[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
[GRAPHIC(S) NOT AVAILABLE IN TIFF FORMAT]
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.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
\2\ Bureau of Economic Analysis and NOAA, Ocean Economy. (2020),
https://www.bea.gov/data/special-topics/ocean-economy.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
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).
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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.
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\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.
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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.]