 116-181) authorizes Federal agencies to 
develop formal mechanisms to transition space weather research models 
and capabilities to NOAA.
    In FY 2022, NOAA requests $5 million to build toward a space 
weather prediction capability that will ensure national and global 
communities are ready for and responsive to space-weather events. For 
NOAA's Space Weather Prediction Center (SWPC) to improve these model 
forecasts, observations, and related watches and warnings, NOAA has 
identified four goals: implement a formal inter-agency R2O2R Framework; 
develop and sustain a Space Weather Prediction Testbed; transition new 
capabilities onto NOAA's operational national infrastructure; and 
establish two PROSWIFT directed community collaboration efforts, the 
Space Weather Advisory Group and National Academies Roundtable on Space 
Weather.
    To address the R2O2R gap, NOAA will partner with NASA, National 
Science Foundation (NSF), DOD, Department of Interior (DOI), and other 
Federal agencies to implement a formal framework to accelerate space 
weather research, observations, and model advances into NOAA 
operations. As a vital component of this framework, NOAA will develop 
and sustain the Space Weather Prediction Testbed (Testbed) that will 
leverage the expertise of academia, agencies, and commercial enterprise 
partners by fostering collaboration to validate, demonstrate, and 
transition emerging science and technologies into operations. In the 
Testbed, stakeholders participate in collaborative exercises and 
experiments using new capabilities under quasi-operational conditions. 
Following successful validation, the Testbed will demonstrate readiness 
and then enable the implementation of matured capabilities into NOAA 
operations. NOAA will also support two community efforts: the National 
Academies Roundtable and the Space Weather Advisory Group (SWAG). The 
Roundtable will discuss approaches and constructs on implementing the 
R2O2R framework and seek to identify ways to integrate relevant 
research from across the entire U.S. science and technology enterprise. 
SWAG will advise SWORM on methods to advance the space weather 
enterprise of the Nation by improving the coordination and facilitation 
of R2O2R.
Conclusion

    NOAA is uniquely positioned to observe and predict the changing 
climate and communicate the scientific information that underpins 
necessary actions. NOAA's FY2022 budget request includes significant 
investment in NOAA's capabilities to develop and deliver climate 
information and services that enable society to understand, prepare 
for, and adapt to the changes that we are already seeing and those that 
are yet to come.
                                 ______
                                 

  Questions Submitted for the Record to Dr. Richard W. Spinrad, Under 
 Secretary of Commerce for Oceans and Atmosphere and NOAA Administrator
               Questions Submitted by Representative Soto
    Question 1. Dr. Spinrad, how do you intend to utilize the 
President's proposed budget to combat red tide and improve water 
quality off the coast of Florida?

    Answer. Under the President's Budget, funding for harmful algal 
bloom (HAB) work across NOAA will remain roughly the same in FY 2022 as 
in FY 2021. This will allow NOAA to continue research, observing, and 
forecasting, and risk assessment to minimize the impacts of red tide to 
Florida's communities, economy, and natural resources, including at the 
National Centers for Coastal Ocean Science (NCCOS) and the Integrated 
Ocean Observing Systems (IOOS). The recent number of significant events 
and increases in funding have resulted in substantial investments and 
attention to red tide in Florida. We are benefiting from a maturation 
in forecasting and testing, and new technologies such as high 
performance computing, that contribute to an increasing pace of 
advancement. Ongoing work and recent advances include:

     Red Tide Forecast (NCCOS, IOOS): The Red Tide Respiratory 
            Forecast is a risk-level forecast for red tide respiratory 
            impacts that covers about 30 of Florida's west coast 
            beaches, along with beaches in Texas. It is updated every 3 
            hours, providing a nearly real-time prediction of whether 
            beachgoers can expect red tide conditions on a particular 
            beach throughout the day. Hundreds of Florida state 
            employees receive a bulletin providing the extent and 
            trajectory of the bloom, allowing managers to determine 
            whether to take preventative actions.

     Monitoring Red Tide (NCCOS): Providing satellite imagery 
            of coastal blooms to the public and to state/county 
            managers, helping managers better sample and respond to 
            bloom events.

     HABScope (NCCOS and IOOS): The HABscope is a low cost 
            ($400) microscope system that can be used in the field by 
            citizen scientists with cell phones to count K. brevis cell 
            concentrations in the water along each beach. The goal 
            behind creating this tool was to improve red tide 
            forecasting from county scale coverage down to the beach 
            level. Findings are reported to red tide forecasters and 
            shared with the public for more accurate reports about 
            whether red tide is on a local beach and whether the 
            concentrations are high enough to warrant a public health 
            concern.

     Florida Harmful Algal Bloom Socioeconomic Assessment 
            (NCCOS Competitive Research): From Bloom to Bust: 
            Estimating Economic Losses and Impacts of Florida Red 
            Tide--Using the Florida Department of Revenue Gross Sales 
            Data in conjunction with indicators of K. brevis occurrence 
            and intensity to examine the relationship between changes 
            in economic activity for specific sectors and the 
            occurrence and intensity of K. brevis blooms.

     Florida Harmful Algal Bloom Socioeconomic Assessment 
            (NCCOS Competitive Research): Assessment of the short- and 
            long-term socioeconomic impacts of Florida's 2017-2019 Red 
            Tide event--Quantifying and qualifying the socioeconomic 
            impacts to develop a transferable framework to inform 
            national-scale efforts to quantify the socioeconomic 
            impacts and measure community resiliency to HABs.

     Life and Death of Karenia brevis Blooms in the Eastern 
            Gulf of Mexico (NCCOS Competitive Research): Applying new 
            field, laboratory and modeling approaches to better 
            understand interannual variation in blooms magnitude and 
            expansion and the physical, chemical and biological factors 
            associated with bloom decline.

     A Slow-Release Natural Algicide for Management of Red-Tide 
            (NCCOS Competitive Research): Optimizing delivery of the 
            DinoSHIELD algicide to control HABs, and demonstrating the 
            utility of this technology for continuous red-tide 
            management in canals and coastal waters. Social surveys and 
            workshops will be conducted to assess the societal 
            tolerance of using DinoSHIELDs.

     Marine Mammal Health (Office of Protected Resources): NOAA 
            routinely monitors the health of resident populations of 
            dolphins and manatees in the Saint Lucie Estuary for 
            potential bloom impacts to these populations, in 
            coordination with Florida Fish and Wildlife Research 
            Institute and the Stranding Network partners.

     HAB Detection Supporting Shellfish Aquaculture/Wild 
            Harvest in the Gulf of Mexico (NCCOS): Imaging Flow 
            Cytobots remotely and automatically count HABs at sentinel 
            locations and send alerts to state shellfish managers when 
            counts exceed a threshold. NOAA funding has led to a quick 
            test for brevetoxins, which causes Neurotoxin Shellfish 
            Poisoning in shellfish. In 2017, the Interstate Shellfish 
            Sanitation Conference approved the method for testing 
            toxicity of hard clams, sunray venus clams, and oysters for 
            monitoring shellfish aquaculture in Florida. These faster 
            and cheaper monitoring approaches will reduce unnecessary 
            shellfish harvesting closures.

     National HAB Observing Network (IOOS): The National 
            Harmful Algal Bloom Observing Network (NHABON) Framework 
            offers a high-level regional analysis of existing efforts 
            to monitor and forecast HABs and identifies gaps in 
            observing capabilities that can best be addressed with a 
            national network. NHABON implementation started in FY20, 
            and continues in FY21, with a series of pilot projects 
            including coordination of HABScope efforts. The NHABON will 
            eventually incorporate additional efforts including the 
            IOOS Southeast Coastal Ocean Observing Regional 
            Association's (SECOORA) efforts related to reporting and 
            predicting red tides. The Gulf of Mexico Coastal Ocean 
            Observing System, (GCOOS) supports the HABScope, a Gulf of 
            Mexico HAB testbed (via pilot project funds) and products 
            from partner efforts.

     Lake Okeechobee and other freshwater HABs (NCCOS): 
            Providing OLCI Sentinel 3 satellite imagery to the South 
            Florida Water Management District. This imagery is the key 
            input in deciding where to monitor. NOAA is developing a 
            HAB forecast for Lake Okeechobee that should be operational 
            in FY 2023. Florida is also one of the pilot areas for 
            Cyanobacteria Assessment Network (CyAN), a collaborative 
            effort between EPA, NOAA, USGS and NASA to enhance remote 
            monitoring and prediction of cyanobacteria blooms and other 
            toxic and nuisance algae.

     Red Tide and Water Quality (SEFSC): The work conducted by 
            the SEFSC on red tide and water quality issues has been 
            designed to better understand the impacts that red tides 
            and other water quality issues have on fisheries, marine 
            habitat and local communities. The primary objective of our 
            work is to help avoid unintended management consequences on 
            fisheries and improve industry resilience in the face of 
            extreme events. Our work has emphasized integrating 
            fishermen's knowledge of ecosystem changes related to water 
            quality issues and how those have affected their fisheries 
            and businesses. Through the Integrated Ecosystem Assessment 
            Program, the SEFSC is also collaborating with other NOAA 
            line offices to develop information products that can help 
            the fishing industry mitigate negative impacts on their 
            businesses associated with red tide and other water quality 
            issues.

    Question 2. Dr. Spinrad, currently the House and Senate are working 
on a bi-partisan effort to reauthorize the Coral Reef Conservation 
Program. What funds are being allocated to restore reefs in the United 
States and United States Territories?

    Answer. In FY21, NOAA's Coral Reef Conservation Program (CRCP) 
allocated $8.5M for restoration and extramural partnerships with 
academics and non-governmental organizations. This funding supports 
continued restoration planning, expansion of coral nurseries, 
implementation of active restoration in all seven U.S. coral 
jurisdictions, interventions related to coral disease, innovative 
research and development of techniques to increase coral resilience to 
a changing climate, and development of methods to scale up asexual and 
sexual coral restoration. Please see our Coral Reef Conservation 
Program Spend Plan for FY21 for a more comprehensive look at how funds 
are allocated for coral conservation within CRCP.
    The largest allocation of resources (nearly $3M combined from CRCP, 
the NOAA Fisheries Office of Habitat Conservation, and the National 
Ocean Service Office of National Marine Sanctuaries) is directed at 
Mission: Iconic Reefs in the FL Keys. Mission: Iconic Reefs is a 10-
year, $97M public-private partnership plan to comprehensively restore 
seven reefs in the Florida Keys. When fully resourced, Mission: Iconic 
Reefs will be the largest coral reef restoration project in the world.
    Additionally, the NOAA Fisheries Office of Habitat Conservation 
allocated $1.5M to support coral reef restoration in the USVI, FL, PR, 
and HI.

            Questions Submitted by Representative Velazquez
    Question 1. Dr. Spinrad, Puerto Rico and the Americans who live 
there suffer disproportionately from coastal erosion and inundation--a 
result of warming oceans, sea level rise, and climate change. Yet it 
was not until April 2021 that a long overdue National Water Model 
included Puerto Rico. There are pieces of the FY22 budget that call for 
nature-based coastal resilience research in large regional areas of 
underserved communities through grants and Cooperative Institute 
involvement, but these instances are without great detail. Can you 
highlight how people who reside in areas vulnerable to increasing 
hurricane activity and accompanying natural disasters will be supported 
by your budget increase requests for NOAA's products and services?

    Answer. The budget increase for NOAA includes $5.0 million for a 5-
year effort to complete the development, operational implementation, 
and distribution of Flood Inundation Mapping (FIM) based on National 
Water Model forecasts. These near real-time forecasts will produce 
event-based maps of forecasted flood events and will include maps for 
Puerto Rico. This effort improves service equity by expanding FIM 
services from 110 thousand to over 3.4 million river miles across the 
entire country.
    Storm Surge Modeling: Two of NOAA's storm surge models, Extra-
Tropical Storm Surge (ETSS) and Probabilistic-ETSS extended their 
geographic domain to include Puerto Rico and the US Virgin Islands in 
2021, to prepare for the implementation of the Sea, Lake and Overland 
Surges from Hurricanes (SLOSH) model (including the prediction of 
waves) to be available for this area by approximately 2024. 
Probabilistic Surge, or P-Surge, is the model used by the National 
Hurricane Center for tropical cyclone storm surge predictions and is 
projected to be ultimately capable of providing storm surge forecasts 
for Puerto Rico by leveraging this SLOSH code.
    NOS' US Integrated Ocean Observing System (IOOS') is a 
national-regional partnership working to provide new tools and 
forecasts to improve safety, enhance the economy, and protect our 
environment. Integrated ocean information is available in near real 
time, as well as retrospectively. U.S. IOOS is composed of 11 Regional 
Associations (RAs), which guide development of and stakeholder input to 
regional observing activities. The Caribbean Coastal Ocean Observing 
System (CARICOOS) is one of the 11 IOOS RAs. NOAA provides funding to 
CARICOOS through a 5-year cooperative agreement with parts of the 
funding used to obtain and improve on observations and modelling 
through:

     new oceanographic data buoys,

     wave run up and storm surge analysis through coastal 
            sediment transport modelling,

     coastal erosion work through real time video capture to 
            monitor shoreline changes and provide long time series for 
            beach profiles, and

     continuing to operate and maintain six gliders which 
            provide real time data that feed into improving 
            understanding on hurricanes and other natural disasters.

