[Senate Hearing 118-599]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
S. Hrg. 118-599
BUDGET OVERSIGHT OF THE NATIONAL OCEANIC
AND ATMOSPHERIC ADMINISTRATION
=======================================================================
HEARING
BEFORE THE
SUBCOMMITTEE ON OCEANS, FISHERIES, CLIMATE
CHANGE, AND MANUFACTURING
OF THE
COMMITTEE ON COMMERCE,
SCIENCE, AND TRANSPORTATION
UNITED STATES SENATE
ONE HUNDRED EIGHTEENTH CONGRESS
FIRST SESSION
__________
JULY 20, 2023
__________
Printed for the use of the Committee on Commerce, Science, and
Transportation
[GRAPHIC NOT AVAILABLE IN TIFF FORMAT]
Available online: http://www.govinfo.gov
__________
U.S. GOVERNMENT PUBLISHING OFFICE
59-703 PDF WASHINGTON : 2025
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
SENATE COMMITTEE ON COMMERCE, SCIENCE, AND TRANSPORTATION
ONE HUNDRED EIGHTEENTH CONGRESS
FIRST SESSION
MARIA CANTWELL, Washington, Chair
AMY KLOBUCHAR, Minnesota TED CRUZ, Texas, Ranking
BRIAN SCHATZ, Hawaii JOHN THUNE, South Dakota
EDWARD MARKEY, Massachusetts ROGER WICKER, Mississippi
GARY PETERS, Michigan DEB FISCHER, Nebraska
TAMMY BALDWIN, Wisconsin JERRY MORAN, Kansas
TAMMY DUCKWORTH, Illinois DAN SULLIVAN, Alaska
JON TESTER, Montana MARSHA BLACKBURN, Tennessee
KYRSTEN SINEMA, Arizona TODD YOUNG, Indiana
JACKY ROSEN, Nevada TED BUDD, North Carolina
BEN RAY LUJAN, New Mexico ERIC SCHMITT, Missouri
JOHN HICKENLOOPER, Colorado J. D. VANCE, Ohio
RAPHAEL WARNOCK, Georgia SHELLEY MOORE CAPITO, West
PETER WELCH, Vermont Virginia
CYNTHIA LUMMIS, Wyoming
Lila Harper Helms, Staff Director
Melissa Porter, Deputy Staff Director
Jonathan Hale, General Counsel
Brad Grantz, Republican Staff Director
Nicole Christus, Republican Deputy Staff Director
Liam McKenna, General Counsel
------
SUBCOMMITTEE ON OCEANS, FISHERIES, CLIMATE CHANGE,
AND MANUFACTURING
TAMMY BALDWIN, Wisconsin, Chair DAN SULLIVAN, Alaska, Ranking
BRIAN SCHATZ, Hawaii ROGER WICKER, Mississippi
EDWARD MARKEY, Massachusetts JERRY MORAN, Kansas
BEN RAY LUJAN, New Mexico MARSHA BLACKBURN, Tennessee
RAPHAEL WARNOCK, Georgia J. D. VANCE, Ohio
PETER WELCH, Vermont
C O N T E N T S
----------
Page
Hearing held on July 20, 2023.................................... 1
Statement of Senator Baldwin..................................... 1
Statement of Senator Sullivan.................................... 3
Statement of Senator Cantwell.................................... 26
Statement of Senator Markey...................................... 42
Witnesses
Dr. Richard W. Spinard, Under Secretary of Commerce for Oceans
and Atmosphere, and Administrator, National Oceanic and
Atmospheric Administration..................................... 5
Prepared statement........................................... 7
Rear Admiral Nancy Hann, Director, NOAA Office of Marine and
Aviation Operations; and Director, NOAA Commissioned Officer
Corps.......................................................... 12
Prepared statement........................................... 14
Appendix
Hon. Ted Cruz, U.S. Senator from Texas, prepared statement....... 47
Response to written questions submitted to RADM Nancy Hann by:
Hon. Dan Sullivan............................................ 48
Hon. Ted Cruz................................................ 48
BUDGET OVERSIGHT
OF THE NATIONAL OCEANIC
AND ATMOSPHERIC ADMINISTRATION
----------
THURSDAY, JULY 20, 2023
U.S. Senate,
Subcommittee on Oceans, Fisheries, Climate Change,
and Manufacturing,
Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation,
Washington, DC.
The Subcommittee met, pursuant to notice, at 9:30 a.m. in
room SR-253, Russell Senate Office Building, Hon. Tammy
Baldwin, Chairwoman of the Subcommittee, presiding.
Present: Senators Baldwin [presiding], Cantwell, Markey,
and Sullivan.
OPENING STATEMENT OF HON. TAMMY BALDWIN,
U.S. SENATOR FROM WISCONSIN
Senator Baldwin. I call the Subcommittee on Oceans,
Fisheries, Climate Change, and Manufacturing to order and for
this oversight hearing on the National Oceanic and Atmospheric
Administration's budget.
Good morning. Under Secretary Spinrad and Rear Admiral
Hann, thank you for being here today. I look forward to hearing
from you about how Congress can support the budgetary needs of
the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, better
known as NOAA.
The topic is especially pertinent to addressing the growing
challenges posed by climate change. Climate change is not a
distant threat. It's here and now, impacting communities across
our Nation and around the globe. NOAA plays a central role in
understanding and addressing these impacts and it's imperative
that we invest in the vital work carried out by the agency as
we confront this reality.
The passage of the Inflation Reduction Act and the
Bipartisan Infrastructure Law are critical to the missions of
Federal agencies like NOAA, but we must ensure that sufficient
resources continue to be allocated annually to maintain our
cutting edge research capabilities to support local community
and coastal resilience and to build our climate ready nation.
NOAA's expertise in coastal mapping, weather modeling, and
climate impact assessments is crucial for planning and
designing resilient infrastructure that can withstand extreme
weather events and the changing climate.
By adequately funding NOAA, we ensure that our
infrastructure investments are informed by the best available
science. Severe weather events, rising sea levels, and changing
precipitation patterns are a challenge not only for coastal
communities but also our rural and agricultural communities.
By investing in NOAA, we invest in the science and data
necessary to understand and mitigate these risks in order to
safeguard our communities.
As Chair of this subcommittee, I also proudly represent the
Great Lakes Region, an area of immense natural beauty, economic
significance, and cultural importance.
The Great Lakes are not only a national treasure but a
global asset that demands are utmost attention and investment.
NOAA's role in protecting and preserving the Great Lakes cannot
be overstated.
The Great Lakes hold over 20 percent of the world's
freshwater, providing drinking water for over 40 million people
and supporting countless industries and ecosystems. It is our
duty to ensure that this invaluable resource remains healthy
and vibrant for generations to come.
However, the Great Lakes face an ever-growing array of
challenges that demand our immediate attention. Climate change
poses an existential threat to the Great Lakes, exacerbating
issues, such as lake level rise, shoreline erosion, increased
storm intensity, invasive species, and altered seasonal
patterns.
NOAA's Research and Monitoring Programs are instrumental in
understanding the complex dynamics of the Great Lakes
ecosystem. NOAA contributes crucial insights into water quality
and ecosystem health. These findings empower local communities
and industries to make informed choices about the future of our
shared resources.
Reliable funding for monitoring, research, and resilience
at NOAA will enable us to protect the ecological integrity of
the Great Lakes and preserve the livelihoods of communities
that depend upon them.
Investing in NOAA's Great Lakes Initiative is an investment
in our economy. The Great Lakes Region supports a wide range of
industries, including shipping, fishing, tourism, and
recreation, contributing billions of dollars to our national
GDP.
By supporting NOAA's programs, we foster sustainable
economic growth. We create jobs and ensure that future
generations can enjoy the countless opportunities that the
Great Lakes provide.
This historic legacy of the Great Lakes stretches back
centuries. As the vessels traversed these vast inland seas,
they became a vital lifeline for trade, transportation, and
exploration, shaping the development of the region. To preserve
and honor this unique heritage, I was very proud to work with
NOAA on the establishment of the Marine Sanctuary in Manitowoc,
Wisconsin, anchored there, and along with the Shipwreck Coast.
Through this designation, we are fostering research,
education, and ensuring future generations can explore and
appreciate the stories and artifacts of our maritime past.
Finally, I cannot overemphasize the deep cultural and
historic significance of the Great Lakes Region to the tribal
nations that call it home. Indigenous communities have thrived
along the shores of the Great Lakes for centuries, relying on
these waters for sustenance, transportation, and spiritual
practices. They are stewards of the land and water,
implementing sustainable practices and protecting the natural
resources upon which we all rely.
By investing in NOAA, we invest in the empowerment and
resilience of these communities. However, it is essential that
NOAA engages with tribal nations as true partners respecting
sovereignty and conducting meaningful consultation. By doing
so, we demonstrate our commitment to the tribes.
In my role as Chair of the Subcommittee for Oceans, Great
Lakes, Fisheries, and Manufacturing, I am proud to champion
investments in both our salty and freshwater coasts so that we
may protect them for generations to come. By investing in NOAA,
we invest in our future, our economy, and the resilience of our
Nation.
With that, I will hand it over to my colleague, Ranking
Member Sullivan, for his opening remarks.
STATEMENT OF HON. DAN SULLIVAN,
U.S. SENATOR FROM ALASKA
Senator Sullivan. Thank you, Madam Chair, and thank you for
your leadership in calling this hearing.
I'd like to welcome Dr. Spinrad, Rear Admiral Hann, and I'm
looking forward to discussing NOAA's opportunities and
challenges as we can work together to ensure that your agency's
important work is equipped with the resources, support, and
guidance needed to fulfill your responsibilities, particularly
since the passage of the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and the
Inflation Reduction Act.
I always emphasize the importance of having Federal
officials come from Washington, D.C., to actually see the great
state of Alaska firsthand and luckily for both of you, you have
been there and it wasn't just to fly in. I appreciate the time
that both of you have spent in Alaska.
I look forward to hosting you again in August as we
celebrate the NOAA Ketchikan Port Facility Completion and the
return of the NOAA Fairweather Vessel to its homeport in
Ketchikan.
Real Admiral Hann, thank you for coming to the ground-
breaking ceremony for the facility 2 years ago.
The homeporting of the Fairweather in Alaska is an
important achievement that has been the goal of the Alaska
delegation for years.
Alaska has more coastline than any other state. Indeed, we
have more coastline than the rest of the Lower 48 states
combined and we need ships taking residency in Alaska to
support sustainable management of our oceans and ocean
resources.
Dr. Spinrad, it was a pleasure to have you in Juneau last
August to talk about issues, such as the Marine Debris
Foundation established under my Save Our Seas 2.0 legislation
which was signed into law almost 2 years ago, what CRS called
the most comprehensive ocean cleanup legislation to ever pass
the Congress.
Thank you for your work serving as a Member on the Marine
Debris Foundation's Board of Directors. As you know, the search
is underway for an executive director right now.
Once this position is filled, the Foundation can vote on a
home for its headquarters. I hope it will be Alaska. I look
forward to continuing to work with you on this and seeing how
the Foundation and the rest of the Save Our Seas 2.0 Act can be
implemented and work in tandem with the NOAA Marine Debris
Program in the future.
Of vital importance to Alaska are our fisheries.