    Under the FY2022 budget Initiative, the National Center for Coastal 
and Ocean Science (NCCOS) Effects of Sea Level Rise Program (ESLR) will 
support new projects explicitly focused on conducting work with 
underserved communities, including those vulnerable to extreme weather 
and climate events, with an emphasis on enhanced environmental justice 
and increased local science capacity and training. This effort will 
increase the ability of underserved communities to apply for and gain 
access to grant funding opportunities. In doing so, NOAA will enhance 
existing and develop additional interagency partnerships to provide 
holistic science and tools to mitigate risk of inundation to 
ecosystems, infrastructure, and communities.
    NOAA and the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation (NFWF) partner 
to manage the National Coastal Resilience Fund (NCRF), currently in its 
fourth year of funding. This program funds projects that advance 
restoration or enhancement of natural features, such as coastal 
wetlands, dunes, and coral reefs, to protect coastal communities and 
infrastructure from flooding, while also improving habitat for fish and 
wildlife. The NCRF has funded projects to plan for and address the 
impacts of hurricanes and other natural disasters in Puerto Rico. The 
increase in funding proposed in the FY22 budget means that more 
resources will be available in this competitive grant program that can 
go to improve coastal resilience in communities nationwide.
    NOAA is working to provide more equitable products and services to 
benefit all communities across the country, including U.S. islands and 
territories. The proposed FY22 budget allows for additional resources 
to make specific and systemic changes to engagement, service delivery, 
and training to equip coastal communities, especially those with 
underserved populations, with improved capacity to address coastal 
hazards. NOAA will build upon its existing suite of coastal resilience 
products and services. This includes addressing known barriers, as well 
as expansion of equity assessments and analysis of that data, to ensure 
more equitable access and greater usability for a broader portion of 
the coastal population. NOAA will also provide additional translation 
services for climate adaptation products and services, including those 
related to green infrastructure, to ensure greater access for Spanish-
speaking communities.
    NOAA is expanding the Nation's capacity to adapt and become 
resilient to extreme weather events and climate change. Beginning in 
FY21, the NOAA Regional Integrated Sciences and Assessments (RISA) 
program began supporting efforts that directly address the 
disproportionate impacts of climate change on the U.S. Caribbean, 
including Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands. The FY21 funding 
call solicited applications for collaborative planning activities to 
identify and examine issues of regional importance related to social 
and economic dimensions of climate variability and change. The program 
is currently in the process of hiring two engagement specialists in the 
region to bring together a variety of stakeholders to collectively 
address pressing climate and adaptation issues. Funding in FY22 will 
continue these expansion efforts and will target frontline communities 
being impacted by a variety of climatic issues including those in 
coastal zones.
    The FY22 budget increase request for NOAA's products and services 
will also fund collaborative research, conducted by NOAA and the 
Cooperative Institutes (CIs), which supports communities who reside in 
areas vulnerable to increasing hurricane activity and accompanying 
natural disasters. NOAA works with CIs to research warming oceans, sea 
level rise, and climate change. In addition, the proposed CI for Water 
Resources will continue to expand the CI National Water Model 
capabilities. The CI research portfolio includes efforts to estimate 
the societal and socioeconomic impacts and values of high-impact 
weather systems and regional-scale climate variations of extreme 
events, with the goal of providing needed data to mitigate adverse 
outcomes. A continuing component of this work is performed in 
collaboration with social scientists, meteorologists, emergency 
managers, and members of the media. CIs support NOAA's research on 
improving the communication of science to the public through outreach 
efforts and assessments of the value and utility of current and future 
hazardous weather products, including the watch/warning/advisory 
system. Further, CI's partnerships with research institutions, 
including Minority Serving Institutions, and universities, such as NOAA 
Cooperative Science Centers, directly support those underserved 
communities that suffer disproportionately.
    Coastal hazards are a major theme in which NOAA's Puerto Rico Sea 
Grant (PRSG) program combines research, outreach, education and 
communication efforts, and these efforts will continue to be supported 
by the FY22 budget increase request. PRSG partners with coastal hazards 
experts who strive to create awareness of the vulnerability of coastal 
communities to these hazards through applied research and outreach 
activities. By investing in research projects that have produced 
tsunami simulation tools, as well as flooding models and maps, the 
program stimulates socioeconomic analyses to shed light on public 
perceptions of risks, economic impacts of coastal hazards, and the 
effectiveness of mitigation strategies. In addition, PRSG is collecting 
information and quantifying statistical data on biophysical 
vulnerability and resilience characteristics of coastal communities.

    Question 2. Dr. Spinrad, the FY22 NOAA budget calls for a funding 
increase to improve delivery of National Weather Service (NWS) products 
to underserved communities and strengthen the relationship between NWS 
forecast offices and local partners. This will include educational 
outreach and exercises to develop strategies for increasing resilience 
to extreme urban heat islands such as those within my district in New 
York City. Can you highlight how this program will inform Emergency 
Action Plans and be applied to the increasing regularity of other major 
disasters, like extreme flooding and sea level rise, being driven by 
climate change?

    Answer. NOAA is currently developing a unified heat strategy, which 
includes expanding partnerships and developing new ones, in an effort 
to ensure we are effectively updating and communicating heat danger 
effects across the country, with a focus on the impacts of excessive 
heat on underserved communities.
    We are leveraging social science research to increase understanding 
of trusted relationships and refine local NWS heat hazards criteria and 
messaging within underserved and other vulnerable populations, which 
will result in NWS efforts to strengthen relationships with these 
partners while also including them in existing local partnerships such 
as with emergency managers.
    The NOAA heat strategy will also focus on greater collaboration 
regarding outreach, messaging, and data sharing with agencies that 
address vulnerability to extreme heat such as the Center for Disease 
Control and Prevention, U.S. Census Bureau, U.S. Department of Housing 
and Urban Development, U.S. Department of Labor, Environmental 
Protection Agency, and the Federal Emergency Management Agency.
    NOAA is also a core partner of the interagency National Integrated 
Heat Health Information System (NIHHIS). NIHHIS works across agencies, 
sectors, and institutions to understand decision maker needs and 
provide actionable information to better protect vulnerable populations 
from extreme heat. NIHHIS consists of an interagency working group 
focused on harmonizing the Federal approach to heat and health; local 
and regional pilot projects that include Federal funding to mitigate 
urban heat islands and address other heat impacts; and international 
coordination via the Global Heat Health Information Network. NIHHIS 
helps provide the information and facilitates the partnerships needed 
to improve heat resilience and the development of heat action plans 
that include both adaptation and response. Many aspects of improving 
heat resilience, such as more green space, improved social cohesion, 
and comprehensive heat plans, also improve resilience for other 
disasters.
    For the fourth year, NOAA is assisting with the NIHHIS Urban Heat 
Island mapping campaigns. This summer's campaigns included several 
boroughs of New York City, as well as several New Jersey communities in 
the Tri-State area. The mapping campaigns build partnerships and 
catalyze local action, engaging residents in a scientific study to map 
and understand how heat is distributed in their communities. The 
campaign outcomes include new data on the distribution of air 
temperature and heat indices within cities that have been used in city 
and county heat action plans, public health practices, urban forestry, 
research projects, and other engagement activities. NIHHIS also 
recently funded five research cooperative agreements to apply climate 
science analysis to managing urban heat in community resilience 
projects, with local NOAA National Weather Service Weather Forecast 
Offices partnering on many of these projects.
    In addition, NOAA realizes that it is important to engage and 
empower youth, as the next generation of climate leaders, in addressing 
the impacts of excessive heat, flooding and sea level rise. NOAA's 
Environmental Literacy Grants program provides funding support for STEM 
and environmental education projects that involve K-12 students in 
using NOAA-related sciences to build community resilience to climate 
change and extreme weather events. For example, a NOAA-funded project 
in New York City, led by the National Wildlife Federation and their 
partners, will implement The Resilient Schools Consortium. Students and 
their teachers in eight New York City Department of Education public 
schools will adopt-a-shoreline in Coney Island, Brooklyn--a frontline 
community battered by Superstorm Sandy in 2012 and threatened by sea 
level rise, coastal erosion, and inequitable exposures to flooding. 
Through school curriculum, field trips to local beaches, community 
engagement events, dune plantings, and public art installations, this 
project will connect students--who live or attend school in the Coney 
Island area--to residents and community partners. Together, they will 
increase their awareness of future climate impacts and develop 
strategies for building climate resilience and equitable adaptation to 
sea level rise.

          Questions Submitted by Representative Gonzalez-Colon
    Question 1. NOAA's FY 2022 budget request includes a $3 million 
increase to advance territorial fisheries science and management in 
both the Pacific Island territories and the U.S. Caribbean territories. 
Can you elaborate on this initiative, including what kind of work NOAA 
intends to carry out with this funding? How would it help NOAA improve 
local fisheries management practices in both the Pacific and the 
Caribbean territories?

    Answer. NMFS will use $2.0 million to tackle urgent fishery science 
and management gaps in the underserved Pacific Island territories of 
American Samoa, Guam, and the Commonwealth of the Northern Marianas 
Islands (CNMI), focusing on the stock status of key economic resources 
including stocks with overfished/overfishing stock status (e.g. 
American Samoa and Guam territorial bottomfishes). Fishing and seafood 
are integral to local community ways of life and indigenous culture in 
this region. Funds will improve fishery-dependent data collection to 
reduce uncertainty in stock assessments and establish fishery-
independent surveys to provide estimates of stock abundance (i.e., 
biomass). The funding will establish staff positions to support 
cooperative projects including improvements to the creel surveys and 
commercial reporting systems. NMFS staff will conduct in-person 
outreach and education for local territorial management agencies and 
the fishing communities to inform them on the science and management 
implications of stock assessments, including the introduction and 
implementation of e-reporting. These actions are meant to improve the 
quality of the data from the current collection and monitoring systems 
as well as introduce new lines of data on stock abundance through 
fishery-independent surveys (e.g., research fishing and camera 
surveys). The actions as outlined in the plan are the first steps to 
improve data quality, reduce uncertainty, and provide the necessary 
information to end the overfishing/overfished situations through 
appropriate management in American Samoa and Guam.
    NMFS will invest $1.0 million in the underserved Caribbean 
Territories of Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands to address data 
insufficiencies that are detrimental to ensuring the productivity and 
sustainability of fisheries and fishing communities. The population of 
U.S. territories in the Caribbean exceeds 3,500,000 people, and like 
the Pacific Island Territories, fishing and seafood are important to 
food security and employment. To date, resources to support fisheries 
data collection and the provision of management advice has been 
limited, and is disproportionate to the needs of the community and its 
resources. To facilitate equitable support of the U.S. Caribbean 
Territories, NMFS will support additional science and management 
staffing capacity at NMFS' Southeast Fisheries Science Center (SEFSC) 
and the Southeast Regional Office, and fund cooperative data collection 
and survey efforts. These funds will provide immediate benefits to the 
Territories by enabling the use of data-limited stock assessment 
techniques, facilitating the evaluation of management options (e.g. 
MPAs) and contributing to ecosystem based fisheries management 
objectives. NMFS will accomplish these objectives through extensive 
capacity building and engagement with local fishing communities, 
territorial scientists, and local universities. This cooperative 
approach is cost-effective, and ensures that territorial scientists, 
managers and communities are able to participate as effective partners 
in the management of their local marine resources.

    Question 2. In Fiscal Year 2021, Congress provided funding to NOAA 
to expand the Economics: National Ocean Watch Database to include the 
five U.S. territories and thus be able to calculate our coastal and 
marine economies, just as the agency currently does for the coastal 
states. It is my understanding that NOAA planned to launch this 3-year 
project in May. Can you discuss the latest status of these efforts to 
include the territories under the Economics: National Ocean Watch 
Database? What challenges, if any, has NOAA faced so far and how can 
Congress assist?

    Answer. NOAA's Office for Coastal Management is working with a 
contractor (i.e., Eastern Research Group) and a stakeholder group of 
territory representatives and experts over the next 3 years to expand 
the Economics: National Ocean Watch (ENOW) Database to include the U.S. 
territories. A kickoff meeting with a contractor was held June 2. In 
the first year of this contract, NOAA is focusing on scoping methods, 
finding data sources, and conducting outreach virtually for feedback on 
the results of initial scoping efforts, as well as preliminary data 
collection. NOAA is reaching out to other federal agencies that need 
and use territorial economics data and is coordinating with them. Year 
2 will focus on reviewing data received and conducting in-person 
workshops. Year 3 will focus on developing an operations plan for 
routine data collection and development of the final report.
    NOAA has identified a potential challenge related to the 
availability of economic data at the level of detail needed for ENOW. 
The contractor will be gathering available economic data in each of the 
territories; however, we may not be able to parse out the marine or 
coastal component for all geographies. Addressing this issue will rely 
upon the interest, capacity, and funding available within each of the 
territories to generate the finer scale data and to change their 
surveys to require more detailed information from businesses. There are 
some territories for which most or all activities are marine related 
(e.g., American Samoa, US Virgin Islands). Other territories will 
require more detailed data to determine what portion of the economic 
data is marine or coast related. Additional financial resources may be 
needed within the territories to enable the collection of additional 
more detailed information from coastal businesses and to ensure the 
sustainability of data gathering activities in future years that will 
ensure the nationwide ENOW data set remains current. NOAA is also in 
the early stages of establishing an informal cross-agency collaboration 
to coordinate efforts to collect more detailed data for some 
territories.

    Question 3. Last year, Congress provided NOAA $300 million in 
fisheries assistance funding under the CARES Act to help fishery 
participants negatively affected by COVID-19. We provided an additional 
$300 million last December in the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 
2021. Can you discuss the disbursement status of these funding 
allocations? How much of the CARES Act funding has been disbursed to 
states and territories, and how much of the supplemental funding 
provided under the Consolidated Appropriations Act has already been 
awarded?

    Answer. In May 2020, the Secretary of Commerce announced the 
allocation of $300 million appropriated under Section 12005 of the 
Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act (CARES Act) to 
states, territories and Tribes. NOAA Fisheries awarded funding to 
states, tribes, and territories through our partners: the Atlantic 
States Marine Fisheries Commission, Pacific States Marine Fisheries 
Commission, Gulf States Marine Fisheries Commission, Puerto Rico, and 
U.S. Virgin Islands. The commissions worked with each state, tribe, and 
territory to develop spend plans consistent with the CARES Act and 
NOAA's guidance. Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands submitted 
award applications and spend plans to NOAA Fisheries directly.
    All of the spend plans have been submitted by the state/
territories/tribes and approved by NOAA Fisheries. As of August 6, 
2021, the total amount disbursed to fishery participants is 
$212,100,523. The remaining states and territories that are still in 
the process of reviewing their applications and/or disbursing their 
funds are expected to complete those efforts soon. NOAA Fisheries 
continues to work with the states/Tribes/territories to get the funds 
out to impacted fishermen.
    In March 2021, NOAA Fisheries announced the allocation of an 
additional $255 million in fisheries assistance funding provided by the 
Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2021 to states and territories with 
marine and coastal fishery participants for activities previously 
authorized under Section 12005 of the CARES Act. To expedite the 
process of disbursing funds, NOAA Fisheries used the same partnerships 
with the Interstate Commissions, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin 
Islands. Funds have been obligated to all three Interstate Commissions 
and are expected to be obligated soon to Puerto Rico and the U.S. 
Virgin Islands. Multiple state spend plans have already been approved, 
and the agency continues to review incoming spend plans as quickly as 
possible. Congress also designated $30 million for all federally 
recognized Tribes in coastal states and the Great Lakes. NOAA Fisheries 
has partnered with the Bureau of Indian Affairs to execute these funds 
and expects to provide funds to the Tribes that applied and are 
eligible by September 2021. Finally, Congress also designated $15 
million for Great Lakes states. NOAA Fisheries has announced the 
allocation of these funds and is working with the Great Lakes Fisheries 
Commission to disburse the assistance. Funds are expected to be 
obligated to the Great Lakes Fisheries Commission by September 2021, 
and NOAA Fisheries is reviewing state spend plans as they are 
submitted.

    Question 4. Over the last few years, I've heard numerous concerns 
from fishermen and other stakeholders in Puerto Rico about delays in 
the fishery disaster assistance process and how long it takes to 
disburse funding to communities in need. What actions can be taken, 
both at the congressional and regulatory level, to streamline the 
fishery disaster assistance process? What efforts does NOAA plan to 
pursue to ensure fishermen do not have to wait years to receive aid 
appropriated by Congress?

    Answer. NMFS works as quickly as possible to evaluate fishery 
disaster requests and needs specific information, such as commercial 
revenue loss, to conduct its evaluations. The pace of the determination 
depends on a variety of factors, including the availability of data for 
the requested disaster; the amount of further evaluation required to 
assess commercial revenue losses of less than 80 percent; and the 
timing of requests for related fishery disasters. Under our current 
NMFS Disaster Policy, we work hard to make fishery disaster 
determinations as expeditiously as possible. Requesters providing 
sufficient and appropriate information on the fisheries that were 
impacted and the data on revenue loss will expedite our analysis.
    The timing for providing fishery disaster relief depends on the 
specific timing and direction of fishery disaster relief appropriations 
from Congress. There is no standing fund for fishery disaster relief. 
In addition, timelines for providing funding can be affected by the 
technical and policy review of spend plans and the pace of working with 
states and territories to resolve issues or gaps in submitted spend 
plans. While we do not control all of these factors, we do recognize 
that there are challenges with the process and improvements could be 
made to clarify information needs and other aspects of the process. 
NOAA Fisheries will be working to implement improvements in relation to 
those factors it can control.

    Question 5. If possible, please provide an overview of activities 
NOAA is currently funding and carrying out in Puerto Rico to address 
the following issues:

    (a) Tools to improve management of marine resources, ecosystems, 
and coastal wetlands.

    Answer. NOAA is performing many research and education activities 
to assist in management of Puerto Rico's marine and coastal 
environments. Our Atlantic Oceanographic and Meteorological Laboratory 
(AOML) is developing and assessing ecosystem indicators to understand 
and track Puerto Rico's marine environment and effectiveness of 
management. This will provide a broad view of integrated social, 
economic, ecological, and physical components of their marine 
ecosystem, and can be used to evaluate and inform management strategies 
and environment progress.
    NOAA's Puerto Rico Sea Grant (PRSG) is currently funding six 
research projects focused on the impact of land-based sources of 
pollution on corals, assessment tools for invasive species, ciguatoxin 
detection and prediction, coral reef monitoring, a storm surge atlas, 
and two marine protected area assessments. They are also developing 
decision-making tools for sargassum management in coastal areas. 
Further, PRSG is working with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to 
look into responses, feedbacks, and adaptive management of tropical 
coastal wetlands to rising sea level and hurricane disturbance.
    The NOAA Regional Integrated Sciences and Assessments (RISA) 
Program is in the process of recruiting and placing a climate 
engagement specialist for a 2-year term in Puerto Rico and plans to 
invest in climate adaptation gaps region-wide in the U.S. Caribbean.

    NOAA's Coral Reef Conservation Program (CRCP) takes a ridge-to-reef 
approach to coral conservation, and as such, has produced numerous 
tools, guides, and best practices for watershed management and 
restoration as well as coral conservation. Recent examples relevant to 
Puerto Rico include:

     Manager's Guide to Coral Reef Restoration Planning and 
            Design

     Stormwater management in Pacific and Caribbean Islands: A 
            practitioner's guide to implementing LID

     Puerto Rico watershed management resources

     NOAA Habitat Focus Area: Puerto Rico's NE Marine Corridor 
            and Culebra

     Guanica Bay/Rio Loco Watershed Management Plan (upcoming 
            2022)

     Coral reef condition: A status report for Puerto Rico and 
            cover letter

    Additionally, NOAA CRCP administers cooperative agreements with the 
Puerto Rico Department of Natural and Environmental Resources (DNER) 
and the Caribbean Fishery Management Council to address coral reef 
management needs.
    NOAA's Coastal Zone Management Program Cooperative Agreement 
supports DNER's GIS-Remote Sensing Laboratory. This laboratory provides 
technical support in the form of spatial and statistical analyses for 
tasks under the Coastal Zone Management Act Section 309 and Section 
306, including subjects such as coastal hazards, wetland conservation 
and management, public access, and special area management plans. The 
laboratory also assists in Coastal Public Trust Lands delineation and 
administration and provides support for the Puerto Rico Coral Reef 
Conservation and Management Program (PRCRCMP). Historical imagery and 
aerial photography are used to assess trends and shoreline changes on a 
case-by-case basis. Special attention is given to assess the effects 
and impacts of development projects on coastal habitats, as well as 
naturally occurring disturbances and processes along the coastline. 
Data and information are made available through the DNER Puerto Rico 
Coastal Zone Management Program (PRCZMP) and PRCRCMP webpages in 
compliance with the PRCZMP data-sharing plan.
    NOAA's Coastal Zone Management Cooperative Agreement also provides 
funds to complete and disseminate the Community Resilience Toolkit 
among key stakeholders in coastal communities and train them in the use 
of the tools. In 2019, PRCZMP revised the ``Road to Resilience Guide'' 
that identifies tools that can be implemented by communities to 
increase their resilience and adaptation to climate change (please see 
website here: https://adaptacioncomunitaria.com/).
    NOAA Fisheries' SEFSC supports the Southeast Area Monitoring and 
Assessment Program (SEAMAP), a cooperative program to facilitate the 
collection, management, and dissemination of fishery-independent data 
from the waters of the southeastern United States and the U.S. 
Caribbean. Data collected by SEAMAP are used by government agencies, 
the commercial and recreational fishing industries, researchers, and 
others to enhance knowledge of marine fisheries and their associated 
ecosystems. NOAA Fisheries also leads the data provision for, and the 
development of stock assessments in the U.S. Caribbean each year 
through the Southeast Data, Assessment and Review (SEDAR) process. 
Stock assessments are used to determine the status of priority species 
relative to management targets and make recommendations for allowable 
harvest. Finally, NOAA Fisheries also supports projects that provide 
data needed for stock assessments and to support the development and 
maintenance of databases to house fisheries data. Projects have varied 
over the years but have included improved survey designs for the 
collection of commercial catch, effort, and size composition data from 
the Puerto Rico commercial fishery, and collaborative work with DNER 
scientists to collect recreational fisheries data and life history 
information of federally managed species. Funding is also provided to 
support staff at Puerto Rico's DNER to implement the Cooperative 
Statistics Program, which collects landings data from the commercial 
and recreational fisheries of the southeast region.
    NOAA Fisheries' Southeast Regional Office worked with the Caribbean 
Fishery Management Council to shift from species-based fishery 
management plans (FMPs) for the U.S. Caribbean to island-based FMPs for 
each of Puerto Rico, St. Thomas, St. John, and St. Croix. Fishermen, 
fishing community representatives, and local governments of Puerto Rico 
and the U.S. Virgin Islands (USVI) frequently requested that the 
Caribbean Council consider the unique attributes among each island when 
addressing fisheries management in the U.S. Caribbean. The Council 
responded by proposing a shift from a U.S. Caribbean-wide management 
approach to an island-based management approach, applicable to the 
three separate U.S. Caribbean exclusive economic zone management areas: 
(1) Puerto Rico; (2) St. Thomas/St. John, USVI; and, (3) St. Croix, 
USVI. By implementing three new island-based FMPs, the Caribbean 
Council will be better able to account for differences among the three 
U.S. Caribbean islands with respect to environment, culture, markets, 
gear, seafood preferences, and the ecological impacts that result from 
these differences. The FMPs have been approved by the Secretary of 
Commerce and implementation through rulemaking is expected in fall 
2021.
    In addition, NOAA supports the Caribbean Fishery Management Council 
to conduct outreach and education programs that provide information on 
marine resources to the public in Spanish and in English. Focus of the 
outreach includes sustainable fisheries, promoting consumption of 
underutilized species to reduce fishing pressure on highly targeted 
species, ecosystem science, among others.
    Finally, through the Endangered Species Act Cooperative Agreement 
with NOAA Fisheries, Puerto Rico DNER has received funding through the 
Species Recovery Grants Program for a project, ``Strengthening recovery 
of the Nassau grouper in Puerto Rico.'' This project will focus on 
implementing specific action plans for the management, monitoring and 
enforcement of the only known spawning aggregation in Puerto Rico.
    (b) Efforts to enhance biodiversity protection.

    Answer. NOAA conducts work relevant for enhancing biodiversity 
protection, including in Puerto Rico. AOML's `Omics program \1\ 
measures and monitors biodiversity at multiple trophic levels, from 
microbes and viruses to corals, fish, and protected species. Using 
environmental DNA sequencing and quantification, AOML's work provides 
baseline estimates of biodiversity in the Western Atlantic and Gulf of 
Mexico on seasonal and annual time scales, the foundational information 
for developing biodiversity protection strategies. AOML scientists are 
uncovering genetic mechanisms that confer biological resilience and 
vulnerabilities to loss, which can be used to inform management.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
    \1\ AOML scientists use Omics as an umbrella term for the study of 
various fields such as genomics, metagenomics, metatranscriptomics, 
proteomics, metabolomics, epigenomics, and high-throughput amplicon 
sequencing. These emerging fields help us answer research questions 
about DNA, RNA, proteins, and other small molecules from organisms and 
the environment. With this information, we can identify mechanisms that 
keep marine systems healthy and productive.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
    PRSG is developing a cost-efficient web-based assessment tool to 
prevent the establishment of invasive marine species in Puerto Rico. 
The tool will identify areas of the coastline most vulnerable to 
species introductions and help detect the arrival of new species and 
monitor the spread of potentially detrimental species.
    NOAA Fisheries' Office of Habitat Conservation is implementing 
coral reef restoration at more than 10 reef sites throughout Puerto 
Rico with an emphasis in Southwest (Ponce to La Parguera) and Northeast 
(Fajardo to Culebra). NOAA and partners have propagated hundreds of 
thousands of coral colonies for the restoration of these reefs. 
Activities to respond to stony coral tissue loss disease are also 
focusing on protecting genetic and species diversity on Puerto Rico's 
reefs.
    NOAA Fisheries supports the Caribbean Fishery Management Council in 
development of a Fishery Ecosystem Plan (FEP) that describes ecosystem 
objectives and priorities for fishery science and management and would 
provide a framework for ecosystem-based fisheries management. The FEP 
is a source document that would include information on the U.S. 
Caribbean including society and culture, economics, ecology, and 
fisheries. Information from the FEP could be used in the development of 
amendments to the island-based FMPs. The overarching goal of the FEP is 
to promote ecosystem-based approaches to ensure healthy, resilient and 
productive marine ecosystems and the fisheries resources dependent upon 
those ecosystems. NOAA Fisheries also provided funds to restore and 
improve the fisheries in Puerto Rico after the 2017 Hurricanes Irma and 
Maria. The proposal included Essential Fish Habitat Restoration 
projects that would address the health of coral reefs, mangroves, and 
seagrasses for healthy fisheries. Projects may include restoration of 
areas adversely affected by Hurricanes Irma and Maria.
    NOAA's CRCP's conservation approach strives to maintain key 
ecosystem services of U.S. coral reefs, including biodiversity. Ongoing 
and new coral restoration activities around Culebra and Palomino 
islands are focusing on maintaining genetic and species diversity, as 
well as recovering Endangered Species Act-listed corals such as 
staghorn, elkhorn, pillar, and star corals. CRCP's National Coral Reef 
Monitoring Program tracks multiple indicators of diversity, including 
coral and fish, in order to answer the question of how community 
structure of coral reef biota is changing over time to provide context 
to management and conservation decisions.