Approximately two-thirds of all the Nation's wild seafood
harvest comes from my state every year, two thirds. We are the
super power of seafood for America, generating billions of
dollars in our economy and tens of thousands of jobs in my
state for my constituents.
Key to this harvest continues to be funding and support for
fisheries surveys in Alaskan waters so that we can sustainably
manage our fisheries with the best available science.
We believe we are the most data-driven best=managed
fisheries probably in the world and I'm a strong advocate for
maintaining good science and good data and investing in applied
research at NOAA.
Now speaking of bad data and bad science, the Washington-
based Wild Fish Conservancy, an extreme NGO, filed a lawsuit
against the Southeast Alaska Chinook Salmon Troll Fishery,
claiming that salmon harvests in Alaska kills Southern Resident
Whales in Puget Sound hundreds and hundreds of miles away. This
lawsuit defies logic. It's frivolous and it threatens the
livelihoods of our small boat Southeast Alaska fishing
communities.
Congress has allocated millions of dollars for hatchery-
based prey increase programs to increase food sources to Puget
Sound Orcas and mitigate any potential impacts from our
fisheries whose harvests limits our carefully set, as you know,
by the Pacific Salmon Treaty.
I thank the National Marine Fishery Service for joining the
State of Alaska, the Alaska Trawlers Association, and me and my
two congressional colleagues in an amicus brief in the appeal
for this ridiculous case. I'm glad the 9th Circuit sided with
us and we have the people of Southeast actually fishing this
summer which was, as you know, very much in doubt.
I urge NMFS to continue to fight this in court with us and
in tandem carefully and quickly revise the 2019 Biological
Opinion from which this lawsuit first gained traction based on
technical errors as soon as possible so that fishermen can
continue to fish uninterrupted.
Speaking of NMFS, just yesterday the Alaska delegation sent
a letter to Janet Coit concerning the designation of the
Southern Southeast Alaska Harbor Porpoise as a stock of concern
under the Marine Mammal Protection Act. This designation is not
based on sound science and puts Southeast Alaska fisheries also
at risk.
I call upon NOAA to conduct updated research on harbor
porpoises and their mortalities from fishery interactions
before finalizing any stock of concern designation.
Additionally, the NOAA National Weather Service provides an
essential service that we all use in our every-day lives. We
thank you for that great work. It is of vital importance to
Alaska where inclement weather is a huge challenge,
increasingly so as the climate shifts. Alaska experienced seven
severe weather-related Federal disasters in 2022 alone.
I am committed to ensuring that the funds are effectively
allocated to the National Weather Service.
NOAA received a historic level of funding last Congress.
The Bipartisan Infrastructure Law appropriated nearly $3
billion to establish infrastructure for coastal resilience,
habitat restoration, and weather forecasting through 2026.
The Inflation Reduction Act appropriated $3.3 billion to
NOAA. It is my goal and the goal of this committee in terms of
our oversight capacity, to ensure that these funds are being
appropriately allocated to ensure effective implementation of
these initiatives and, importantly, to make sure NOAA stays
focused on its core mission, which is data and stock surveys.
As we have discussed, Dr. Spinrad, there has been
disappointment in the last few years on the lack of surveys
which are so critical to effective management of our fisheries
and I know that there has been some claims about staff
shortages but that should not keep us from doing the job that
NOAA does on surveys.
Another issue of great importance to me is the increased
variability we are seeing in salmon returns across Alaska. Some
areas we're seeing record returns with different salmon
species. Some areas we're seeing historically poor dramatic
decrease in returns.
My Alaska Salmon Research Task Force Act that was signed
into law at the end of last year established the Salmon
Research Task Force for Alaska which is required to review
existing salmon science in Alaska and identify salmon research
priorities.
It is critical that a robust science plan is developed to
support and better understand the salmon populations that my
constituents depend on, particularly along the Yukon River, the
Kuskokwim River, the Kenai River where the returns of King
salmon have been very dramatically reduced.
As I've highlighted, there are many issues under NOAA's
jurisdiction concerning Alaska and our country but probably
more under Alaska than any other state. We need to
strategically invest so that our needs are met in the future.
I look forward to the discussion concerning NOAA's
oversight today and I want to thank you again, both of you, for
being here.
Senator Baldwin. Thank you.
We will now turn to our witnesses for their opening
testimony. We'll start with Under Secretary Spinrad and then
turn to Rear Admiral Hann. We will include your full testimony,
written testimony for the record. So if you can summarize in
roughly 5 minutes that would be wonderful. Thank you.
We'll start with Under Secretary Spinrad.
STATEMENT OF DR. RICHARD W. SPINRAD,
UNDER SECRETARY OF COMMERCE FOR OCEANS
AND ATMOSPHERE, AND ADMINISTRATOR,
NATIONAL OCEANIC AND ATMOSPHERIC ADMINISTRATION
Dr. Spinrad. Thank you.
Chairs Cantwell and Baldwin and Ranking Members Cruz and
Sullivan, Members of the Subcommittee, thank you for the
opportunity to testify today.
Earth just had its warmest June in our 174-year NOAA
record. In 2023 so far, there have been 12 confirmed billion
dollar disasters that have killed 100 people and cost the
Nation upwards of $32 billion already.
Climate-related fishery disasters and the extent of and
damage caused by wildfires are increasing. These impacts are
happening in each and every one of your states and we're
working hard to mitigate the impacts to your constituents.
NOAA is uniquely qualified to prepare our Nation for
climate change and America is in need of NOAA's authoritative
data, tools, products, and services now more than ever. Taken
together, NOAA's Fiscal Year 2024 Budget Request and
implementation of the Inflation Reduction Act and the
Bipartisan Infrastructure Law represent historic investments to
create a climate-ready nation in the face of the climate
crisis.
Our budget and our IRA and BIL investments support NOAA's
goal of scaling up critical efforts to understand and mitigate
the impacts of the climate crisis. Specifically, NOAA will make
investments in research, observations, forecasting,
restoration, and resilience, offshore wind development, and
equity both within the agency and around the Nation.
We'll also invest in our fleet and aircraft, satellites,
and space weather observations and predictions to ensure that
NOAA continues to provide actionable environmental intelligence
that is the basis for a smart policy and decisionmaking in the
changing world.
As we increase our understanding of the changing climate,
we'll simultaneously research and develop new and improved
tools for decisionmakers to address climate impacts. For
example, NOAA will support scientific monitoring and prediction
of Arctic systems and ensure that satellite-derived data are
provided to users of actionable information.
In addition, NOAA's research will address challenges faced
by fishing communities and marine resource managers and support
tourism, recreation, and trust responsibilities.
The NOAA Climate Ready Fisheries Initiative, part of our
Fiscal Year 2024 Request and bolstered by our IRA investments,
will provide decisionmakers with climate-informed advice on
best management strategies to reduce impacts and increase
ecosystem and economic resilience.
Not only are we adapting our management and improving the
science but we're also likely making the single largest
investment by the Federal Government in fish hatchery
maintenance and upgrades ever seen.
Through this process, we're setting a new standard for
tribal consultations within our agency and honoring the U.S.
Government's treaty and trust responsibilities to tribes.
NOAA will also invest in increasing conservation and
protection in an expanded sanctuary system. NOAA's Fiscal Year
2024 Request and funding through the Inflation Reduction Act
will enhance both our ability to designate new sanctuaries and
our sanctuary management capacity as new sanctuaries are
designated.
We will continue to foster environmental stewardship and
optimize advances in science and technology with a particular
focus on the new blue economy.
In support of the Administration's goal to deploy 30
gigawatts of offshore energy by 2030, NOAA will facilitate
smart economic and ecologically sustainable offshore wind
development. These efforts are bolstered by our BIL and IRA
investments of $40 million to provide efficient, accurate, and
timely permitting.
NOAA's National Seafood Strategy outlines actions to
rebuild and enhance the competitiveness of the seafood and
fishing industries and associated communities. NOAA will
improve global fisheries management through international
negotiations and capacity building, monitor U.S. imports from
legal and sustainable seafood, and increase enforcement
capacity and marine forensics.
NOAA continues to prioritize equity in every facet of our
mission delivery. In Fiscal Year 2024, NOAA will support a
diverse domestic seafood sector through a series of workforce
development and training programs. Through these partnerships
and through our Climate Ready Workforce Initiative, we will
train people for good jobs and bolster participation from
historically underserved and under-represented communities.
Training and investments will focus on building skills and
understanding the regulations and science that underpin
management which will help improve cooperation and trust among
the private sector, public scientists, and regulators.
All of these investments are intended to support the lives,
livelihoods, and lifestyles of individuals, industries, and
communities in your states.
I look forward to working closely with the Committee as we
develop our science and services in Fiscal Year 2024 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. Rick Spinrad, Under Secretary of Commerce
for Oceans and Atmosphere and Administrator, National Oceanic and
Atmospheric Administration
Chairs Cantwell and Baldwin, Ranking Members Cruz and Sullivan, and
Members of the Subcommittee, thank you for the opportunity to testify
today regarding the Department of Commerce's National Oceanic and
Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). NOAA appreciates the continued
support of Congress, the Administration, and our broad and diverse base
of stakeholders.
For Fiscal Year (FY) 2024, NOAA proposes a budget of $6.8 billion
in discretionary appropriations, an increase of $450.5 million from the
FY 2023 Enacted. The FY 2024 budget builds on the $6.27 billion in
investments through the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) (P.L. 117-169)
and Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL) (P.L. 117-58) for Climate-Ready
Coasts, climate data and services, and fisheries and protected
resources.
All of our investments supports the following NOAA goals:
Expanding NOAA's Climate Products and Services--As part of a
whole of government approach, NOAA will provide actionable
environmental information that is the basis of smart policy and
decision-making, especially around initial risk and focus areas
including wildfires, floods, drought, extreme heat, coasts,
marine resources, and mitigation.
Providing Science and Data to Inform Economic Development--
NOAA will continue to foster environmental stewardship and
optimize advances in science and technology to create value-
added, data-driven sustainable and equitable economic
development, with a particular focus on the New Blue
Economy.\1\
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
\1\ The New Blue Economy is a sustainable and equitable ocean and
coastal economy that optimizes advances in science and technology to
create value-added, data-driven economic opportunities and solutions to
pressing societal needs. See www.noaa.gov/blue-economy.
Equity and Workforce--NOAA will continue to integrate equity
across the organization by improving capabilities and knowledge
sharing, and honing product development and service delivery in
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Tribal and underserved communities.
Satellites--NOAA will continue investments in future
geostationary, low Earth orbit, and space weather observations
to ensure continuity of critical data from legacy systems,
while providing significant improvements in data and products.
Facilities--NOAA will continue investments aligned with the
NOAA Facilities Strategic Plan and Facilities Investment Plan.