    (c) Efforts to understand and address the impact of sargassum on 
the environment and public health.

    Answer. AOML is currently conducting several activities addressing 
the impact of sargassum on the environment and public health. AOML 
scientists are monitoring the risk of Sargassum inundation in coastal 
areas in the Caribbean region, including Puerto Rico, and produce a 
weekly report. AOML scientists also led a paper published in Progress 
in Oceanography in 2020, which identifies possible mechanisms and 
pathways by which Sargassum entered and is now flourishing in the 
tropical Atlantic and Caribbean, causing socioeconomic problems due to 
seasonal inundation of islands and coastal areas. AOML teamed up with 
the Fearless Fund to tackle questions about Sargassum's Life Cycle for 
better inundation prediction capabilities. PRSG is also contributing to 
this area by developing decision-making tools for Sargassum management 
in coastal areas. The effort covers Puerto Rico with priority locations 
of La Parguera Nature Reserve and the Northeast Marine Corridor and 
Culebra Island. They are identifying Sargassum hotspots using 
participatory mapping activities and field observations that will 
extend for 2 years during the Sargassum season. Best management 
practices and a Sargassum Management Prioritization Index will be 
developed and distributed through various web-based data dissemination 
tools and workshops.
    In addition, NOAA Fisheries awarded the Puerto Rico DNER funds to 
restore and improve the fisheries in Puerto Rico after the 2017 
Hurricanes Irma and Maria. ``Managing Sargassum influx in Puerto Rico's 
coasts'' is one of the funded projects, which supports the acquisition 
of equipment to clean areas with high accumulation from Sargassum 
(e.g., mangroves, beaches, docks and ramps) and training for employees 
in the equipment use. The project would benefit fish nursery habitat 
(e.g., mangroves), fishermen, and the local economy (e.g., tourism).
    As a response to the increase in Sargassum influxes into the 
Greater Caribbean Region, NOAA has been both conducting and supporting 
research to better understand why Sargassum is blooming at such 
unprecedented levels. Just as important, NOAA and its regional partners 
are also conducting research and implementing tools that help to better 
track and predict how the bloom disperses. Because the large increase 
in Sargassum has become a continuing problem, NOAA is also conducting 
and supporting research that assesses the social, economic, and 
ecological impacts of the beaching events (Sargassum washing up onshore 
and piling up on beaches) and the associated removal efforts.

    Examples of these activities are:

    1.  CARICOOS--Floating Algae Index (Sargasso)

    2.  Tracking Sargassum Inundation Potential for Coastal Communities

    3.  Assessing Societal Impacts of Harmful Macroalgae Blooms in the 
            Caribbean

    4.   AOML and Fearless Fund Team Up to Tackle Questions of 
            Sargassum's Life Cycle for Better Inundation Prediction 
            Capabilities

    (d) Efforts to address and mitigate stony coral tissue loss 
disease.

    Answer. NOAA has released a strategy to respond to Stony Coral 
Tissue Loss Disease (SCTLD). This strategy provides a framework to slow 
the continued spread of the disease across the Atlantic and Caribbean 
regions and to prevent and prepare for disease transmission into the 
Indo-Pacific region. Based on experience and knowledge gained from the 
Florida response to SCTLD, NOAA's CRCP provided technical support and 
funding to Puerto Rico in FY20 for the detection, treatment, and 
monitoring of disease lesions. CRCP purchased and distributed 
intervention kits to key partners with all of the materials necessary 
to apply the current treatment regime. Additionally, CRCP funded a 
Coral Disease Coordinator position in Puerto Rico, administered a 
cooperative agreement with a local non-governmental organization in 
Puerto Rico to support monitoring and treatment efforts, and dedicated 
$100,000 in FY21 to support ongoing in-water treatments. CRCP is 
working with the Puerto Rico DNER to develop an intervention action 
plan that will be used to guide disease treatments, and NOAA is 
conducting the required consultations to ensure compliance with all 
federal environmental regulations. The CRCP-funded National Coral 
Disease Coordinator is planning a workshop focused on SCTLD 
collaboration in the U.S. Caribbean to be held in Puerto Rico in 
January 2022.
    NOAA Fisheries' Puerto Rico Fishery Liaison is providing technical 
support to the Puerto Rico DNER for SCTLD rescue response and is 
leading an associated working group. The working group will provide 
DNER rescue recommendations and will help develop a coral rescue plan.
    Finally, AOML is addressing the role that ships' ballast water may 
play in the transmission of SCTLD, which may impact the health and 
management of coral reefs in Puerto Rico and other U.S. jurisdictions. 
PRSG is funding research to better understand direct and indirect 
impacts of land-based sources of pollution on early life history stages 
of corals, with implications for management options in the face of 
multiple sources of coral reef degradation. NOAA's Florida Sea Grant 
also hosts a regional/national Coral Disease Response Coordinator, 
whose role includes facilitating information sharing, serving as 
liaison with other federal agencies in disease response efforts, and 
coordinating with NOAA's Caribbean Coral Reef Partnership efforts and 
NOAA's Office of Coastal Management and CRCP leadership. Such regional 
level coordination is important for facilitating communications, 
identifying information and resource gaps, and efficiently allocating 
federal resources to address this threat to Atlantic-Caribbean coral 
reef ecosystems.

    (e) Efforts to address and better understand ocean acidification 
and rising ocean temperatures, particularly its impact on fisheries and 
fishing activities, aquaculture, and the marine biogeochemical cycle.

    Answer. In an effort to better observe and understand ocean 
biogeochemical dynamics, NOAA's AOML and Pacific Marine Environmental 
Laboratory are supporting deployments of biogeochemical-Argo (BGC-Argo) 
floats in important U.S. fisheries regions of the Gulf of Mexico and 
the California Current Ecosystem. BGC-Argo offers an unparalleled ocean 
observing platform capable of returning a high resolution, global-scale 
view of ocean biogeochemistry across both time and depth (0-2000 m 
water depth). The suite of chemical and biological sensors mounted on 
BGC-Argo floats simultaneously measure oxygen, nitrate, and 
chlorophyll-a concentration, pH, suspended particles, downwelling 
irradiance (sunlight transmitted into the ocean), temperature, and 
salinity, supporting investigation of critical ocean climate and health 
questions, including rates of carbon uptake, ocean warming, 
acidification, deoxygenation, and biological productivity.
    NOAA's CRCP, Ocean Acidification Program, and AOML conduct ocean 
acidification and climate research to track the status and trends of 
coral reef ecosystems of the U.S. Atlantic and Caribbean coral reef 
jurisdictions, including Puerto Rico, under the National Coral Reef 
Monitoring Program (NCRMP). This highly coordinated and holistic 
monitoring effort with local partners includes detailed 
characterization of the environmental conditions (carbonate chemistry 
and temperature) across temporal and spatial scales, as well as the 
associated impacts on the reef ecosystems themselves. Measured 
responses include changes in coral growth and calcification, bioerosion 
of reef skeletons, changes in the reef community composition, and 
ultimately the growth and loss of essential reef habitat. These data 
were recently incorporated into the NCRMP Status Report for Puerto 
Rico, available in Spanish and English. Additionally, La Parguera, 
Puerto Rico is a sentinel site (one of four sites in the Atlantic/
Caribbean and Pacific) where a moored buoy measures the concentration 
of carbon dioxide in seawater and ocean temperature every 3 hours and 
relays these data to NOAA in near real-time, allowing us to better 
understand ocean acidification and ocean temperatures at the site. This 
effort is included as part of a larger Global Ocean Acidification 
Observing Network, which provides context for how Puerto Rico compares 
to other coral ecosystems. These observations contribute to 
understanding the resilience of Puerto Rico coral reefs to climate 
change and how managers can protect and/or enhance resilience of 
particular reefs.

                                 ______
                                 

    Mr. Huffman. Thank you, Dr. Spinrad, and thank you for 
helping make the case for improved rural broadband investments. 
I am glad we have your full written testimony, because the 
audio version was heavily redacted because of a bad connection. 
I don't know if you are able to work on a different connection 
before we get to questions, but if there is a way to do that, 
it will make things go more smoothly. I think our USGS witness 
had a similar sketchy connection. So, it is what it is.
    We are going to now bring it back to the Members for 
questions. Let me remind Members that Committee Rule 3(d) 
imposes a 5-minute limit on questions. The Chair will now 
recognize Members for any questions they may want to ask the 
witnesses, and we will begin with the Chairman of the Full 
Committee, Mr. Grijalva.
    Mr. Grijalva. Not too many questions, Chairman Huffman, and 
thank you very much for this hearing. I really appreciate the 
testimony and the timing of this hearing. And I think your 
opening comments stated at least the Majority's opinion on the 
Resources Committee going forward, and I appreciate that. I 
can't say it any better.
    One of the witnesses talked about a changing world, Mr. 
Chairman, and I couldn't agree more. And there was also 
discussion about being preoccupied with undoing what the 
previous administration did in these agencies in the areas of 
our jurisdiction and the community. Well, part of the changing 
world is just that, changing some the priorities, the policies, 
and the practices that had been in place for a while, and that 
is about moving forward. I appreciate the investments.
    The first question I have is for the Commissioner of the 
Bureau of Reclamation and for Dr. Cline. Extreme weather 
conditions caused by the climate crisis, the mega-drought in 
the Colorado Basin states, Arizona being one of them--Do you 
feel that the investments that we are talking about in dealing 
with this extreme weather--there is the long term that I 
couldn't agree with more, and it is reflected in the budget, 
about how we build sustainability, but there is also the 
urgency, as the Chairman also pointed out, to the short term, 
the now.
    Do you think there is enough investment within the budget 
that you are proposing to deal with this extreme weather?
    And particularly in the Colorado Basin, is there any need 
to accelerate the process under the DCP, to have the states 
begin to collaborate, and get together, and begin the planning 
in a much more regional way than is being done now?
    So, those two questions for either/or, I think, beginning 
with the Commissioner.
    Mr. Huffman. Mr. Palumbo?
    Mr. Palumbo. Thank you, Chairman, I appreciate the 
question.
    With respect to the lower Colorado River Basin and our 
Drought Contingency Plans, we do have full funding in there to 
implement those plans, and we are very fortunate that we came 
to agreement, and those plans are currently being implemented, 
with Arizona contributing along with Nevada and the country of 
Mexico to water scarcity plans. The $50 million we have in the 
budget for 2022, we believe, is sufficient to implement those 
plans.
    At the same time, we are currently looking at other 
opportunities, as well as in the Lower Basin--in the Upper 
Basin, as well, I should say, ways in which to responsibly 
manage the water that we do have. And we have funding for that 
activity, as well, encompassing the entire Colorado River 
Basin.
    So, I am comfortable with what we have in the budget. If 
there were additional funding, we do have resources to put that 
to work, but we are comfortable with where our budget proposal 
is today.
    Mr. Huffman. Mr. Chairman, did you have any follow-up?
    Mr. Grijalva. No, I yield back. Thank you, Chairman, and I 
appreciate it very much.
    Mr. Huffman. I thank the Chair, and we will now recognize 
Ranking Member Westerman for 5 minutes.
    Mr. Westerman. Thank you, Chairman, and thank you to the 
witnesses.
    Mr. Guertin, the Smokey Project on the Mendocino National 
Forest is an example of how litigation and critical habitat 
designations can interfere with much-needed forest restoration 
activities. The Smokey Project was designated by the Forest 
Service to reduce wildfire risk, particularly in the Buttermilk 
Lake Successional Reserve, which is important habitat for the 
owl. Unfortunately, this project was held up in court starting 
in 2013, and was not resolved until 2019. Also, unfortunately, 
last fall the August fire impacted the entirety of the Smokey 
Project, devastating thousands of acres of habitat for the owl.
    I fear that the Service's move to largely restore the 
expansive 2012 critical habitat designation will only serve to 
stop more important projects like this and will harm the owl.
    I also know that there has been some very successful owl 
habitat restoration projects on private land in the Pacific 
Northwest.
    And finally, I was fortunate to be out in Mr. Huffman's 
district, hiking in the Redwood State National Forest a couple 
of years ago, and saw a spotted owl nest. But, to our surprise, 
it was a barred owl that flew out of the nest. And I know Fish 
and Wildlife has programs, where they have actually been taking 
barred owls to try to improve the chances of survival for the 
spotted owl.
    Can you just give us kind of a rundown of what the Agency's 
plans are for the spotted owl, and how you are incorporating 
actual real habitat management into that, obstacles you are 
facing, and how we can do things to maybe mimic what is 
happening on private land, where we have seen some successful 
owl habitat restoration.
    Mr. Guertin. Sure, thank you for your question very much, 
Mr. Chairman. We have a lot of interest in working with local 
communities, other Federal agencies, private landowners as we 
collectively navigate the challenges in that geography.
    You point out the barred owl, which has emerged as a pretty 
severe threat to northern spotted owl survivability. We are 
doing a lot of aggressive work to try to get them out of that 
territory up there. But we also have to look at the underlying 
habitat needs of the species.
    And you are correct, the Administration has re-looked at 
the designation of critical habitat up there in the Pacific 
Northwest. We are working to get that out for public comment 
and review. But our emerging vision of that, because it is a 
threatened species, will still allow us to do a lot of work for 
fuels management, for timber management, and other projects 
going on within the geography up there.
    So, it is very much an ongoing issue and process. We are 
glad to work with you and your key staff and other leaders up 
here to keep you apprised, as we work through these challenges. 
And, of course, this is all overlaid with the drought, and with 
fire, and other challenges on the landscape. But the 
Administration, the Department of Fish and Wildlife Service are 
committed to working on a collaborative approach to get us all 
through these challenges.
    Thank you for your question, sir.
    Mr. Westerman. Thank you.
    And Mr. Palumbo, I want to shift to water storage. It is 
obviously an important part of preparing for any future 
drought. When is Reclamation submitting more storage funding 
requests to Congress under the WIIN Act?
    Mr. Palumbo. Thank you for your question, Ranking Member.
    We are currently in the final stages of developing our 
plan. It is going through the Department, and I expect that 
Congress will see that in the next coming weeks.
    Mr. Westerman. That is good news, if that will happen soon.
    There was a surplus of water only 2 years ago, when 
California experienced one of the wettest winters in its 
history. What would be the differences in drought impact this 
year, had some of the WIIN Act storage and conveyance projects 
actually been built?
    Mr. Palumbo. Thank you. That is a great question. It is 
complicated. It is a function of where that storage would have 
been located, and when that storage would have been available 
to receive water.
    Absolutely, storage is critical. Whether it is new storage, 
off-stream storage, augmented storage, underground storage, it 
all adds to Reclamation's operational flexibility, and provides 
benefits to manage water resources more tightly, especially in 
a year like this, when we need cold water for species, we need 
water for agriculture, we need water for domestic purposes.
    Mr. Westerman. Wouldn't it be fair to say we would be in a 
better position, had some of that storage been built? 
Especially when we look at Shasta, had it been raised as 
planned, how would the water year look?
    Mr. Palumbo. I would just generally say enhanced storage 
does provide flexibility, and this particular year we would 
have been able to use that enhanced flexibility to provide 
water for species and water for people.
    Mr. Westerman. I yield back, Mr. Chairman.
    Mr. Huffman. Thank you. The Chair now recognizes Mrs. 
Napolitano for 5 minutes.
    Mrs. Napolitano. Thank you, Mr. Chair.
    Hello, Mr. Palumbo. Good to meet you. I am focusing on 
three things.
    First, the Colorado River Basin that has two decades of 
drought. Do you agree that expanded Federal support for 
recycling projects, especially large-scale ones, can help 
provide greater water security for communities in the Basin?
    Number two, this year's budget request inadequately funds 
Title XVI water and several important WaterSMART projects, 
expecting Congress to plus it up. If Congress does plus it up, 
would you agree that it will help advance projects that 
increase drought resilience?
    And third, a lot of universities and other agencies, 
especially in California, have been doing a lot of 
groundbreaking and innovative research on how to manage drought 
cycles, or how to address them. Can you discuss some of the 
relationships you have with the universities, and how you share 
information, sir?
    Mr. Palumbo. Thank you, Congresswoman. A few things. With 
respect to your first question regarding water recycling, 
desalinization, and water purification, we have an all-of-the-
above strategy in Reclamation. I mentioned storage earlier, but 
also using new water sources, such as those provided by water 
recycling, water purification, desalinization is key in our 
portfolio to manage every drop the most responsible way we can. 
So, absolutely.
    With respect to funding for Title XVI projects, Reclamation 
does have capability and capacity to execute that funding, and 
additional Title XVI projects, water reuse projects, with 
respect to Question 1, does provide additional benefit for the 
ecosystem at large, and for people and food and fiber 
production.
    And finally, with respect to our relationship with 
universities, Reclamation has a Science and Technology program, 
a research and development program. We partner with 
universities across the United States, from New York to 
California. We have had a great history of working with 
universities in California, and we continue that relationship. 
We have a variety of grants currently being executed in the 
research and development area for water purification in 
California, as well as other universities in the United States, 
and we benefit from that relationship greatly.
    Mrs. Napolitano. Thank you very much, sir.
    Dr. Cline, in 2009, Congress directed USGS to operate 4,700 
Federal Priority Streamgages within 10 years, but today it is 
well short of meeting the directive, largely because of 
insufficient funding. The President's budget estimates USGS 
will have to discontinue up to 29 streamgages this year and 58 
next year because they don't have non-Federal partners.
    Can you tell the Committee what funding is needed to meet 
the directive, and to make the Federal Priority Streamgages 
operational in the next 5 years?
    And would making all Federal streamgages operational 
enhance our Nation's drought resiliency?
    Dr. Cline. Yes, thank you for the question. We estimate 
that it would take $238 million to fully fund all of the 
Federal priority streamgages. Today, about a third of the 4,700 
gages are fully funded by Federal appropriated dollars. The 
rest rely on partnered funds. And as you say, there is a risk 
that those partners will shift to other priorities and of 
losing some of those gages, and that is the case this year and 
next year with a number of gages at risk due to flat funding 
and inflation.
    Mrs. Napolitano. But how critical are the streamgages to 
your ability to gage?
    Dr. Cline. They are extremely critical. In fact, we are 
revisiting the criteria that we used 20 years ago to identify 
what priorities are.
    For example, we have about 760 streamgages that have over 
100 years of record, which make them a critical climate 
variable in the United States out of all those variables that 
we have. Only about 590 or so of those are actually on the 
Federal Priority Streamgage list.
    Twenty years ago we weren't using criteria such as climate 
change to identify priorities. So, we started a study this 
year, we will conclude next year, to re-evaluate what criteria 
should be used to define Federal priorities. Without those kind 
of data, we can't plan and prepare for drought resilience.
    Mrs. Napolitano. Thank you.
    Mr. Chairman, I yield back.
    Mr. Huffman. Thank you. The Chair now recognizes Ranking 
Member Bentz.
    Mr. Bentz. I ask unanimous consent that the gentlewoman 
from New Mexico, Ms. Herrell, be allowed to sit on the dais at 
today's hearing.
    Mr. Huffman. Without objection.
    Mr. Bentz. Thank you, Mr. Chair.
    Mr. Guertin, yesterday the Service announced that they will 
be rescinding the last administration's northern spotted owl 
critical habitat rule. This announcement is being made while 
severe, cataclysmic, environmentally devastating, and 
community-devastating wildfires continue to ravage the West and 
torch spotted owl habitat. Last year, severe wildfires burned 
over 360,000 acres of suitable nesting and roosting spotted owl 
habitat in Oregon alone. These fires are the result of millions 
upon millions of acres of Federal lands becoming unforgivably 
overstocked due to lack of forest restoration activity.
    Increasing critical habitat for the owl only stands to tie 
up more of these projects in litigation, resulting in 
thousands, hundreds of thousands, even millions of more acres 
being burned up, less owls, and, of course, less jobs. A 2020 
species status assessment issued by the Fish and Wildlife 
Service highlighted this concern, noting that the most pressing 
threats to the northern spotted owl are invasive barred owls 
and wildland fire.
    And, of course, as I mentioned earlier, you can see Oregon 
right now by simply looking out the window at what used to be 
part of it--by virtue of the smoke that is coming from those 
hundreds of thousands of acres of fires ongoing, as we speak. 
How will your actions to rescind the last administration's rule 
help improve our forests' condition?
    Mr. Guertin. Thank you for your question, Chairman. There 
is a lot going on in the West with fires, the Bootleg Fire, but 
there are 47 other fires, as well. There are about 19,000 
personnel deployed, including 550 from the Fish and Wildlife 
Service. So, the agencies are all in to help out our 
communities.
    The Administration has issued its intent to revise critical 
habitat for the northern spotted owl. We believe that it 
involves a combination of control of the invasive barred owl, 
as well as a lot of habitat restoration measures. However, our 
planning also supports a very robust fuels treatment, as well 
as timber management programs. So, we will work with the action 
agencies, local communities, and others to come up with a 
common-sense way to get the communities through this.
    Mr. Bentz. Thank you for your answer, and just a comment. 
There are a million acres being taken out of the space that 
would have been managed. So, I question whether or not we will 
actually see some activity, which is desperately needed. And I 
would remind everybody we have about 30 million acres of forest 
in Oregon alone. And these acres need attention, or you will 
just be seeing more of them passing over the top of Washington, 
DC.
    Mr. Palumbo, I have asked this question to every Interior 
witness, and have yet to get a decent answer. In April, the 
Administration announced the launch of a drought relief working 
group. Yet, there are still very few details available. The 
drought is horrific, and I don't know how words can convey the 
damage that is being done to communities and people as their 
wells dry up, and they have to bring in tanks of water. This is 
happening over and over and over again across all of the 
Western United States.
    Where is this working group? I understand it might have 
met. If so, we haven't heard much about it.
    And can we anticipate any effort by this Administration to 
address what is an incredibly challenging situation for 70 
million people?
    Mr. Palumbo. Thank you, Ranking Member, for your question, 
and you are right on. The drought working group has met. 
Information has been conveyed down to each of the bureaus on 
objectives.
    I wake up every morning and go to bed every night thinking 
about the drought. We talk about Klamath every day. We talk 
about the West every day. We are standing up a variety of 
activities, working with other agencies, NOAA, USDA, ways in 
which we can bring relief, leverage each other's resources. 
Those are active discussions.
    We are looking at actionable results, and working with, 
again, the Drought Resiliency Partnership, as a result of the 
working group, working with the water subcabinet, as a result 
of direction from the drought working group. So, things are 
happening, and we are looking at actionable things that can be 
done to mitigate and to adapt.
    Mr. Bentz. Thank you.
    Dr. Spinrad, there has been a conflict between the needs of 
the salmon in the Klamath River on the one hand, and the birds 
in the refuges across the Klamath Basin--the salmon, one, and 
the birds are now put at risk of dying by the hundreds of 
thousands.
    How would you suggest this Nation address the competition 
now between endangered species, given the nature of our single-
purpose Endangered Species Act?
    Mr. Huffman. Dr. Spinrad, you can go ahead and answer.
    Dr. Spinrad. Thank you. I assume my audio has improved from 
what it was during my oral statement. Thank you again, Ranking 
Member Bentz.
    The issue is based on the best science that we can bring to 
the discussion. From the NOAA perspective, with regard to our 
regulatory responsibilities associated with salmon coho, as you 
indicated in your statement, we work to make sure that the best 
information is available for assessing the sustainability of 
that stock.
    And I would point out that, when we talk about scientific 
information, for example, it is not just the volume of flow 
associated with release of water from dams, but the temperature 
of that water, for example, dramatically affects the 
survivability of those juvenile salmon in the streams.
    So, through the inter-agency coordination of the Office of 
Science and Technology Policy in the White House, we have the 
venues for having those discussions about the relative puts and 
takes, if you will, for the science that supports the 
sustainability of the fish stocks, as well as the other 
implications on fish and wildlife.
    Mr. Bentz. Thank you, Mr. Chair, I yield back.
    Mr. Huffman. Thank you very much. And the news that salmon 
are big winners in the Klamath Basin will come as a great 
surprise to the fishing communities I represent downstream.
    With that, I want to recognize Mr. Case for 5 minutes.
    Mr. Case. Thank you, Mr. Chair, and thank you to each and 
all of you for your service and your partnership.
    And I agree this is a good, solid budget that responds to 
the times that we are living in, especially on the climate 
change side. Certainly, in our House Appropriations Committee, 
where I am also privileged to serve, to include the Commerce 
Science Justice Subcommittee, which has jurisdiction over at 
least NOAA and a number of the other agencies, we have tried to 
act on this budget. So, refining the budget, and refining the 
initiatives, I think, is valuable.
    I want to spend a little bit more time driving a few points 
home in defense of the parts of our country that are not part 
of the continental United States, because one of you made the 
comment on states west of the 100th Meridian, and I paused for 
a second to think--OK, did they mean Hawaii, as well? 
Obviously, we are west of the 100th Meridian.
    But the point I want to make is that many of the national 
policies, to include budgets and funding and focus of these 
programs, often tend to focus really on the issues of the 
western continental United States. And, of course, we have a 
lot of parts of this country that are not the continental 
United States in general, nor are they part of the West.
    And there are a lot of misconceptions that often flow out 
of that mindset that people like me always have to kind of 
correct. So, I would encourage broader thinking there. I will 
just make a couple of observations to make the point.
    In the Bureau of Reclamation, for example, you spoke to the 
importance of the Bureau in water projects. OK, well, those are 
the big rivers, and the big dams, and the big reservoirs, and 
the big distribution system. We don't do that in Hawaii, nor 
does Puerto Rico do that, or nor does Guam do that, nor does 
the Virgin Islands, nor does Samoa. We function on a different 
model. We function on a model of watershed. Twenty percent of 
Hawaii is watershed. And that watershed captures the water and 
filters it down into aquifers, and we use those aquifers for 
our water, critical water. We don't get to divert water from 
one state to the other. We don't have Colorado River diversion 
discussions. We just have what we have.
    So, the Bureau of Reclamation, when you administer, for 
example, your WaterSMART program, I think it is valuable for 
you all to think about, hey, there are other ways that states 
and territories are dealing with water issues. So, that would 
be kind of one example.
    Another example would be many of the programs having to do 
with invasive and critical species. Fish and Wildlife and USGS 
both have a piece of this, and we appreciate the attention to 
our particular problems. But sometimes people do forget that, 
when you are sitting on an island, the issues around dealing 
with invasive species and critical habitats are different from 
the Western United States. You are in your own little 