Expanding NOAA's Climate Products and Services
Climate change is a threat to lives and livelihoods around the
United States and the world. Heat is one of the leading causes of
weather-related deaths \2\ and temperature highs have increased and
broken records over the past several decades. So far this year, the
United States has already experienced 12 confirmed weather/climate
disaster events, including winter storms, tornado outbreaks, flooding,
and severe weather, with losses exceeding $1 billion each.\3\ These
events resulted in the deaths of 99 people and had significant economic
impacts on the areas affected. And, while the 1980-2022 annual average
is eight events, the annual average for the last five years (2018-2022)
is 18 events. We are also seeing an increase in climate-related fishery
disasters and an increase in the extent of and damage caused by
wildfires.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
\2\ www.weather.gov/hazstat/
\3\ www.ncei.noaa.gov/access/billions/
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
NOAA provides actionable environmental information that is the
basis for smart policy and decision-making in a changing world. NOAA is
collaborating with other Federal agencies as part of the whole-of
government effort to address the climate crisis, strengthen resilience,
and promote economic growth. Together with its partners, NOAA will
build the Nation's climate resilience, a primary goal outlined in our
FY 2022-2026 Strategic Plan. Our prosperity, health, security, and
continued growth benefit from and depend upon a shared understanding
of--and collective action to reduce--the impacts of climate change.
Through the historic BIL and IRA funding, we are investing more
than $1.1 billion ($200 million from IRA, and $492 million in flood
inundation and forecasting, $25 million in flood mapping, $100 million
in wildfires, $1 million in soil moisture, $150 million in ocean and
coastal observing systems, $56 million in Regional Ocean Partnerships,
and $80 million in supercomputing from BIL) in expanding and improving
NOAA's climate products and services. Investments through BIL will
allow us to invest in science to better map and forecast floods;
understand water resources, soil moisture, and wildfire; improve and
expand ocean and coastal observations; expand our regional ocean
partnerships; and, grow our supercomputing capacity.
IRA investments will allow us to provide research grants to address
climate challenges such as the impacts of extreme events, water
availability and quality, impacts of changing ocean conditions on
marine life, improved greenhouse gas and ocean carbon monitoring, and
coastal resilience and sea level rise. This science will accelerate
advances and improvements in research, observation systems, modeling,
forecasting, assessments, and, critically, the dissemination of climate
information to the public. We will also improve our short-term,
seasonal, and decadal climate modeling, to advance predictions of
extreme weather events and our ability for long-term planning and
adaptation. Additionally, we will work with industry in our proving
grounds to put our information to work. Through BIL and IRA, we are
expanding our dissemination of actionable, place-based information to
save lives and property.
The FY 2024 budget builds on investments in the BIL and IRA to pave
the way for NOAA's support for a climate-ready nation. In FY 2024, NOAA
is requesting an additional $78.2 million to implement Executive Order
(EO) 14008 on Tackling the Climate Crisis at Home and Abroad. Funding
will support an earth systems approach to enhance NOAA's critical
contributions to the U.S. climate modeling enterprise, prediction and
projection, research and development, observational infrastructure, and
service delivery and decision support tools.
Establishing an end-to-end value chain for climate and weather data
and services starts with investing in observational infrastructure and
culminates in delivering comprehensive services to meet a diverse set
of missions.
NOAA's weather and climate predictions and information must be
reliably delivered to users to inform decision making. Forty percent of
the U.S. population lives and works in coastal counties,\4\ making a
disproportionate segment of our society and economy at increasing risk
to hazards such as hurricanes and coastal inundation. Therefore, the FY
2024 request will maintain investments to optimize the National Weather
Service (NWS) Integrated Dissemination Program to ensure the provision
of weather and climate predictions, forecasts, and warnings to the
public, emergency management partners, and the U.S. weather enterprise.
Funding will also allow first responders to immediately access imagery
to assess and prioritize response efforts, improving positioning and
processing, and delivering high resolution GIS ready imagery in real-
time.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
\4\ NOAA Office of Coastal Management and U.S. Census Bureau,
American Community Survey Five-Year Estimates (2015-2019), https://
coast.noaa.gov/digitalcoast/data/acs.html (accessed March 1, 2023)
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
In coordination with other Federal climate service partners, NOAA
will expand the proven capabilities of the Climate Adaptation
Partnerships program and complement this work with NOAA's Regional
Climate Services in order to advance adaptation measures and resilience
planning at regional and local scales, while also prioritizing
environmental justice. These partnerships will increase the value of
climate information to users and support more efficient, cost-effective
delivery of products and services relevant to region-specific economic
activity, hazards, and vulnerability.
NOAA provides timely and actionable environmental observations on
global, national, and regional scales from satellites, radar, surface
systems, atmospheric greenhouse gas sampling stations, ocean buoys,
uncrewed systems, aircraft, and ships. With the funding requested in FY
2024, in addition to the funding provided through the IRA, NOAA will
continue the acquisition of a second aircraft for its high-altitude jet
program. With IRA funding, we are investing in vessel maintenance and
in the construction of two Class B charting and mapping ships to
improve our capabilities. With FY 2024 funding, NOAA will invest in
Days at Sea and Flight Hours to support critical mission requirements,
and the NOAA Corps officers needed to safely and effectively operate
new ships and aircraft. In addition, uncrewed platforms have great
potential to increase data collection efficiency and fill gaps not met
by traditional platforms. NOAA will continue to explore using Uncrewed
Systems to support the full spectrum of our aircraft and maritime
missions.
NOAA will collaborate with our academic research partners to
improve precipitation predictions across multiple weather and climate
timescales through the Precipitation Prediction Grand Challenge
Initiative. This effort will lead to improved precipitation forecasts
using NOAA's Unified Forecast System. In addition, NOAA will develop a
state-of-the-art global reanalysis capability to improve the prediction
of high impact weather events, coastal inundation risk, and
infrastructure failure, which will in turn improve our understanding of
trends in extreme events, climate impacts on marine ecosystems and
fisheries, and environmental change in under-observed polar regions.
As we increase our understanding of the changing climate in the
short-and long-terms, we will simultaneously research and develop new
and improved tools for decision makers to address climate impacts. For
example, NOAA will support scientific monitoring and prediction of
Arctic systems and the development of innovative observational
technologies, and will ensure that satellite-derived data is provided
to users as actionable information in support of high-priority
applications in polar regions and coastal zones. NOAA will also address
the ongoing needs identified by the NOAA-Alaska Tribal Health
Consortium to further develop its Tribal climate program, and increase
support in service to Alaska Natives. In addition, NOAA's research will
address challenges faced by commercial fishing and marine resource
managers and support tourism and recreation. The NOAA Climate-Ready
Fisheries Initiative will provide decision-makers with climate-informed
advice on best management strategies to reduce impacts and increase
ecosystem and economic resilience.
NOAA will also invest in increasing conservation and protection in
an expanded sanctuary system, which is an integral part of NOAA's
implementation of the America the Beautiful initiative that includes
the goal to conserve at least 30 percent of U.S. lands and waters by
2030. NOAA's FY 2024 request will enhance NOAA's sanctuary management
capacity as new sanctuaries are designated. NOAA will work to identify
gaps in marine protection, train the next generation of Marine
Protected Area professionals, and expand technology use in sanctuaries
to support management priorities. These efforts will be bolstered by
our IRA investments to support the designation process, particularly
for the sanctuary designations that are currently underway.
Providing Science and Data to Inform Economic Development
NOAA will continue to foster environmental stewardship and optimize
advances in science and technology to create value-added, data-driven
sustainable economic development, with a particular focus on the New
Blue Economy by supporting development framed around an information and
knowledge-based approach to support fisheries, transportation,
shipping, renewable energy, recreation, and livelihoods. In 2022, the
Bureau of Economic Analysis, in partnership with NOAA, released the
official Marine Economy statistics, finding that the U.S. marine
economy contributed approximately $361.4 billion to the Nation's gross
domestic products\5\ and supported 2.2 million jobs in 2020.\6\
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
\5\ Bureau of Economic Analysis and NOAA, Ocean Economy, https://
www.bea.gov/news/2022/marine-economy-satellite-account-2014-2020
(accessed March 1, 2023)
\6\ Bureau of Economic Analysis and NOAA, Ocean Economy, https://
www.noaa.gov/news-release/marine-economy-continues-to-power-american-
prosperity-despite-2020-downturn (accessed March 1, 2023)
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Our investments through the IRA and BIL reflect the importance of
our work to the marine economy. We are investing $1.1 billion in
habitat restoration projects ($313 million in IRA funding, and $491
million to habitat restoration, $207 million for Coastal Zone
Management, $77 million for the National Estuarine Research Reserves
from BIL), $223 million for marine debris removal and interception as
well as innovative research and community-based solutions for marine
debris ($200 million from BIL and $23 million from IRA), and $40
million for improving the accuracy and efficiency of our permitting of
activities, especially offshore wind.
We are also investing $335 million to ensure our management of
fisheries has the best available science and accounts for climate
change from IRA, $571 million in fish passage ($400 million from BIL
and $172 million from IRA) to improve stocks and ecosystems, and $187
million specifically for the Pacific Coastal Salmon Recovery Fund,
contributing to sustainable fisheries, Tribal treaty fishing rights,
and native subsistence fishing. We are also providing $60 million to
support Mitchell Act salmon hatcheries, and $240 million for non-
Mitchell Act salmon hatcheries. In implementing our BIL and IRA
programs we have placed specific emphasis on underserved communities in
all competitive programs, and in response to community feedback
received during Tribal consultations, we also set aside more than $20
million for capacity building, allowing these areas to more fully
participate in climate resilience planning.
In FY 2024, NOAA requests an additional $81.4 million in support of the
expansion of offshore wind energy, the National Seafood Strategy, ocean
and coastal mapping and charting, and development of key information
systems in our tsunami, weather, and space observations infrastructure.
In support of the Administration's goal to deploy 30 gigawatts of
offshore energy by 2030, NOAA will facilitate smart economic and
ecological offshore wind development. In FY 2024, NOAA will continue to
work closely with the Department of the Interior's Bureau of Ocean
Energy Management (BOEM) to minimize the effects of offshore energy
projects on protected marine resources, fisheries, and important
habitats; reduce 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's National Seafood Strategy outlines actions to rebuild and
enhance the competitiveness of the seafood and fishing industries and
associated communities. NOAA will support the Strategy by combating
Illegal, Unreported, and Unregulated (IUU) fishing through increased
capacity for existing programs. NOAA will use advanced technology,
improve global fisheries management through international negotiations
and capacity building, monitor U.S. imports to promote legal and
sustainable seafood, and increase enforcement capacity and marine
forensics. In FY 2024, NOAA will fill data gaps in the foundational
data for ocean and coastal mapping and charting of the U.S. Exclusive
Economic Zone, and build out geospatial and water level infrastructure
in coastal areas benefiting local communities and Tribal populations.
Also, to further address tsunamis' unpredictability and potentially
disastrous consequences to life and property along vulnerable U.S.
coastlines, NOAA will provide a common framework that supports the
National Tsunami Warning Center, located in Alaska, and Pacific Tsunami
Warning Center, located in Hawai'i. Funding will ensure continuity of
operations by eliminating discontinuities within existing systems, and
providing consistent guidance to all users, independent of location.
With the FY 2024 Budget request, NOAA will complete acquisition of
a demonstration model to advance critical research and support industry
engagement to evaluate a dual polarization Phased Array Radar (PAR)
technology to meet NOAA's weather radar requirements. Investments in
PAR will allow us to continue the research to best leverage advanced
technology to make more accurate warnings and reduce false alarms for
severe weather. PAR is a promising technology that could replace NOAA's
current NEXRAD radar network by 2040. Additional funding will support
improvement in the safety of commercial space activities as Earth's
orbits become increasingly congested with space traffic and debris.
This request will allow the Office of Space Commerce to continue
progress toward meeting its target of achieving Full Operating
Capability in FY 2025 for space situational awareness services.
Equity and Workforce
As NOAA tackles the climate crisis by building a climate-ready
nation, it will strive to engage and support the Nation's underserved
and vulnerable communities. The Biden Administration's policies,
including those described in EO 13985 on Advancing Racial Equity and
Support for Underserved Communities Through the Federal Government, and
EO 14096 on Revitalizing Our Nation's Commitment to Environmental
Justice for All, direct agencies to integrate equity into the DNA of
their organizations--from management, to policies, to service delivery.
To meet this challenge, NOAA is making equity central to every facet of
mission delivery and working internally to create a model agency that
incorporates diverse perspectives into our decision-making.
Our Climate Ready Workforce grants, a $60 million investment
through the IRA, are grants that advance the President's Justice40
Initiative, and in which we are preparing the U.S. workforce for good
jobs in the field of climate resilience such as a heat-health outreach
assistant or Climate Resilience Officer for a town or city. These
grants, along with a $60M investment through the Climate Resilience
Accelerators competition, foster public-private partnerships to support
commercialization of businesses working in climate resilience, and
encouraging projects that reach historically underserved communities,
as they are often the most impacted by and vulnerable to many effects
of climate change.
In FY 2024, NOAA requests an additional $9.1 million to invest in
science and management efforts in the U.S. Pacific and Caribbean
territories, and support fisheries management and the seafood sector
through training and workforce development.
NOAA will expand the use of social, economic, and climate change
metrics that uniquely characterize a coastal community's vulnerability
and resilience to disturbances (e.g., harvest declines, extreme
weather, oil spills, sea level rise, etc.). This will enable users to
analyze the climate vulnerability of over 4,600 coastal communities in
23 states thereby supporting the implementation of policies that
address environmental, climate, and racial equity and justice
considerations.
NOAA will support a diverse domestic seafood sector through a
series of workforce development and training programs. Partnerships
will span a wide range of entities, including diverse and historically
underserved communities such as: minority serving institutions (MSIs),
Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs), Tribal Colleges
and Universities (TCUs), and community colleges. Training will focus on
adaptation to disruptions in the market and the regulations and science
that underpin management, which will help improve cooperation and trust
among the industry, public, scientists, and regulators.
Satellites
NOAA satellites are critical for NOAA's mission, as well as the
security, safety, and prosperity of the Nation. Data from these
satellites provide essential support to all segments of the U.S.
economy. In FY 2024, NOAA requests an additional $365.8 million for
significant investments in NOAA's observational infrastructure,
underscoring NOAA's commitment to making crucial, time-sensitive, and
cost-effective investments to ensure that the Nation's next-generation
satellite systems expand service delivery of essential earth system
observations to meet the evolving needs of the American public. The FY
2024 budget will help NOAA better observe environmental phenomena
connected to climate change-related impacts and patterns, and deliver
products, information, and climate services to inform decision makers.
The value of NOAA's world-class data is enhanced by NOAA
applications and access by users. The FY 2024 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. In addition, NOAA will
continue to implement vulnerability management against the latest
threats on satellite ground systems to lower the operational risk,
which ensures continuity of critical satellite data flow to key
customers such as NOAA's NWS.
NOAA's current satellite constellation has proven its worth and
will continue to do so for another decade. However, NOAA must
concurrently invest in the next generation of environmental satellites
with the needs of all of our communities in mind. FY 2024 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 to meet the
complex societal and environmental needs of the Nation. NOAA's program
investments also allow us to immediately capitalize on the National
Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA)'s satellite observations
for NOAA requirements and mission focus.
Facilities
NOAA's facilities portfolio is vast with over 620 facilities,
including over 400 owned properties, and an estimated replacement value
which exceeds $3 billion. Congress recognized the need to invest in
NOAA facilities, and through funds in the IRA, we will be making a $279
million investment in facilities. In FY 2024, NOAA is requesting an
additional $55.7 million to support maintenance and repair of its aging
infrastructure and significantly improve facilities across the Nation.
Each facility requires financial investments for maintenance, repairs,
modernization, and even replacement to effectively sustain and evolve
NOAA's science capabilities to support the current and future missions.
NOAA proposes to significantly invest in facilities with an influx of
funding to accompany the strategic priorities identified in the
upcoming Facilities Strategic Plan.
Summary
NOAA is working hand-in-hand with partners locally and sharing best
practices globally. People know they can turn to NOAA for reliable
climate and extreme weather information to help make informed decisions
that help save lives and livelihoods. With the funding from the IRA and
BIL and increased funding in FY 2024, NOAA will ensure continuity from
legacy systems while providing significant improvements in data and
products and continuing investments aligned with our strategic vision.
In doing so, it ensures that NOAA will continue to deploy the full
breadth of its integrated services and capabilities necessary to ensure
a climate-ready nation.
Senator Baldwin. Thank you.
Rear Admiral Hann.
STATEMENT OF REAR ADMIRAL NANCY HANN, DIRECTOR, NOAA OFFICE OF
MARINE AND AVIATION OPERATIONS; AND DIRECTOR, NOAA COMMISSIONED
OFFICER CORPS
Admiral Hann. Chairs Cantwell and Baldwin, thank you,
Members Cruz and Sullivan, Members of the Subcommittee, thank
you for the opportunity to testify on the President's Fiscal
Year 2024 Budget for the NOAA Commissioned Officers Corps and
the Office of the Marine and Aviation Operations or OMAO.
As both the Director of OMAO and the Service Chief of the
NOAA Officer Commissioned Corps, I represent a unique part of
NOAA that manages and operates NOAA's fleet of 15 ships, nine
aircraft, and our own crewed Operations Center.
We provide critical environmental observations every day
which are fundamental to weather forecasts, fishery quotas, and
nautical charts. What OMAO does for the Nation cannot be
replicated.
In 2024, our fleet will grow to 16 ships and 10 aircraft,
necessitating additional crew and shoreside support. OMAO
relies on NOAA core officers, our civilian professional
mariners, our shoreside support, and operational funds to run
our fleet.
As of this week, OMAO has just over 350 professional
mariners, far short of what we need. The mariner labor market
is the tightest it has been in decades and we're working
aggressively to recruit and retain mariners. Our attrition is
down more than 40 percent since last year and it's well below
the industry average.
With the Fiscal Year 2024 Budget Request, NOAA will provide
6,283 flight hours, a 37 percent increase from last Fiscal
Year. These flight hours inform forecasting of hurricanes,
atmospheric rivers, and tornados, informs coastal resilience
and flooding models, disaster impacts and protected species.
Similar to our other Uniformed Services, the competitive
hiring environment has made it challenging to retain our
pilots. We are working to recruit as many as possible and have
doubled the size of our officer training class this summer,
bringing pilots directly into our aviation operations.
Our specially trained pilots operate in uniquely
challenging conditions. We fly directly into hurricanes,
atmospheric rivers, low level flying in mountainous regions,
and near tornados. We provide data that protects public safety,
economic, and national security.
OMAO cannot conduct its mission without our assets and our
infrastructure and while NOAA has upheld the highest standards
of maintenance for our vessels and aircraft, service flight
cannot be extended indefinitely.
With your support, NOAA is embarking on the most
significant recapitalization of our assets ever and we are
sincerely grateful to Congress for its support in this effort.
Last year NOAA updated its Aircraft Recapitalization Plan.
We're currently working on updating our 2016 Vessel
Recapitalization Plan. With this budget request and consistent
with our Aircraft Plan, we are on track to bring a G550 Jet
online in 2025, expanding the critical data that G4 currently
collects.
With funds from the Fiscal Year 2023 Disaster Supplemental,
we are aggressively working toward the procurement of C-130J
aircraft to replace the P-3s.
We plan to award a pre-production contract soon and the
production contract by 2024 for one aircraft with options for
three additional aircraft.
We are committed to working with you to ensure we have the
aircraft needed to meet our mission requirements. These
aircrafts are essential to protecting life and property from
hurricanes on the East Coast and Gulf of Mexico to tornado
research in the Midwest and atmospheric rivers on the West
Coast.
Furthermore, the $75 million that Congress has appropriated
annually for vessel recapitalization since 2016 has allowed us
to contract for the construction of two new vessels for
oceanographic monitoring.
Additionally, just less than 2 weeks ago, we announced an
award for two new charting and mapping vessels, a total of four
new ships or 25 percent of our fleet.
OMAO is working across NOAA with Federal partners, like the
Navy, academia, and industry to develop and apply uncrewed
systems. We have seen significant gains when we add these
capabilities to our ships and aircraft.
Currently, we're operating an uncrewed system from the NOAA
ship Oscar Dyson to expand data collection on the critical
North Pacific Pollock Stock.
Fiscal Year 2024 is a pivotal year. NOAA's Uncrewed Systems
Operations Center has supported nine projects since Fiscal Year
2021. With your continued support, we will transition these
projects into operations.
We also appreciate Congress's support to increase the
number of NOAA Corps Officers. As appropriations allow, we are
growing the NOAA Corps Officers to meet the authorization for
500 officers. The current number of NOAA Corps Officers is well
below the number required for operations.
We're managing this through extended deployments, employing
officers from shoreside duty to operational assignments. This
is not sustainable.
The number of NOAA Corps Officers must increase annually
through 2030 to meet expected mission requirements, including
the operation of our new ships and aircraft.
The NOAA Corps is unique Uniformed Service of just over 330
officers, most whom possess an advanced degree and have a STEM
background. Our officers lead NOAA's fleet of ships and
aircraft, serve in positions across the Federal Government,
including management across NOAA and the Department of
Commerce, serve in congressional offices, the Coast Guard, and
the DoD Combatant Commands, including a new liaison officer who
will report to NORTHCOM/NORAD in January.
I am proud to be a NOAA Corps Officer and I'm proud to
represent them here today.
Thank you for the opportunity to testify on the Fiscal Year
2024 Budget and I look forward to answering your questions.
[The prepared statement of Admiral Hann follows:]
Prepared Statement of Rear Admiral Nancy Hann, Director, NOAA Office of
Marine and Aviation Operations and Director, NOAA Commissioned
Officer Corps
Chair Cantwell, Ranking Member Cruz, Subcommittee Chair Baldwin,
and Subcommittee Ranking Member Sullivan, thank you for the opportunity
to testify on the President's Fiscal Year (FY) 2024 Budget for the NOAA
Commissioned Officer Corps and the Office of Marine and Aviation
Operations (OMAO).
As both the Director of NOAA's Marine and Aviation Operations, and
the Director of the NOAA Commissioned Officer Corps, I represent a
unique part of NOAA that brings together five distinct personnel
systems to manage and operate NOAA's fleet of 15 ships, 9 aircraft, and
our Uncrewed Systems Operations Center. From these platforms, we
monitor the oceans and atmosphere every day to provide the products and
services that the Nation depends on. In FY 2024, NOAA's fleet will grow
to 16 ships and 10 aircraft as long anticipated additions to these
fleets come online. This will necessitate additional crew and shore-
side support commensurate with our responsibility to operate these
platforms in service of NOAA's broader missions.