ecosystem, and that ecosystem has developed over a long period 
of time and it is highly fragile. It is different from the 
Western ecosystem--or, for that matter, anywhere else in the 
continental United States. And it can be affected very 
negatively very fast from invasive species coming in. So, the 
mechanisms that are available should be thought about, and 
utilized a little bit more.
    From a NOAA perspective, we don't really particularly have 
an issue of NOAA not understanding the oceans. I mean, we are 
in the ocean. NOAA does world-class leading research in the 
oceans in Hawaii. If anything, the inverse is true, where 
perhaps there is less of an appreciation of the issues in the 
Western United States possibly from an oceans perspective.
    But also we do world-leading research in atmospheric 
research out of NOAA in Hawaii, which is sometimes neglected, 
in terms of the budgeting and the funding process.
    And then the final point I would make is we are talking 
about droughts here. And, of course, the Western United States 
is in a terrible drought west of the 100th Meridian, but so is 
Hawaii. And by the way, so are a number of the other places in 
our country that you wouldn't think would be drought 
susceptible, nor drought consequences. We have one of the most 
severe droughts we have had in our recorded history in Hawaii 
right now. We all think about Hawaii being all this lush, 
tropical rain, and how could Hawaii have a drought? Well, we 
have drought.
    And sometimes that gets lost in the national discussion 
when we start thinking about how do we solve drought for the 
Western United States. We have our own drought, and we need 
different solutions. So, that is a long way of just making the 
comment--and there is not a question in there, unless you would 
like to respond to my comment--that, as you look at these 
programs, please think about how the situation is different in 
different parts of the country, particularly parts of the 
country that do not fit the model of when these laws were 
actually enacted to start with.
    My time is up, so I guess you don't get to comment on my 
comment. But anyway, I appreciate your listening, and we will 
be happy to work with all four of you on implementing a lot of 
these policies in a specific way.
    Mr. Huffman. I thank the gentleman from Hawaii. The Chair 
now recognizes Mr. Carl for 5 minutes.
    Mr. Carl. Thank you, Mr. Chairman
    [Audio malfunction.]
    Mr. Carl [continuing]. Fisheries, and is hurting the 
anglers and the local economy on the Gulf Coast.
    Thank you, I am so sorry. Thank you for that.
    From what I have heard, I have seen that NOAA is 
prioritizing its own Federal catch data over the more accurate 
and timely state data, ignoring congressional requirements.
    States on the Gulf Coast, like Alabama, have bent over 
backward to develop accurate monitoring systems for red 
snapper. This app we use in Alabama called a Snapper Check, 
collects data on real time from anglers, and the estimates of 
harvest, and the management quota--which helps us manage the 
quota in a more efficient manner, adding more days to our 
anglers' fishing when it can, or closing the season earlier 
when is needed.
    On the other hand, Federal surveys at NOAA are asking 
anglers to remember how much they fished several weeks ago, or, 
more important, they are being contacted and asked what they 
actually caught. I am a fisherman, Doctor, and, trust me, that 
fish gets bigger as the days go along. So, that number cannot 
possibly be correct.
    In addition, the Federal survey is overestimating private 
anglers' red snapper catch, compared to Alabama's system. Last 
year, Snapper Check told us we landed about a million pounds of 
snapper. But the survey from NOAA said that we had caught 2.5 
million pounds in that harvest. I promise you, we are 
harvesting at a sustainable level in Alabama--and Alabama's 
fish monitoring program in the great red snapper count backs me 
up on that--but NOAA is choosing not to follow the state's 
science on this. The result is going to be dramatic cuts in our 
private anglers' recreational quota.
    You recently told a State Senate Committee that it is 
critical that NOAA base management decisions on best science 
information available. I agree with you 100 percent, and think 
the science you are looking at for Alabama is incorrect.
    My question to you, sir, in 2018 the Modern Fish Act 
directed NOAA to facilitate greater incorporation of state data 
into the fishery management. But from what I can tell, NOAA has 
a long way to go. Dr. Spinrad, will you commit to working with 
me to ensure that the state data like Alabama's is better 
incorporated into NOAA's red snapper management as quickly as 
possible?
    Dr. Spinrad. Thank you, Congressman. And I really 
appreciate your drawing attention to this critical issue. As a 
recreational fishermen myself here, in the state of Oregon, I 
can certainly appreciate the perspectives of the recreational 
fishing community in the Gulf, and specifically in Alabama.
    I really appreciate that you have brought up the great red 
snapper count, because I think that represents a fundamental 
and important way of moving forward on getting scientifically 
valid and useful data. As you know, one of the consequences of 
the great red snapper count is that the Gulf Fisheries Council 
has taken those data and made modest recommendations for 
increased take adjustments this year.
    I completely agree that we need to have a strong, 
scientifically based decision process.
    I also agree with you that we need to ensure that, across 
the Gulf, across all five states, any science that is brought 
in, any information that is brought in, has to be carefully 
coordinated. It has to be carefully vetted.
    Scientifically valid means peer-reviewed, validated 
science, taking that scientific information, reviewing it, 
confirming it. Incorporating it into the Council's 
recommendations, and then translating that into regulatory 
decisions is absolutely something that I commit to, and I do 
look forward to working with you in ensuring that that process 
is enhanced and improved, with sustainability and the economic 
benefits and recreational benefits to the recreational fishers 
as paramount considerations.
    Mr. Carl. Thank you, sir.
    And very quickly, August 30--and I have sent you the 
invitation--the University of South Alabama Marine Biology 
Department will be taking 10 Congressmen, and I would love for 
you or one of your staff members to attend. They will send down 
their robotics, and we will actually look at the reef fish. We 
get to catch a few, also. So, please answer me back, and let me 
know if you can make it or not. We would love to have you in 
Alabama. Thank you, sir.
    I yield back.
    Dr. Spinrad. Thank you very much.
    Mr. Huffman. Thanks very much. The Chair now recognizes Dr. 
Lowenthal for 5 minutes, if he is still with us.
    Alan?
    Dr. Lowenthal. Oh, he is still with us. He is here.
    Mr. Huffman. All right.
    Dr. Lowenthal. Thank you. And this question is for Mr. 
Guertin.
    I want to thank you and your Department's work to undo the 
damage that the last administration did to the Migratory Bird 
Treaty Act.
    Additionally, a congressional budget justification calls 
for an increase in funding for greater MBTA management, 
outreach, and improvements for the MBTA. Also, the bald and 
golden eagle programs.
    Here in Congress, I will soon be introducing the Migratory 
Bird Protection Act, an act to create a general permitting 
program under MBTA, which will give industry greater certainty, 
as well as cementing the MBTA's important protection for birds.
    Can you speak to how these recommendations for additional 
funding for the Migratory Bird Treaty Act can enhance long-term 
conservation of migratory birds, and how that could coincide 
with responsible deployment of clean energy initiatives, and 
create greater certainty for industry?
    Mr. Guertin. Thank you for your question. We are very 
interested in working with you, Congressman, and synching up 
your emerging legislation with the Service's decision to move 
forward. Our goal is to build efficiencies and improve the 
clarity of regulations and further implementation under the 
Migratory Bird Treaty Act, as well as synching up that vision 
with eagle act protections, as well, for other key migratory 
birds.
    As you note, the President's budget includes an historic 
increase of almost 40 percent, $18 million for the line item 
that funds the migratory bird conservation program. That is to 
do the rulemaking that will be needed to revise these 
implementing regulations.
    Our vision is to work very closely with all the energy 
sectors and other interested project proponents. And this idea 
that you have of the general permitting program is something we 
would like to talk further with your staff and yourself, as 
well, and try to synch up these efforts.
    And we will be able to go further forward with program 
implementation, but I appreciate your question, and we can back 
that up with the requested funding, if appropriated.
    Dr. Lowenthal. I have to ask a question to Mr. Spinrad, but 
I do want to find out how this fits in to the responsible 
deployment of clean energy initiatives, so that is another 
question which I will send on to you. This next part of the 
question is for Dr. Spinrad.
    This last month, we held a hearing about the disturbing 
chemical dump site off the coast of Catalina Island, which is 
in my district in Southern California. This area had recently 
been mapping, through a partnership between NOAA and the 
Scripps Institute. Data returned and testimony given confirmed 
that we do not know nearly enough about the impacts of this 
dump site, and there may be many more just like it throughout 
the Pacific, Atlantic, and Gulf of Mexico.
    Where do you see NOAA's resources and increased budget 
requests supporting science to address this problem with 
potential catastrophic impacts to the surrounding ecosystems 
and economies which rely upon them?
    Dr. Spinrad. Thank you, Congressman, for that question. We 
are very focused on this Southern California dump site, 
working, obviously, very closely with our colleagues at EPA.
    Directly addressing your question, I would point out that 
there are three equities, if you will, at NOAA that bear on 
solving this important problem.
    One is our responsibility for mapping and charting. The 
National Ocean Service does the U.S. coast, obviously. The 
advanced technologies that they are bringing to bear to find 
out where the disposal site extends, and what it is made of is 
part of that.
    The second equity, I would say, is in our Office of 
Response and Restoration, in terms of being able to help 
characterize where any materials might be transported, and in 
what concentrations.
    And the third equity I would bring to the table is our 
abundant research on impacts on ecosystems of various 
pollutants, which we conduct in very close coordination with 
our EPA colleagues.
    So, we are bringing those equities to bear on this issue, 
and considering it a very important problem.
    Dr. Lowenthal. Thank you. And before I yield back I just 
want to say we will follow up with you to find out. We have now 
identified, because of Scripps' work and your work, this site 
and off the Southern California coast. But potentially, there 
could be many other sites. And I would like to follow up with 
you. How are we going to identify those future sites?
    Thank you, and I yield back.
    Mr. Huffman. Thank you, Dr. Lowenthal. We are all very 
interested in that.
    The Chair now recognizes Mr. Graves for 5 minutes of 
questions on red snapper--sorry--or any other subject.
    Mr. Graves. I am pretty sure there is nothing else, Mr. 
Chair. Mr. Chair, thank you very much, and I want to thank the 
witnesses for being here today.
    First of all, I totally agree with Mr. Carl's line of 
questioning and his statements. There is no possible way that 
folks in Alabama caught 2\1/2\ million pounds of red snapper. I 
have seen those people fish, and I can't believe they catch 
anything. I mean, they tie their nets on like they tie their 
shoes. They don't know how to cast. It is disgusting, so there 
is no way that they have caught 2\1/2\ million pounds. So, Mr. 
Carl, I just want to get you back there.
    More importantly, Dr. Spinrad, I actually do want to talk 
about fisheries. And the Modern Fish Act, which is legislation 
that we drafted, was signed into law by the President, and is 
the first law that has ever been passed that actually is solely 
dedicated to the management of recreational species.
    As you know, the fisheries management has largely been 
focused on commercial fisheries. And I think that it believed 
that recreational fishing didn't put a big-enough dent in the 
overall harvest, so it wasn't really considered. It was more 
viewed as being a rounding error.
    The idea is this is supposed to improve and do a better job 
balancing recreational and commercial fisheries management. But 
the implementation of that law has been dragging a bit. And the 
components of it that you have implemented, and the components 
that you have not, could you just quickly give me a rundown on 
your implementation strategy there, and when you think you will 
have that fully implemented and incorporated?
    Dr. Spinrad. Thank you, Congressman.
    I do want to get back to you with a more detailed answer as 
to exactly what steps are being taken. I will share with you 
that, in the course of my steep learning curve at NOAA as the 
new Administrator, I have made specific requests to get 
information on the recreational fishing monitoring activities 
and tracking, and basically, the accounting efforts that our 
National Marine Fisheries Service is undertaking. So, I will 
commit to you to get back with a more detailed description of 
the steps we are taking.
    Mr. Graves. Thank you, Doctor. Look, I understand ramping 
up and drinking from the fire hose. So, one other thing on 
that--If you could also get back to us on how the budget was 
prepared for 2022, how it effectively reflects the changes in 
the law that the Modern Fish Act require, that sort of changes 
NOAA's mission to some degree, ultimately, focused on healthy 
fisheries management. Are you good there?
    Dr. Spinrad. Yes, sir, absolutely. I will simply add that 
one of the tenets that I am trying to make sure we uphold 
strongly during my tenure as Administrator is engagement with 
the respective communities. We have a long history of doing 
that.
    It is clear to me that there is actually never enough of 
that kind of engagement, whether it is through a sea grant, or 
through our work with the council. So, part of the answer to 
your question is going to be exploiting all the engagement 
opportunities that we have with the recreational fishing 
community.
    Mr. Graves. Great, thank you. My next question--and I 
apologize for doubling up on you--but I did want to ask about 
the great red snapper count.
    First of all, I think if you look at the history of the 
great red snapper count, any independent scientist from 
universities across the Gulf, one of the real revelations there 
is that there was a pretty significant population of snapper in 
a habitat that was previously not believed to really be a real 
base for red snapper. It was certainly not a place that I fish 
when I go red snapper fishing. But this was a very robust 
effort, I think, hands down, the most robust effort to try to 
clarify the stock.
    Based on what we have seen--and you did respond to Mr. Carl 
about how the Fisheries Council has changed some of the 
proposals on the management structure--but do you believe that 
that is the best science that is available right now, as 
compared to other products?
    Dr. Spinrad. Yes. I have to say, as an aside, as a 
scientist, I was fascinated with some of those findings myself. 
It only serves to exemplify just how much there is to learn 
about the deep sea environment.
    Given that, the next step, again, as a scientist, is to 
ensure that the findings, the results, are really verified, 
validated, run through the wringer in terms of credibility, in 
terms of peer review. And begging the question of how we can 
use new technologies, because a lot of that was done with 
technologies we had not applied before to traditional fisheries 
management.
    So, I am eager to see how that does pan out in the 
scientific review.
    Mr. Graves. I look forward to your response. I want to 
thank you very much.
    I will just make note that I am not sure that MREF has been 
through that same scrutiny, but thank you very much. I look 
forward to hearing back from you.
    I yield back.
    Dr. Spinrad. Thank you.
    Mr. Huffman. Thank you, Mr. Graves. The Chair now 
recognizes the newest member of the Committee, the gentlelady 
from New Mexico, Ms. Stansbury.
    Ms. Stansbury. Thank you, Mr. Chairman, and thank you to 
the Ranking Member for convening today's important panel on our 
water resources.
    And I also want to say thank you to our agency leadership 
for your service to our country, and keeping our waters flowing 
across the United States.
    As we all know, there is nothing more precious in the West 
than water, which is why, in my home state of New Mexico, we 
say la agua es vida, water is life. And that is why I have also 
spent my career working on water resources and resilience 
issues. Like much of the West, New Mexico is in the grips of an 
extreme drought, and what I would describe as a threefold water 
crisis.
    The first is the climate crisis and drought, which is 
resulting, as we have heard today, from dwindling water 
supplies, low snowpack, and increasingly irregular 
precipitation patterns that are threatening our water supplies 
and our infrastructure.
    The second crisis is what I would call a long-standing 
humanitarian crisis, which is the lack of clean, safe drinking 
water in so many of our tribal communities, which came to a 
head during the pandemic this last year, especially in our Dine 
Navajo communities, where we still have thousands of households 
that do not have safe drinking water.
    It is unconscionable in this century that we still have 
communities and families across the Navajo Nation and other 
tribal communities that do not have access to safe drinking 
water, which impacts every facet of life, from day-to-day life 
to our local economies. In my own district, the To'Hajiilee 
Chapter and community has fought for years to get safe drinking 
water infrastructure, and we must absolutely address this 
crisis now. The Federal Government has not upheld its trust 
responsibilities to our tribal communities to ensure that they 
have access to safe drinking water, and that their water rights 
are protected.
    Finally, our third water crisis is the status of our 
infrastructure and ecosystems. We need significant investments 
in our crumbling dams, irrigation infrastructure, acequias, and 
the restoration of our precious ecosystems. We need investment 
in resilient infrastructure and green infrastructure. And we 
need to ensure--which will take our work, here in Congress--
that we change the operations of our water management systems 
to take climate change into consideration.
    Addressing this threefold water crisis requires action now, 
the deployment of the best science and tools available, working 
collaboratively with and uplifting our communities to develop 
innovative solutions, and new ways of thinking about and doing 
things that take climate change into consideration, which is 
why I am excited and heartened to see the budgets of these 
agencies make a sustained commitment, and restoration of 
science to its rightful place in informing our decision making, 
of ensuring that climate is at the heart of how we think about 
the management of our water resources, and that we invest in 
our communities.
    I want to ask Mr. Palumbo--thank you for being here today, 
it is good to see so many good friends--if you could, please 
speak more today about the significant funding increases that 
are in the President's budget for tribal water resource 
programs, and the mandatory proposal for Indian water rights.
    Mr. Palumbo. Thank you very much, Congresswoman, and 
congratulations.
    With respect to Reclamation's discretionary budget, we have 
$157 million in our budget to advance tribal water right 
initiatives that are critically important, and a top priority 
for the Administration. I couldn't agree more, universal clean 
water access to tribal communities is fundamental.
    We also have an additional $20 million we put in the budget 
to provide technical assistance to tribes to advance their 
individual settlement activities, settlement activity or 
activities that are not related to settlements, as well. So, we 
are bumping up the budget in those two areas.
    With respect to a move to mandatory funding for Indian 
water rights settlements, that would be very valuable to 
Reclamation, in terms of construction efficiency and planning. 
Year after year, if we know that funding is going to be there, 
we can execute the projects more timely, take advantage of 
price guarantees with contractors, and get that water, those 
molecules of water, delivered to those people who desperately 
need it in an expeditious manner.
    Mr. Stanton. Thank you, Mr. Palumbo.
    Mr. Chairman, I just want to emphasize to our colleagues 
that we have a tremendous opportunity with the budget, 
infrastructure, and reconciliation processes that are happening 
now to make an investment in water and in our communities. And 
the time is now. We need to make these investments. We need to 
invest in our communities, and ensure that they have access to 
clean, safe drinking water. Thank you.
    Mr. Huffman. I thank the gentlelady. The Chair now 
recognizes Mrs. Radewagen for 5 minutes.
    Mrs. Radewagen. Talofa. Thank you, Chairman Huffman and 
Ranking Member Bentz, for holding this budget hearing today. 
Thank you to the panel for your testimony.
    Dr. Spinrad, about 2 months ago, American Samoa Governor 
Lemanu Mauga, sent a letter to Acting Assistant Administrator 
Paul Doremus regarding additional Federal regulation for coral 
critical habitat that are already protected under American 
Samoa law. While I am sure we are all on the same side of 
safeguarding our natural resources, Governor Lemanu expressed 
concerns that the proposed designated area covers a large area 
of coral reef habitat, and does not reflect the critical 
habitat of threatened corals, and that it is actually redundant 
with other local and Federal regulations.
    How does NOAA intend to build a more efficient relationship 
with state and territorial authorities?