Our diverse workforce of 1,252 professionals includes civilians to
support our operations, acquisitions, maintenance, and administration;
professional civilian mariners from five different unions to support
our ships; NOAA Corps Officers; U.S. Public Health Service Officers who
run our medical program; and visiting scientists and career
professionals who sail on our ships or fly on our aircraft to conduct
cutting edge research. From fisheries surveys and mapping the Nation's
Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ), to deploying buoys for tsunami and El
Nino/La Nina monitoring, to post hurricane mapping of harbors and ports
to restart transoceanic trade, the services that OMAO
provides to the Nation are essential. OMAO works with all the NOAA
line offices to help them achieve their missions. The data collected on
our ships is critical to the products that NOAA produces. With
Congressional support, we have invested in cutting edge technology to
ensure the high-speed transmission of our data to scientists, as well
as archiving it within the NOAA National Centers for Environmental
Information to support retrospective and longitudinal research and
management.
For FY 2024, the President's budget request for the NOAA Corps and
OMAO is $495,576,000 in discretionary and mandatory funds. Our funding
request breaks into the following areas:
Marine Operations and Maintenance--$224,148,000
NOAA's current fleet of 15 research vessels, and the forthcoming
NOAA Ship Oceanographer, are deployed throughout the U.S. and
international waters to collect critical environmental observations for
U.S. fisheries management and protected species assessments and
conservation, mapping and charting data to ensure safe navigation,
ocean exploration and other research expeditions, and atmospheric data
to inform our climate and weather models. To operate these ships, OMAO
relies on NOAA Corps officers, civilian mariners, shoreside support,
and operational funds. As of July 12, 2023, OMAO has 356 civilian
mariners--far short of our current requirement. OMAO faces civilian
mariner shortages similar to other parts of the domestic and
international maritime industry. We have worked aggressively to set up
recruiting in key maritime areas around the country, and have offered
recruiting and retention bonuses. OMAO uses direct hiring authority, a
personnel team with mariner experience, and a web portal that makes it
easier for mariners to apply. In addition, we have the ability to make
conditional job offers to expedite hiring mariners into our workforce.
The FY 2024 funding request supports the hiring of additional mariners,
and OMAO will continue to aggressively recruit and improve retention.
This FY 2024 request will also support our vessel maintenance
program. The average age of NOAA's research vessels is 30 years old.
Typically, ships are built with a 25-30 year service life. Five of
NOAA's ships were acquired from the U.S. Navy or Coast Guard at the end
of their service life. We currently have three ships operating that are
over 55 years old, almost twice as long as their expected service life.
Therefore, having a robust maintenance program is critical for the
continued successful operations of our fleet. With Congressional
support, we have strategically improved our maintenance practices,
systematically reducing our maintenance backlog through a regular
cadence of repair packages to ensure the operation of the fleet.
Marine and Aviation Capital Investments--$106,500,000
NOAA's Mapping and Charting vessels on the West Coast and Pacific
started sailing in 1968, predating NOAA's creation by two years. NOAA's
WP-3D ``Hurricane Hunters,'' which fly repeatedly into hurricanes every
season to collect crucial scientific data, started flying in 1975.
While NOAA has upheld the highest standards of maintenance, inspection,
and service to its vessel and aircraft fleets, service life cannot
continue to be extended while maintaining safety and cost
effectiveness. In 2022, NOAA updated its Aircraft Recapitalization Plan
and is currently working on an update to its Fleet Recapitalization
Plan.
Congressional support for much-needed recapitalization efforts have
been critical. Congress provided funds to support replacement of the
aging G-IV jet. With the FY 2024 budget request, we plan to bring the
G-550 jet on-line in 2025 to assume, and expand upon, the critical work
the G-IV currently provides during hurricane and atmospheric river
seasons. Furthermore, Congress has appropriated approximately $75
million annually for vessel recapitalization since 2016. That has
allowed us to contract for the construction of two new vessels for
oceanographic monitoring, exploration, and atmospheric research, and we
recently announced an award for new Charting and Mapping vessels. We
were also able to commence a mid-life repair for NOAA Ship Ronald H.
Brown which will extend the life of the ship by 15 years. The FY24
budget will continue these efforts to recapitalize NOAA's aging
aircraft and vessels and increase our capability to collect critical
environmental data.
Aviation Operations and Aircraft--$43,372,000
NOAA currently operates a fleet of 9 aircraft. With our FY 2024
request, NOAA will provide 6,283 flight hours to support monitoring of
hurricanes, atmospheric rivers, air chemistry, coastal changes and
disaster impacts, and protected species. The FY 2024 budget is
responsive to the increased demand for NOAA's services in these mission
areas, largely driven by the rapidly changing climate. Your support is
especially critical as we add a tenth plane, an additional King Air, to
the aircraft fleet to support NOAA's missions in the Arctic.
Previously, NOAA's deployment to Alaska had been limited due to a
pressing need in emergency response throughout the lower 48 states.
With this new King Air, NOAA will have an improved capacity to predict
flooding and monitor protected species in remote Alaskan communities.
Improving our data collection efforts underpins our ability to ensure
the Nation is climate ready.
Autonomous Uncrewed Technology Operations--$14,560,000
OMAO, in coordination with other NOAA line offices, is increasingly
operationalizing NOAA-owned and operated uncrewed systems to support
our aviation and ship-based assets. Our Uncrewed Systems Operations
Center has been working to stand up field offices in Gulfport, MS,
Lakeland, FL, and Newport, OR. We have collaborated across the NOAA
line offices to support testing and operationalization of uncrewed
systems to augment NOAA's charting, mapping, and fisheries and
protected species surveys, where possible. For instance, right now, the
NOAA Ship Oscar Dyson is conducting a pilot on how to operate the Drix
uncrewed maritime platform in coordination with the North Pacific
pollock survey. The information obtained from this pilot will help us
best determine how we can use the Drix and other uncrewed systems with
our fisheries surveys in the future.
FY 2024 is a pivotal year for NOAA's uncrewed systems. NOAA's
Uncrewed Systems Operations Center has supported nine projects in
partnership with NOAA line offices and NOAA Cooperative Institutes
since FY 2021. This year, with your support, we will start
transitioning these projects from research to operations.
NOAA Commissioned Officer Corps--$70,381,000
The key to implementing our operational missions has always been
our NOAA Commissioned Officer Corps. We are a unique uniformed service
of 333 officers, the majority of whom have a science, technology,
engineering, or math background, with more than half possessing an
advanced graduate degree. NOAA Corps officers operate and command
NOAA's fleet of ships and aircraft. Officers also serve in positions of
leadership and command across the Federal government, including in
additional roles in NOAA and the Department of Commerce, with the U.S.
Coast Guard, Congressional offices, and the Combatant Commands. NOAA
Corps officers may also be transferred to the armed forces during times
of war or national emergency.
The 2024 Budget proposes to increase the NOAA Corps by 13 officers
for a total of 353. These additional officers will decrease extended
deployments and the need to pull officers from shore-side duty to
operational assignments. This is the maximum NOAA predicts it can grow
in FY 2024.
Similar to other uniformed services, the competitive hiring
environment has made it challenging to retain our pilots. Our specially
trained pilots operate our aircraft in various uniquely challenging
conditions, such as hurricanes, atmospheric rivers, mountainous
regions, and tornadoes. Therefore, they must undergo specialized and
rigorous training in these environments to safely carry out these
missions. Recruiting new officers, especially for aviation, is critical
to our mission. During Hurricane Ian in 2022, OMAO conducted 24-hour
operations on our three hurricane aircraft for six straight days with
only six pilots, who accumulated over 120 flight hours in that time.
Followed by the rapid succession of Hurricanes Earl, Fiona, and Ian,
each of these pilots agreed to sign waivers to exceed the recommended
safety limit of 120 hours per 30 days. Our pilots and crew are
dedicated to collecting critical data to inform hurricane forecasts, in
order to protect life and property. Growing the NOAA Corps reduces the
likelihood that NOAA will exceed these limits in the future and will
better meet the growing demand for NOAA Corps services.
Inflation Reduction Act and 2023 Disaster Supplemental Appropriation
Finally, I wanted to report on our implementation of the Inflation
Reduction Act (IRA) and the 2023 Disaster Supplemental Appropriation.
We appreciate Congress' support for the acquisition of the first plane
for the recapitalization of NOAA's WP-3Ds in the FY 2023 disaster
supplemental. The $328 million we received was consistent with the
Administration's request, and we are developing a contract to begin
procurement of one plane with the option for three additional planes.
The 2022 Aircraft Recap Plan reflects the benefits improved forecasts
provide to protect life and property, monitoring of atmospheric rivers
which contribute to 90 percent of all flood damage in West Coast
states, and continuing missions surveying tornadoes, calibrating
satellite instrumentation, and collecting air chemistry data. We are
committed to working with you through the budget process to ensure NOAA
has the aircraft needed to meet our mission requirements.
NOAA allocated $98 million in funding from the IRA to support
acquisition of the next generation of Charting and Mapping vessels. We
recently awarded the contract, which used both IRA funds and annual
appropriations for these vessels. These vessels will replace our aging
ships in the Pacific and are scheduled to come online in 2027 and 2028.
We will also utilize funding from the IRA to provide $85 million for
NOAA Ship Oscar Dyson to extend the life of this fisheries survey
vessel, which provides critical data to managers for North Pacific
fisheries and associated ecosystems. This will be the first of the mid-
life repairs for the five NOAA fisheries survey vessels, which will
take place over the next decade.
With the FY 2024 budget request, in addition to the funding
provided through the IRA, NOAA will continue the acquisition of a
second G-550 for its high-altitude jet program. A second high altitude
jet allows redundancy in our aircraft fleet as required by the Weather
Act of 2017. Thus, if one plane needs maintenance, NOAA can continue to
provide vital data on hurricanes or with two fully operational planes
provide forecasting on concurrent storms, and fully support the
atmospheric rivers season. With the addition of another aircraft, we
will significantly increase our capabilities and mission readiness.
Finally, we are leveraging funding in the IRA to provide $99
million for the Newport, RI pier which will serve as the new Marine
Operations Center for the Atlantic, and $35 million for a dedicated
pier for Charleston, SC. Modern shoreside infrastructure with shore
power supports the safe operation and docking of our vessels and crew.
Summary
Thank you for the opportunity to testify today on the FY 2024
President's budget and the operational status of the Office of Marine
and Aviation Operations. I look forward to answering any questions you
may have.
Senator Baldwin. Thank you both for your testimony.
We're now going to begin a round of 5-minute questions from
members and I will start us off here. I want to begin with my
favorite topic, the Great Lakes.
So, Dr. Spinrad, in December, just after passage of the
Inflation Reduction Act, I wrote to you underscoring my
expectation that funds would be directed toward advancing
research, enhancing resilience, and supporting management of
the Great Lakes.
As NOAA works to implement the Inflation Reduction Act and
the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, can I count on your
commitment to ensure parity in Federal investments made in both
our salty and our freshwater coasts ecosystems, tribes,
communities, and economies?
Dr. Spinrad. Thank you for the question, Senator, and in
short, absolutely is the answer.
We're trying through the releases of our Federal funding
opportunity announcements to ensure that the Great Lakes and
the coasts are well represented in parity with respect to our
efforts toward climate resilient coasts. That's not meant to
mean just the salty coasts but the fresh coasts, as well, and
history is evidence of that.
We've spent over a quarter billion dollars in the last 4
years or so on grant awards in the Great Lakes and as you
indicated in your opening statement, we're working hard on
designation of both sanctuaries and national estuarine research
reserves.
So, yes, we're committed for parity with the Great Lakes.
Senator Baldwin. Thank you.
Wisconsin is fortunate to have two Great Lake coasts,
including Lake Superior as our north coast. The Bad River Band
of Lake Superior Ojibwa and the Red Cliff Band of Lake Superior
Ojibwa have resided along this northern coast for centuries.
They have a deep understanding and knowledge of the Great Lakes
ecosystem gathered over generations.
I highlight that expertise for you because it's essential
and required that NOAA consult with tribal nations.
Dr. Spinrad, to be frank, NOAA did not meet my expectations
for tribal consultation during early implementation of the
Inflation Reduction Act and the Infrastructure Law.
Meaningful consultation and engagement with tribal
communities, including those in the Great Lakes, ensures
inclusive decisionmaking and parity in the distribution of
resources.
Unfortunately, Great Lakes tribes appear to have been an
afterthought in the process and the implementation of Inflation
Reduction Act funds to date reflects that shortcoming and
failure.
I'd like to ask you what your understanding is of
appropriate and meaningful tribal consultation and investments
and can you share how NOAA plans to improve the consultation
process as required by Executive Orders of this Administration?
Let me ask you that first and then I'll have a follow-up.
Dr. Spinrad. Yes. Thank you, Chair Baldwin.
I will also say that our performance didn't meet my
expectations with respect to activity associated with
consultation, more than just consultation.
This Administration has been very forward-leaning with
respect to attention to needs of tribes and tribal communities
and tribal organizations, as well, and you called out one of
the important aspects and that's the incorporation of
Indigenous or traditional knowledge in the products that we
develop. So I take very seriously that role.
We've learned a lot of lessons and especially with regard
to how we conduct the consultations in IRA. At the end of the
day, I'm pleased that we were able to attend to the needs of
tribal communities.
I would say that focus on the Great Lakes tribes is
something that's high in my mind. I have brought on board from
Day 1 a senior tribal advisor, Dr. Zach Penney, whose job it is
to make sure that we do attend to the needs of all of the
federally recognized tribes around the country.
We have followed up with IRA with a series of five
listening sessions during June, in addition to the
consultations. It's my commitment to make sure that we get in
front of the curve as we move forward, not just on IRA spending
or BIL spending, but on appropriations writ large and on policy
development, as well. So, yes, I'm committed.
Senator Baldwin. So let me ask in followup. Are there
specific measures or guidelines that will be implemented to
strengthen the involvement of tribal nations and organizations
moving forward and, in particular, how do you plan to ensure
parity in the distribution of resources to tribal nations in
the Great Lakes Region?
Dr. Spinrad. So there are a number of things we've done.
Obviously we've taken a close look at our tribal engagement.
We've actually updated our Handbook and our Administrative
Orders with respect to working with tribes.
I'd love to come talk with you and your staff about what
we're doing in that arena, and I think the bottom line is
looking at every action that we take and, first and foremost,
asking what are the tribal implications and opportunities here
and making that part of our psyche, if you will, on moving
forward.
Senator Baldwin. Thank you.
Next, I'm going to recognize Senator Sullivan for his first
round of questions.
Senator Sullivan. Thank you, Madam Chair.
I want to go to the issue of surveys and as you know, this
is a really big deal for my state and it's interesting because
we're trying to always get you more money for surveys, more
data, more science, which we think is critical to maintain
healthy fisheries, and it's the core mission of NOAA, and yet I
meet with our fishing community on a very regular basis.
Recently just out in Bristol Bay a couple weeks ago, and
once again they have emphasized that NOAA continues to fall
short on the needs for surveys in Alaska. It's something that
I've discussed with both of you, that I've discussed with Janet
Coit, as well, and it's a frustration because it's the core
mission of NOAA, the core mission.
When I see all this funding coming to NOAA and we're going
to talk about some of the other funding and you're not getting
the surveys done, I'm kinda like, well, wait a minute, you got
all these other things you talk about. Your core mission is
data science for surveys.
So, for example, during COVID, you did one survey and as
you know, Dr. Spinrad, when you miss a survey, it's a big deal
because then you can't build on what happened the previous
year. So you get behind and behind and behind. You did one
survey during COVID.
The State of Alaska did all its surveys. So there was this,
well, we can't go, COVID, it's dangerous. I was disappointed by
that.
So what I'd like to get from you is a plan to make sure
you're doing full robust surveys for our fisheries and like I
said, probably the best managed fishery on the planet earth,
not a lot of places can claim that. We do it in conjunction
with you and we've always viewed you as partners.
This is again our coastal communities begging NOAA for more
surveys and data and we're getting you the money. So can you
commit to me to support and expand your current survey efforts
in Alaska to support our fisheries and then have contingency
plans to ensure that fisheries surveys occur as scheduled?
So, for example, if you have staffing needs and I know
that's been an issue and I understand that, but to not just
say, well, we have staffing needs, therefore we can't do the
surveys, to have plans to address this?
This is an issue I've raised with every NOAA Administrator
and it's frustrating because we're trying to get you the money
to do your core job and some people, a number of people,
important people in my state don't feel you're doing that.
Can I get a commitment from both of you on this and maybe
you want to unpack some of my comments and if you disagree,
please let me know, but there is a huge frustration in my state
on the lack of surveys which is your mission, core mission
which you should want to do.
Dr. Spinrad?
Dr. Spinrad. Yes. Thank you, Senator, and let me start by
thanking you for the appropriations that you alluded to.
Certainly 2022, 2023 appropriations, the increases in
appropriations, on top of that the IRA investments provide----
Senator Sullivan. Historic NOAA funding by any metric.
Dr. Spinrad. Roger that. I'm going to make a couple
comments and then I'd like to ask Admiral Hann to talk about
workforce and fleet readiness----
Senator Sullivan. Yes.
Dr. Spinrad.--and consistent with your question.
We're required to assess 200 stocks every year. This year
we've already conducted 147 surveys and we're on track to do
213 this year. So I think the statistics you cited were
compounded by issues like COVID and work force.
I'm confident that we're on a much better track now than we
were in years past and I would like to come back to you and
talk in more detail about that.
Senator Sullivan. I would appreciate that plan. Look, I
know you have all the different surveys, but again we're the
place in America, in the world that is an enormous consumer of
your surveys. We need them.
Dr. Spinrad. Yes.
Senator Sullivan. The Councils need them. The Councils make
huge decisions based on your surveys and when they don't have
the data, you know, they have this precautionary principle that
will then shrink and limit the decisions that they make because
we want sustainable fisheries. So that's the right thing to do.
So when we don't have the data, as you know, it kind of
rolls downhill into many other ramifications. So I would like
to sit down with you and your staff and get some real strong
commitments on these surveys.
We're getting you the money. Well, now we need you to get
out there and do them and if there are workforce issues or
other things that we need to work together to create
contingency plans on, well, we're open for doing that.
What we're not satisfied with is just the lack of surveys
and again I heard it again just 3 weeks ago with many of my
constituents when I was out in Bristol Bay which is a really
important part of Alaska.
Dr. Spinrad. Understand and completely agree on the issues
of being able to make accurate estimates of what the stock
capacity is and also the data are going to serve in our
forecasts.
So when we're looking at longer-term projections not only
of what stocks are but as you know, where they're going, where
the Alaska Pollock are going, for example, that kind of thing.
The other thing I would just add before throwing it over to
the Admiral is that we are looking at supplementing our
capabilities using things like autonomous systems. That shows
great promise because at the end of the day, there's a limit to
how much we can do and what we can do with our large vessels.
If we can supplement that with uncrewed systems and get even
more data that's even better, but with your concurrence I'd
like to ask Admiral Hann to comment----
Senator Sullivan. Yes.
Dr. Spinrad.--about some of the other things.
Senator Sullivan. Admiral?
Admiral Hann. Senator, thank you for the appropriations. It
is making a difference and I'd like to touch on it in four key
areas.
So, first, you mentioned stocking. It is a reality. It's
not an excuse. There has never been a wider gap than the
maritime workforce internationally and that certainly applies
to us. A 9-percent gap which is up two times from last year,
but with the appropriations we are making strides.
We're looking at hiring and we're looking at retention at
the same time. In hiring, we've hired nearly a hundred
mariners, which is the most we've ever hired in a Fiscal Year,
and we're on track for our goal of a 120. That's great but not
if we don't fix attrition.
Attrition, we are down to 13 percent attrition. It was 23
percent this time last year and the industry average is 25
percent. So we're tackling this from both ends. Appropriation
is allowing us to grant retention bonuses, recruitment bonuses.
We've improved our VSAT on the ship which improves quality
of life and the transmission of science data.
Second, as Dr. Spinrad mentioned, we are leaning into
uncrewed systems. So getting the ship out there is one thing
but we need to make sure we maximize every day at sea. So right
now, as I mentioned, we have a Dirks uncrewed system operating
from the Dyson specifically for Pollock surveys. They've done
over 20 launches to this point and while they're still
evaluating the data, it definitely looks like a useful tool as
other uncrewed systems have been.
So we're looking to increase the complement of the ships to
maximize the data collection while we're out there.
The funding that's been provided for facilities is
absolutely critical. So finishing that facility in Ketchikan,
we've owned it 14 years. We've never operated from there. Being
able to operate from there not just for the Fairweather which
is homeported there but for all of our ships that pass through
there as well as Coast Guard partnerships, working in
conjunction with them.
It's critical to have that homeport for our ships and for
our missions so we can base from there.
For the Inflation Reduction Act, it enabled us to award the
contract for those two new survey vessels, those charting and
mapping vessels, to make sure we can provide safe navigation
for all of the maritime industry up there.
In addition, it provided funds for the Dyson Midlife. So we
have five survey fishery survey vessels as you're well familiar
with. The first one, the Dyson, will be due for a midlife in
2026, I believe, and so the funds in IRA will allow us to do
the midlife on that vessel and extend the service life for that
vessel.
So we are also tackling maintenance. I will tell you that's
been a consistent, persistent ever since 2018. We're making
significant strides. For example, we'll have our first Industry
Day ever in the first week of August and we have 50 vendors
that will attend. That's shipyards. That's maintenance people.
I'm going out, meeting with the shipyards and meeting with the
maintainers. I'm meeting with everyone involved in that cycle
so they understand what we need to make sure that we are ready
to meet the biological window and get the data that you need.
I understand. I've had the opportunity to spend the first
two years of my career as a corps officer on the Miller
Freeman, you probably remember that ship, doing Pollock
surveys, and I really gained an understanding of the importance
of that data and how the communities in Alaska depend on it.
Their survival depends on it and so I'm very familiar with it.
I spend every day making sure we can get better and show up
for the surveys we need to do. Our job is to mitigate risk, get
out there and collect the data. We're absolutely making strides
in that and we will continue to improve and do better.
Senator Sullivan. Well, thank you, and I do want to follow
up with some more details on this and contingency plans and ops
in the event that we can't get through some of these workforce
shortages. Thank you.
Thank you, Madam Chair.
Senator Baldwin. Over the past several years communities
across the state of Wisconsin have faced extreme weather
events, severe storms and flooding, that have caused
substantial damage.
I was always intrigued with what we described as thousand
year events or 500 year events but then seeing several of those
happen in short order is quite terrifying.