    And how do you intend to account for their local economy, 
when it comes to preservation efforts?
    And if I have enough time left, I want to extend that same 
question to the other witnesses. What I want to know, 
basically, is how does the Administration intend to address 
redundancies between Federal and local action?
    [Pause.]
    Mrs. Radewagen. Dr. Spinrad?
    Dr. Spinrad. Sorry, thank you, Congresswoman.
    I think there are a few aspects of addressing the 
redundancies you alluded to. One has been looking at 
consistency of state and territory actions with coastal 
management plans, coastal zone management.
    The other two elements that I would invoke, clearly, as I 
have stated repeatedly here today, is engagement and the extent 
to which there is any discussion between the Governor and the 
Assistant Administrator for National Marine Fisheries. It has 
to incorporate local communities. It has to incorporate Pacific 
Island Fisheries Councils.
    And then the last piece is the scientific basis for making 
these decisions, incorporating, as well, some of the 
traditional ecological knowledge.
    So, those are the keystones, I believe, in addressing 
potential redundancies or conflicts, I would add.
    Mrs. Radewagen. Any of the other witnesses?
    Mr. Guertin. Congresswoman, there were a lot of questions 
earlier in the hearing from leadership about the America the 
Beautiful, or 30x30 initiative. That could be viewed as 
potential redundancy or overlap. The way our agency is 
approaching it, we are turning to our existing partnerships, 
groups like Partnerscapes and the National Fish Habitat 
Partnership Board, and others, to allow the work we are already 
doing with private landowners. This is already under 
conservation protection measures, and things like that.
    There is no interest in going out and doing a ``Federal 
land grab,'' or things like that. The vision behind America the 
Beautiful is look to these existing partnerships, leverage 
them, build capacity, work at a local scale with our partners, 
ranchers, hunters, and also continue the Administration's 
emphasis on access to the public lands, and any land under 
conservation, as well. We just opened about 2.1 million acres 
of hunting and fishing access on our Nation's National Wildlife 
Refuge System, which is an historic amount--90 refuges, 1 
hatchery, to provide hundreds of hunting and fishing 
opportunities on our public land.
    That is kind of what is behind this whole vision for the 
America the Beautiful, and the 30x30 initiative. It is really 
looking at the existing efforts underway and trying to amplify 
them.
    Mrs. Radewagen. Any other witness, please?
    Mr. Palumbo. Thank you, Congresswoman. I will just say, as 
a general matter, the Bureau of Reclamation values our local 
relationships as an extremely important relationship to 
maintain.
    So, with respect to redundancies, our approach is roll up 
our sleeves, get on the ground, whether it is virtual or in 
person, and figure out ways in which we can leverage, 
supplement, complement, avoid duplication, but get things done 
on the ground in a responsible way, again, without duplicating, 
but taking advantage, whether it be local authorities, local 
money, Federal authorities, or Federal money. Doing that in a 
responsible way alongside our partners is key, from my 
perspective.
    Mrs. Radewagen. Thank you, Mr. Chairman, I yield back.
    Mr. Huffman. I thank the gentlelady. The Chair now will 
recognize myself for 5 minutes.
    I would like to begin with Mr. Palumbo and ask you about 
the planned Drought Response Program activities that are 
currently authorized under the Reclamation States Emergency 
Drought Relief Act. I know in your budget justification you 
state that you plan to use most program funding for medium-term 
and long-term drought response. But there is also a reference 
to some program funding being reserved for emergency response 
actions.
    So, I wonder if you could elaborate on how much funding you 
will dedicate to emergency response in the upcoming year.
    Mr. Palumbo. Thank you, Chairman. Having that available 
reserve funding under the Drought Response Act is critical for 
Reclamation. As we mentioned, we want to responsibly manage for 
the mid-term and the long-term, and we have other programs that 
look at that, as well.
    With respect to reserving funding, we are nimble and 
flexible. Based on the hydrologic year that we are dealt next 
year, we have the ability to deploy more of that funding for 
emergency activities, like we are doing this year with the 
Klamath Basin, getting tankage on site so we can leverage 
domestic wells in a responsible way, look at ways in which 
there can be land programs or other mitigation measures that 
are implemented.
    So, we remain flexible. We have other buckets we can rely 
on for mid- and long-term, if we need to use the majority of 
that for emergency actions next water year.
    Mr. Huffman. All right. Are there other buckets you can 
rely on, as well, for emergency drought response actions?
    And even more specifically, do you need any new legal 
authorities in order to provide emergency, short-term relief in 
a crisis like this?
    Mr. Palumbo. From an emergency perspective, those short 
terms, we don't have a lot of additional authorities, 
flexibilities, or funding to put to those emergency measures. 
Where we do have additional buckets is the mid- and long-term. 
So, I would say there would be an opportunity for emergency 
measures.
    Mr. Huffman. I appreciate that. I want to now specifically 
ask about the Klamath Basin. Some stakeholders there have 
recently requested short-term emergency drought funding in 
response to some terrible impacts that we have been discussing. 
My office shared that request with Reclamation. Can you give 
the Committee a sense of where the Agency is with existing 
legal authorities, what you can do with those authorities, as 
requested by the stakeholders, assuming that appropriations are 
provided and made available by Congress?
    And, again, are there any new legal authorities that would 
help you?
    Mr. Palumbo. Thank you very much, Chairman. We are 
currently looking at that request with our legal team, our 
Solicitor's Office, on the flexibilities that we currently 
have. If those funding categories were plussed up, so to speak, 
to the levels that were requested in the letter--fairly 
substantial. We do believe we have authorities to get that 
money working on the ground fairly rapidly. But we are 
finalizing that assessment, and will communicate with you if we 
need to tweak any language to make sure it is as flexible as 
possible.
    Mr. Huffman. Thank you. Please do. And then Reclamation 
recently indicated an appropriations reprogramming request was 
coming to assist with emergency drought response. Can you 
update us on the content or the timeline of that request?
    Mr. Palumbo. Yes, sir. We are in the final stages, just as 
we are with the WIIN Act, getting that to Congress. We expect 
in the next couple of weeks you will see that reprogramming 
request, a not insignificant amount of money that would be used 
for drought mitigation activities. So, in the next couple of 
weeks, I would expect you will be seeing that request.
    Mr. Huffman. All right, thank you very much.
    Mr. Guertin, I will close with you. You have been asked 
some questions about spotted owl habitat protection under the 
Endangered Species Act, and I think the suggestion is that we 
have to choose between the fire threat to owl habitat and 
protecting habitat, using those ESA tools. In my district, we 
have lost a ton of spotted owl habitat, maybe even permanently, 
to wildfires in recent years. So, Ranking Member Westerman is 
not wrong when he points that out as a threat to recovery of 
the spotted owl.
    But you also said something very important I want to ask 
you to elaborate on. You said that exercising those ESA tools, 
including critical habitat, does not preclude fuel load 
reduction and other treatments. Could you just tell us a little 
bit more about why that may be a bit of a false choice, and why 
you can use the full suite of tools under the ESA and still 
reduce fuels?
    Mr. Guertin. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Sure. Our agency is 
trying to look for solutions on the landscape. The ESA is a 
very powerful regulatory mechanism. It does include a lot of 
flexibilities, and designation of critical habitat will not 
preclude the use of fire as a tool on the landscape, it will 
not preclude the use of selective timber management processes, 
as well.
    The vision is to work with the communities, the other 
Federal agencies, the states, the tribes, the landowners in the 
region, and come up with a landscape-scale solution using all 
the flexibilities we all know we have.
    Mr. Huffman. All right, thank you for that. The Chair now 
recognizes the gentlelady from Colorado, Mrs. Boebert, for 5 
minutes.
    Mrs. Boebert. Thank you, Chairman Huffman and Ranking 
Member Bentz, for having this hearing today, and good morning 
to the witnesses. Thank you so much for testifying here.
    It is totally unacceptable that the Biden regime's budget 
was released months behind schedule and fails to proactively 
address the severe drought plaguing the West. The reduction in 
snowpack and early spring runoff makes water storage 
investments all the more critical in ensuring resilience of our 
water supply and delivery system.
    The Biden budget is bloated with climate goodies for the 
radical left. But somehow omits spending, it does not recommend 
the reauthorization of the expiring Subtitle J of the Water 
Infrastructure Improvements for the Nation Act. Subtitle J 
successfully funded water storage, water recycling, and 
desalinization projects throughout the West during the Trump 
administration. This lack of funding simply makes no sense and 
highlights how out of touch this regime is with the needs of 
millions of Americans.
    My first question is for Mr. Guertin.
    Mr. Guertin, it has been over a month since myself, Ranking 
Member Westerman, Congressional Western Caucus Chairman Dan 
Newhouse, and several other Members of Congress sent this 
bicameral letter to the Department of the Interior regarding 
the announcement to initiate a review of land management plans 
for the greater sage-grouse. When can we expect a response to 
this letter from June 16, 2021?
    Mr. Guertin. Congresswoman, I would have to track that down 
for you, and we can provide an update on the status of that 
response within the next 24 hours. I apologize for your 
frustration in having to wait this long.
    Mrs. Boebert. Thank you very much, Mr. Guertin. And as we 
know, the 2019 land management plans developed by the Trump 
administration were supported by all the Western governors 
involved, including Democrats.
    In a call with the Fish and Wildlife Service staff after 
your announcement, Service staff committed to including these 
2019 plans as part of the review. Can you please confirm that 
they are part of the review?
    Mr. Guertin. I would also have to track that down for you, 
Congresswoman. I apologize, and we can get you a response 
within 24 hours.
    Mrs. Boebert. Thank you very much, Mr. Guertin. We will be 
looking forward to those two responses, and I would like to ask 
a question to Mr. Palumbo.
    Mr. Palumbo, the Senate is currently discussing expanding 
the amount of funding dedicated to infrastructure, particularly 
water infrastructure in the Western United States. 
Unfortunately, this Committee seems to be more focused on less 
relevant issues.
    Nonetheless, what large-scale storage and conveyance 
projects would Reclamation prioritize to increase the 
reliability of water supplies?
    Mr. Palumbo. Thank you, Congresswoman, for the question. 
The Bureau of Reclamation looks at all of its watersheds, 
supplies, and looks at demands, and prioritizes our 
infrastructure investments that way. There are a variety of 
projects in California, in Idaho, in Washington, really, across 
the West that we prioritize for infrastructure investment, 
whether it be new infrastructure or addressing aging 
infrastructure.
    So, we have a portfolio based on risk, based on need that 
we could implement funding, if Congress so chooses to provide 
it.
    Mrs. Boebert. Thank you, and I have one more question, Mr. 
Palumbo. I know that there are current lawsuits over 
Reclamation projects. I ask that Reclamation provide the 
Committee a list of grants awarded by Reclamation to any entity 
that has sued them. Would you be able to provide the Committee 
and my office with that information?
    Mr. Palumbo. Yes, we could do that. I will work with our 
Solicitor's Office and our grants program to cross-reference 
those lists. We certainly could do that, if so asked.
    Mrs. Boebert. Thank you very much. We look forward to 
receiving that. I appreciate you being here today, Mr. Palumbo.
    And Mr. Guertin, thank you so much for your time, and for 
your added value to this hearing.
    With that, Chairman Huffman, I yield back.
    Mr. Huffman. I thank the gentlelady. The Chair now 
recognizes the gentlelady from New Mexico, Ms. Herrell, for 5 
minutes.
    Ms. Herrell. Thank you, Mr. Chair, and thank you for 
hosting this Committee, and letting me be a part of it today.
    And my colleague actually really outlined our challenges in 
New Mexico, as it relates to drinking water. So, I want to talk 
about something a little bit different.
    We are, obviously, almost ground zero for the Endangered 
Species Act and with this potential listing of the lesser 
prairie chicken, that will have an adverse effect, really 
devastating on both our energy and our agricultural industries. 
We have spent millions of dollars, private money, in putting 
together candidate conservation agreements and candidate 
conservation agreements with assurances in my district. In 
fact, they have been so effective that we have actually doubled 
the population number of the lesser prairie chicken since 2013.
    So, my question, Mr. Guertin, would be can you assure me 
and my constituents that the Fish and Wildlife Service will 
continue to honor these CCAs if a final rule is issued listing 
the lesser prairie chicken?
    Mr. Guertin. Thank you for your question, Congresswoman. 
Right now, we have our proposed rule out for public comment. It 
closes in early August, August 2. We have had two virtual 
hearings to solicit feedback from constituents and landowners 
and others. We are pulling all this information together today.
    I can't commit to you right here at this hearing what our 
final agency determination will be. We have to look at all the 
science. I will commit to you we will keep the communications 
going with you and your office throughout that process, and 
make sure that your constituents all know what we are planning 
to do with our final determination, as well. And we look 
forward to just keeping those lines of communication open with 
you and your constituents, but thank you.
    Ms. Herrell. Thank you. Obviously, in the Western states, 
we are drought-ridden, but we have had a good amount of 
moisture in the area. So--and I think I know the answer to 
this--but will you be providing ample time to collect accurate 
information with the impacts that this monsoon season has had 
on the habitat for the lesser prairie chicken? And I am sure 
the answer to that is yes.
    Mr. Guertin. Of course, Congresswoman. We look at the best 
available science, including the state of play right now in the 
environment. We will take all that information in, and 
throughout the process I assure you that we will make sure we 
keep the channels of communication open.
    Ms. Herrell. OK, thank you.
    And Mr. Palumbo, I wanted to ask, how involved is the 
Bureau with the crafting of the Ocean-Based Climate Solutions 
Act?
    We had a markup in the Natural Resources Committee last 
week and, obviously, it had a lot to do with water. And what 
concerns me is the water, when we speak to reservoirs, 
acequias, irrigation canals, especially in the Western states, 
I wanted to know how engaged and how involved the Bureau was 
with the crafting of that legislation, and what the input might 
have been.
    Mr. Palumbo. Thank you. I am going to have to get back with 
you on our specific involvement.
    Ms. Herrell. OK, sure.
    Mr. Palumbo. I do believe we have looked at the 
legislation, but in terms of the specifics, I don't know that. 
But you are absolutely keen on an important issue, that water 
and climate change are global issues and circulations, whether 
in the ocean or atmosphere, affect what is going on in the 
West.
    Ms. Herrell. OK, thank you. That would be great. And then 
just one last question, and this goes back to Mr. Guertin.
    I am just curious--and taking advantage of an opportunity 
to speak to you--there is an issue with a potential listing of 
the New Mexico meadow jumping mouse in the Lincoln National 
Forest. It is an issue that has been going on for, really, 
almost 20 years. And obviously, it is very contentious, and it 
now brings into light private property rights, water, riparian 
areas. Are you at all familiar with that?
    And is your office involved in it? Because I know Fish and 
Wildlife is involved on the more local level.
    Mr. Guertin. Thank you for your question, Congresswoman. I 
previously served as the Regional Director in our Denver 
office, and worked a lot on the listing determination for the 
Preble's meadow jumping mouse in Colorado and Wyoming. Our work 
throughout was always guided by the best available science, and 
the work we could do with private landowners, the states, 
tribes, and other users of the landscapes out there.
    We can get back to you with a better status update on the 
specifics of your mouse out there in New Mexico. I would be 
glad to follow up on that. But in general, that work right now 
would be led out of our regional office in Albuquerque. And 
then we have an Ecological Services and field office in the 
state of New Mexico, where the lead biologists are working on 
that.
    But, again, I am glad to get you a status update on our 
work, and offer to keep the lines of communications going with 
you and your leadership team on that issue, as well.
    Ms. Herrell. Thank you. We can talk about that offline. And 
thank you to all the witnesses for your time and your input.
    And, Mr. Chair, thank you for the opportunity. I appreciate 
it.
    Mr. Huffman. Thank you.
    Mr. Wittman, you are recognized for 5 minutes.
    Dr. Wittman. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I would like to thank 
our witnesses for joining us today.
    Mr. Guertin, President Biden said, ``Don't tell me your 
values. Show me your budget, and I will tell you your values.'' 
Do you agree with the President's statement?
    Mr. Guertin. That is a take on the old adage, ``Show me 
your checkbook and your calendar, and I will tell you what your 
priorities''----
    Dr. Wittman. Just a clear yes or no. Do you agree with the 
President's statement?
    Mr. Guertin. Yes, sir.
    Dr. Wittman. OK. In the cooperative endangered species 
conservation budget, which you know provides resources for 
states and territories to look at non-Federal lands, and how to 
really get after how we manage species, how we preserve 
critical habitat, I think that is key. And it provides the 
resources for localities to provide habitat conservation plans, 
which is really how localities look at what they can do to 
preserve critical habitat, what they can do to make sure there 
is minimal impact on critical species, and make sure that they 
avoid Endangered Species Act listings. Pretty critical.
    In your budget, you have increased almost every area of the 
budget, except you have cut this particular fund. The Agency 
says that it is actually your stated goal to support locally 
led conservation efforts. Yet, your funding says that you do 
not. So, it is apparent to me that, if you agree with the 
President's statement, that the Agency no longer values 
cooperation with localities, it no longer values habitat 
conservation plans, and no longer values what the Agency said 
previously that it did.
    So, has the Agency's goal changed, in that you no longer 
value cooperative-led conservation efforts? Because that is in 
contradiction to your Agency's stated goal.
    Mr. Guertin. Sure, Congressman. The tables I am looking at, 
I believe we actually have a $12 million increase, a 38 percent 
increase with the Cooperative Endangered Species Conservation 
Fund. I can reach out to your staff and make sure----
    Dr. Wittman. I want to see. I look at it clearly, and see 
that you are not funding habitat conservation plans. You are 
taking money away from going to localities.
    Mr. Guertin. You are talking about within the----
    Dr. Wittman. Yes.
    Mr. Guertin. OK, I apologize. Yes, sir. We just tried to 
prioritize within the account. That is something----
    Dr. Wittman. So, what you are doing is prioritizing, taking 
away resources so that localities that have intimate knowledge 
about habitat preservation, about impacts on species--what you 
are saying is, our priorities, we don't give a hoot about them 
anymore, we are just going to go ahead and put in a top-down 
system, where people in Washington actually are going to know 
better about what to do under the Endangered Species Act 
provisions than localities.
    So, what you are saying is you really no longer value--it 
is really not an Agency priority anymore to value locally led 
conservation efforts.
    Mr. Guertin. I think the budget just came out the way it 
did, sir. We certainly believe in empowering our local 
community partners and others. And we can take a look at that 
for the next President's budget----
    Dr. Wittman. So, do you empower them, then, by taking 
resources away?
    What you are saying is, if you guys want to do this, you 
just do it on your own, but we are not going to do anything, 
especially since ESA is a federally mandated requirement. We 
are just going to come in and unilaterally say, ``The heck with 
you. We don't care what you think about preserving critical 
habitat. We don't care what you think can be done to protect 
these species. We are just going to do what we want, and we 
don't give a hoot about what you guys think.''
    Mr. Guertin. There are many other increases in the 
Administration's request, sir--Partners for Fish and Wildlife, 
our coastal programs, and others that make those similar 
investments. I think this one program just didn't turn out----
    Dr. Wittman. Well, you agreed with what the President said. 
Clearly, it says this is what you value. It is apparent that, 
if you are not going to fund it, that you are not valuing it.