Our colleague on this committee, Senator Welch, is working
to respond to the ongoing situation in Vermont where roughly 2
months' worth of rain came down in a matter of a few days.
The reality is storms thought to occur once every 100 years
or 500 years are now occurring with far greater frequency. In
some places these previously rare events are now occurring as
often as every five to 10 years.
The Bipartisan Infrastructure Law is making an historic
investment in our Nation's infrastructure. I have been sounding
the alarm about the need to ensure that we build and rebuild
our infrastructure so that it is forward-looking and that they
be guided by forward-looking codes and standards.
At present, NOAA's Precipitation Frequency Estimates
published in Atlas 14 do not consider forward-looking impacts
of climate change and thus do not accurately reflect current or
future rainfall and flooding conditions.
This model is currently widely used by states and
localities to design, plan, and manage much of the Nation's
infrastructure.
The Bipartisan Infrastructure Law directed NOAA to update
Atlas to account for climate change and develop precipitation
frequency estimates for the entire United States.
So, Number 1, can you please provide an updated timeline
for the development and the deployment of Atlas 15, and
understanding that those updates may not be incorporated for
another few years, how is NOAA adjusting the distribution of
resources during the current rounds of the Infrastructure
Investment and ensuring that up-to-date climate-informed data
is being used to direct that deployment of funding?
Dr. Spinrad. Thank you, Madam Chair.
There's a lot to unpack there and I'll do my best to try to
address it.
I'll start simply by saying I'd asked my staff prior to
this hearing to give me a sense of what's happened across the
country in the last week or so. This sheet, two sides, small
font, gives you some indication of everything from wildfires to
the extreme weather, extreme rain events to the hurricane we
saw in Hawaii just earlier this week.
So this is putting incredible pressure on the organization
to be able to provide not just the standard set of products, if
you will, but those products that are particularly focused on
what we call impact-based decision support, so the decisions
that need to be made over and above what would normally be made
associated with weather forecasts.
As you indicated with the BIL funding and the IRA funding,
we are making significant investments in a number of components
of our ability to get that decision support environmental
intelligence out into the hands of communities, individuals,
corporations, legislators, policymakers.
With respect to Atlas 14, we're taking the resources that
we received from BIL and applying those toward the Atlas 15
development which is effectively the updated Precipitation
Model.
Right now, part of the reason it's taking as long as it is
is it's a data-gathering activity and getting the information
from the many different kinds and many different geographies of
providers. It's a time-consuming process.
So it will be next year when we expect to have that, late
next year when we expect to have that updated and readily
available, but that's not precluding us from providing the
localized forecasts on an emergency or hazard-based case basis
and so our precipitation forecasts are vastly improving.
We've just incorporated the new Hurricane Forecast System.
We're updating the Global Forecast System. Those incidentally
are being built on the Hewlett-Packard Enterprise Cray
computers that we've purchased and placed in Arizona and in
Virginia, and we're seeing dramatic improvement in forecast of
specifically the hurricane tracking intensity forecasts of 10
to 15 percent.
So, in short, it's a data collection activity. It's a
modeling improvement activity using high-performance computing,
and the last part of that is how do we get the products out
into the hands of the users and that's a close coordination
with development of a number of web-based portals as well as
improvements in the communication tools that we have in the
National Weather Service or our communication there, as well.
So again a variety of different approaches.
Thank you.
Senator Baldwin. We're going to continue with a round of
questioning before I recognize our Full Committee Chair for
comments.
So, Senator Sullivan.
Senator Sullivan. Thank you, Madam Chair.
Dr. Spinrad, I want to go to another area that is a
frustration. We've talked about it a lot. It's the Pacific
Coastal Salmon Recovery Fund and there's a billion dollars for
covert programs in the Infrastructure Bill, numerous habitat
restoration programs. There's going to be about $300 million
largely going to Washington State, about almost $500 million to
other habitat restoration in fish passage programs which will
largely benefit the Lower 48.
The real salmon challenge in America right now, though, is
happening in Alaska and as you know, we have very different
challenges there. We have nearly pristine habitat in Alaska.
So the habitat programs where you focus a lot of your
money, they don't really apply that much to us, and with no
offense to the Chair and I know this is a concern of hers, but
I don't want to see Alaska becoming like Washington State
before we can get Federal support for crashing salmon stocks
that have to be listed as ESA species.
This is particularly an issue with Alaska Native
subsistence users who depend on salmon for food security,
culture, heritage. It's very important. My wife's family has a
fish camp on the Yukon River. Her family's been fishing that
thousands of years. They haven't been able to fish in three to
4 years.
Some Alaska tribes have been told that they would fare
better in the Pac-Serf Program if Alaska had some ESA-listed
salmon stocks. That's been told by your staff. That is not
where we want to go. It seems almost crazy that you say if you
want the money to help on this, you got to get to the point
where your salmon declines have crashed to such a degree that
we'll help you once you're listed in the ESA.
It just seems nonsensical and really frustrating but that
is some of the messages that my team and I and Alaskans and
Alaska Natives are hearing from NOAA on this really important
issue.
I already talked about my Salmon Recovery Research Task
Force that passed, but bottom line, habitat restoration is
certainly one element of healthy salmon stocks, but there are
many other elements affecting Pacific salmon populations. Prey
quality, ocean warming, pollution, bycatch, many things that
are going on in the big ocean not in terms of habitat.
So will you commit to taking steps to revise the current
funding priorities under the Pac-Serf Program which were
independently established by NOAA, not mandated by Congress, to
emphasize research and monitoring of declining populations as a
top priority because right now tribes in Alaska have been told
that research and monitoring is not priority 1 category of Pac-
Serf funding priorities which again is, seems to me, crazy?
We have a big challenge. We do not want to end up like the
Lower 48 and, no offense, Washington State. We want healthy
salmon returns all over our state and yet we can't seem to be
getting NOAA to help us with funding unless we come to them
saying, look, we're already at ESA-listed species, therefore
you guys are then saying so we can help you.
Do you understand the problem? It's a huge issue. I know I
raised this with you in Juneau when you were there, but the
frustration again is billions of dollars and it all seems to be
going to the Lower 48. The big salmon runs that are still
healthy in America are in Alaska. We want to keep them that
way. We have challenges with some. Some are hitting records,
like you know, sock-eye salmon in Bristol Bay.
But the prioritization of the ability of funding to help on
this seems to be very Lower 48 focused to salmon species that
are already decimated. We don't want our salmon species
decimated in Alaska, but we can't seem to get you guys to
prioritize that kind of funding.
Can you comment on that and commit to me to revising the
current funding priorities under Pac-Serf?
Dr. Spinrad. So thank you, Senator.
The interesting thing right now with respect to salmon
research and getting a better handle on what's happening with
salmon in the Pacific writ large is that we have the benefit of
having not just the appropriated funds through the, for
example, Fiscal Year 2024 appropriations that we're asking for
but we also have the BIL and IRA funds and when you look at all
of that, there is plenty of opportunity for conducting
research, conducting management improvements when we look at
how we manage the BIL and IRA funds, some of which are through
Pac-Serf, I would also point out.
I do want to say, though, that--and the experience I had in
going up to Alaska, talking to the tribes who are dealing with
the decimation of the Kuskokwim and Yukon River salmon
populations at the same time, as you said, that we're looking
at what's happening in Bristol Bay, and the question of how
much of that is in fact bycatch issue, how much of that is
perhaps related to climate-related effects in the North
Pacific,----
Senator Sullivan. Yes.
Dr. Spinrad.--has resulted in extensive increases of
activity in our Alaska Fishery Science Center on understanding.
One of the aspects of research you didn't mention is the
genetics aspect to allow us to get a better handle so that----
Senator Sullivan. Yes.
Dr. Spinrad.--we can manage----
Senator Sullivan. And the Science Center in Juneau's
doing----
Dr. Spinrad. That's right.
Senator Sullivan.--extraordinary work in that regard.
Dr. Spinrad. And that's how we're going to make some clear
decisions.
If we have to address bycatch issues, it's going to be
based on the best available science. If this is in fact a
climate signal that we're seeing in terms of impacts on the
salmon populations, especially in Kuskokwim and Yukon Rivers,
then we're going to have to take different management
approaches.
So we have to get the resources into the research activity
and I think between the appropriations, BIL and IRA, we are
doing that.
Senator Sullivan. Well, respectfully, I feel that and a lot
of my constituents feel that the funding priorities,
particularly in Pac-Serf, are prioritized in areas that don't
benefit our state because we don't have ESA-listed salmon. We
don't want ESA-listed salmon. That's the whole point, and we
are getting the message from some in NOAA, well, wait till you
get listed and then we'll give you money. That's nuts. That's
not what we want and you shouldn't be sending that message.
So I'll have more questions. I know the Chairman wants to
speak, as well, but it's a huge issue for us, as you know, and
it's a continuing frustration.
Senator Baldwin. Thank you.
Chairwoman Cantwell.
STATEMENT OF HON. MARIA CANTWELL,
U.S. SENATOR FROM WASHINGTON
The Chair. Thank you.
Thank you, Chair Baldwin and Ranking Member Sullivan, for
holding this important subcommittee hearing, and thank you, Dr.
Spinrad and Rear Admiral Hann, for being here, very much
appreciate the opportunity.
I want to say to my colleague from Alaska I certainly want
a holistic approach to our salmon and making sure that we have
the appropriate science and recovery methods and one of the
reasons why I fought so hard to stop the Pebble Mine, which
would have been built on the largest sock-eye run of salmon in
the world, is because we definitely get the connectivity
between Alaska and the state of Washington.
But my colleague's point is correct. We have to invest in
all sorts of activities to make sure that we are robust in our
approach.
I do want to talk, Dr. Spinrad, about NOAA and the
distribution of hatchery funds. You know, one of the issues I
think is the Inflation Reduction Act really was a shot in the
arm in my opinion to where we are with our hatcheries but it's
only the beginning and so I think we really need an established
permanent program for infrastructure on our hatcheries to
ensure the long-term sustainable management investment will
continue.
I understand that NOAA is consulting with tribes on this,
but I want to get your feedback on how we make this a long-term
investment and what we need to continue to do.
Dr. Spinrad. Yes. Thank you, Chair Cantwell, for that
question and appreciate the dialogue with you and your staff
throughout this.
I want to be very candid and upfront with respect to the
tribal component on IRA and as I stated a little earlier in my
testimony here, we can do better and in fact I think at the end
of the game, the fact that we now have within IRA $390 million
or 15 percent of the resources going to tribal activities, not
just with respect to hatcheries and, of course, the largest
Federal investment in hatcheries restoration we've ever seen,
but also in some of the habitat restoration capacity-building
work, as well.
Because we have begun this as a result of the consultations
and I might add the listening sessions, five of which we
conducted during June, we have a much more active and
interactive dialogue with the tribes and I think I want to take
your question under advisement because I want to see what comes
out of these listening sessions, what comes out of the proposed
efforts associated with the hatchery repairs and maintenance
and be able to come back to you and say based on that
investment, based on the plans, based on what we're hearing
from the tribes, this is the sort of sustainable long-term
effort that we need and that's something that I'll take as a
get-back, but until we have that further interaction, oh, by
the way, now that we're working with the Bureau of Indian
Affairs, also, on this, I'd like to get their perspective on
how to build this as a sustainable effort.