    Mr. Guertin. Well, respectfully, sir, we have a series of 
increases in the budget. Most of them are directed toward 
partnerships in local communities. I apologize this one line 
item just shifted funding to a different level of emphasis. But 
our commitment to you is always to focus on these local 
partnerships through the NAWCA program, through Partners for 
Fish and Wildlife, fish passage, and other programs, as well.
    We can certainly take another look at future budget 
developments, the inner components of the Cooperative 
Endangered Species Conservation Fund.

    Dr. Wittman. Well, it just seems like, to me, that it is an 
inconsistency or a contradiction, if you are saying that you 
are in favor of locally led conservation efforts, yet you are 
saying we don't care if you write habitat conservation plans, 
we don't really value your focus on what we do to preserve 
endangered species. That seems like, to me, to take an awfully 
effective tool off the table. And it creates a very much top-
down approach.
    And you are in agreement with what the President says, and 
that is that what you value is what you focus on in your 
budget. So, the association is that you don't value these 
habitat conservation plans, or there is a contradiction in what 
you say, as the Agency's focus on locally led conservation 
efforts.
    Mr. Chairman, I yield back.
    Mr. Huffman. I thank the gentleman.
    I want to thank the witnesses for their valuable testimony, 
and the Members for their questions.
    The members of the Committee may have some additional 
follow-up questions for the witnesses, and we will ask you to 
respond to those in writing. Under Committee Rule 3(o), members 
of the Committee must submit witness questions within 3 
business days following the hearing, and the hearing record 
will be held open for 10 business days to allow for responses.
    If there is no further business, then, without objection, 
the Subcommittee stands adjourned.

    [Whereupon, at 11:58 a.m., the Subcommittee was adjourned.]