The Chair. I'm going to say something that's going to kind
of shock people. I need to understand that the Biden
Administration understands tribal consultation.
We in the West understand it, but we're spending an
enormous amount of time trying to make sure this Administration
understands it, as well.
So I hope that it doesn't take more listening sessions
because we've already forced Commerce to have many listening
sessions and, you know, I would say that, as you said, there's
more work to be done there and I don't understand. I don't know
if it's like some historical perspective that people are
missing. I don't know what it is, but we got to do better.
So will you commit to a permanent hatchery infrastructure
program? Do you think that's wise?
Dr. Spinrad. At this point, I want to get more information
about what a permanent hatchery infrastructure program might
look like and I don't have that information, but I will commit
to getting back to you with a perspective on that once we're
better informed.
The Chair. OK. Let me ask you this. How important do you
think hatcheries are to our efforts in sustaining salmon?
Dr. Spinrad. As an Oregonian, I think they're very
important.
The Chair. OK. So why wouldn't we want to make sure that we
have a well-managed program from your viewpoint to whoever's
next in line to take over in a new Administration?
I think this is what we're looking for. The standardization
of what we already know. I joined my colleague on the stock
assessment. I mean, that was another big priority for us is
making sure there were resources there for stock assessment.
Why? This isn't, you know, a game of like 20 questions when we
come here to whoever the Administrator is.
It is about what do we know today about the science and
what do we need to do to move forward and so I personally think
a NOAA organic act gets you that. It gets you standardized
programs with oversight and real answers as to the progress
that we're making.
So here I believe in a permanent and specific stock
assessment and I certainly believe in a hatchery program, as
well. So keep me posted on the, you know, coming back to us on
tribal consultation.
And if I could, Rear Admiral Hann, ask you about the Coast
Guard Authorization Act was signed into law in December
authorized six hurricane hunter aircraft. These planes are
needed to replace the P-3s which will be at the end of their
service of life in 2030.
The Omnibus provided NOAA with 320 million in a contract to
acquire a new fleet of hurricane hunter aircraft. I understand
that NOAA has entered into a contract for only one plane. With
only one aircraft, NOAA will have fewer resources in 2030 than
they do today and as we can see, these are really important
weather information tools for us. They reach some of the most
intense levels of 4 and 5 and this is why we need this
information.
So what is holding us up in acquiring these new aircraft?
Admiral Hann. Chair Cantwell, thank you for the question
and thank you for the support for the recapitalization.
As you mentioned, there's an authorization for six aircraft
and our Aircraft Recapitalization Plan cites the operational
requirement for four aircraft. So we've been aggressively
working toward those contracts to ensure that we have the
capabilities online in 2030 when the P-3s need to go offline.
So as you mentioned, we're working toward awarding a
contract. We'll award a pre-production contract in the next
month. So that will be one aircraft with an option for at least
three more aircraft in a production contract in early 2024,
Fiscal Year 2024, for the full production contract.
So working with the manufacturer, Lockheed-Martin, that
space is in their production schedule to ensure we can get
through the building of the aircraft, the extensive
modifications, instrumentation that we do to collect that data
and have at least two of the aircraft online and operating by
2030 when the P-3s go offline.
The Chair. So you're saying what's holding us up is
prototyping?
Admiral Hann. I would say at this point we're working to
spend the funds that we have, the appropriated funds that we
have, and working with the manufacturer within their production
schedule and all the orders we have to make sure that we are in
their plans, we're in their orders, so that it's a 6-year
process to build and modify the aircraft.
We're making sure that we're in their production schedules
with the funds that we have appropriated to get those aircraft
delivered and we look forward to continuing to work with
Congress and the Administration to fully execute the aircraft
and the Aircraft Recapitalization Plan.
The Chair. Is it true that there are only four qualified G4
pilots currently in the NOAA Corps?
Admiral Hann. I believe we have six right now that are
fully qualified, but you do make a very good point. NOAA core
staffing is critical. The only way that we're meeting tasking
right now is to have them sign high-time waivers which means
that they fly more than 120 hours in 30 days. They have to ask
for and be approved by a flight surgeon to fly more than a 120
hours. That's a lot of hours in extreme flying.
You know, as you're well familiar with, it's not just
important for hurricanes, it's critically important for
atmospheric rivers. So we are working to increase the
recruitment of the NOAA Corps, specifically pilots. We've
instituted a couple new things in the next officer class which
swears in today and starts at the Coast Guard Academy on
Monday.
Eight of those officer candidates will go to Aviation upon
completion at the Coast Guard Academy in January which is our
next class of officer candidates at Coast Guard Academy. For
the first time ever, I directed an Aviation Board and a Mariner
Board. Within that Aviation Board, the selections are going on
right now, but we have many qualified pilots with all of their
pilot licenses which means immediately upon completion of
training at the Coast Guard Academy, they will go to the
Aviation Operations Center and start flying.
So we're taking some pretty radical measures to make sure
we can get the pilots onboard, and to your point, it takes
years of training to get to be a qualified hurricane aircraft
commander.
The Chair. How many years do you think?
Admiral Hann. If someone comes in with experience, they
have all their license and experience, probably the quickest we
can get them in there is three to 4 years to be a qualified
hurricane aircraft commander. It depends largely on the
hurricane activity. You have to have a minimum number of
flights into the environment, into the hurricane to get your
qualification, but with bringing in people with their license
and flight experience, that allows us to expedite the process
up to four to 5 years.
The Chair. Is OMB blocking the contract for more than one
plane?
Admiral Hann. At this point, we're working with them, with
the Administration on the funds that you appropriated, thank
you very much, to make sure we spend them as efficiently as
possible to meet that operational demand in 2030.
The Chair. Well, we're definitely going to need the
information and the pilots.
So thank you very much. Thank you, Madam Chair. I'm going
to submit an opening statement for the record, but very much
appreciate your leadership here and helping us continue to
focus on making sure our fisheries and our oceans policy
continue to work well.
Thank you.
Senator Baldwin. Thank you, Madam Chair.
The Bipartisan Infrastructure Law provides funding for NOAA
to enhance high-performance computing capabilities.
Dr. Spinrad, I know you just mentioned in answer to my
previous question about some of the work you've done with HPE
Cray.
It's crucial that NOAA effectively utilizes these resources
to bolster its mission of accurate weather forecasting, climate
modeling, and environmental research.
So I wonder if you could provide us with an update on
NOAA's strategies and investments in this particular area.
Dr. Spinrad. Thank you for the question, Chair Baldwin.
When I look at high-performance computing, there are a few
ways to break that up and I did want to bring up what we're
doing with respect to the new capabilities of the HPE Cray
system, but when you look at it at sort of a higher strategic
level, we use high-performance computing to do a number of
things, mostly our research activities and our operational
activities, think about what goes on in the lab to build new
models for forecasting weather compared to what goes on at,
say, the Hurricane Forecast Center where they're using
operational products to put it out.
At the same time, I look at our high-performance computing
in terms of what we call On-prem capability. That is the
hardware that we have located at our facilities versus cloud-
based computing and so the resources that we've gotten not just
through BIL, IRA, but also through our regular appropriations
are now being used to look at what the appropriate balance in
the future is.
You asked about strategy. I would hope that when I come
back here in 3 years, that's as the NOAA Administrator, I'll be
able to talk to you about how we are working with the cloud
providers, the Amazons, the Microsofts, the IBMs, the rest, to
actually do a more efficient balance of cloud-based high-
performance computing and On-prem computing and that we have a
well-structured decision process for where we do the processing
within that space and I've asked my Assistant Secretary, Dr.
Michael Morgan, to focus on that and develop exactly that
strategy.
So within NOAA, we're developing concepts for that break-
out, looking at the research and the operational requirements
and what the balance of cloud-based and On-prem computing will
be.
Senator Baldwin. OK. Great. I'm going to sort of have you
elaborate a little bit further about the partnerships you've
jut been describing and collaboration.
What opportunities are there that NOAA is exploring with
other government agencies, research institutions, or private
entities to optimize its high-performance computing
infrastructure? Are there any ongoing or potential cooperative
endeavors that can really amplify NOAA's computing capabilities
and facilitate maybe groundbreaking advancements in weather
prediction or climate modeling or other relevant domains?
Dr. Spinrad. Absolutely. I'd love to take another three
hours and go into great detail on that.
The short answer, though, is that we have a number of
agreements, including with groups like Microsoft and others,
and it's not just on the computing side and the distribution,
say, of cloud-based capabilities, but it's also in applications
of artificial intelligence and as you know, the Federal
Government is going through a very rigorous assessment of
what's the right place, for example, for generative AI and
machine learning and deep learning for a data-rich organization
like NOAA. Applications of machine learning and deep learning
are very, very important new ways forward, groundbreaking
approaches to improving our capabilities.
I would also add it's not just on the sort of front end
processing piece where we collect data and turn it through a
system and they get an output, but it's also in the
dissemination piece, and I couldn't be prouder of our
relationship with partners like ESRI who is the secret sauce in
a lot of the portals, like the Climate Mapping for Resilience
and Adaptation product that almost everyone in the country now
has been using to determine what is my seasonal outlook for
precipitation or what can I expect over the next couple of
years in terms of sea level rise, and that partnership with
ESRI, a private corporation, is one that is paying off enormous
dividends.
In fact, it will probably be the mainstay of some of
additional work that we'll be able to do for even more kinds of
products around heat health, drought, flooding, all of those
sort of hazards associated with climate change.
Senator Baldwin. Thank you.
I want to then ask a future-oriented question about this.
So what's your long-term vision or roadmap for sustaining and
expanding your computing infrastructure beyond the immediate
appropriations that are available to you? What can you see
asking for in the future in terms of investment to, you know,
or development in emerging computing technologies, such as
Quantum computing, an interest I have, that could further
enhance NOAA's capabilities?
Dr. Spinrad. Yes. It's interesting. I was going to bring up
Quantum because one of the interesting dialogues I'm having
with the head of NSF is how we can take advantage of the great
research that NSF is doing in computing, specifically
information technology writ large, and apply that to our
capabilities.
So I think the long-term vision has to start with a
requirements-based. So you look at the breadth of our mission
responsibilities, whether it's in fisheries, whether it's in
terms of ocean prediction, whether it's in terms of climate,
what are the computational requirements, and then being able to
have a rigorous process that says this is how we are going to
allocate resources again for cloud-based services, On-prem
capability, research vice operational, and that's my vision is
that we would be able to come in and say if one more dollar
came in for high-performance computing, this is the mission
space that it would apply to, this is the allocation that's
associated with On-prem or cloud computing, and, oh, by the
way, this is how we will work with the private sector, as well,
because we have a responsibility in the Department of Commerce
to stimulate that kind of economic development.
So if there's a startup that has a very clever way of using
Quantum computing to enhance weather forecasting, we want to
partner with them, as well.
Senator Baldwin. Exciting. Senator Sullivan.
Senator Sullivan. Thank you, Madam Chair.
Dr. Spinrad, I just want to kind of go back to the last two
points just very quickly again on my Alaska Salmon Research
Task Force Act.
If you can commit as we're implementing that to work with
all the key stakeholders. NOAA obviously is going to play an
important role on that critical piece of legislation, as I
mentioned in my opening statement. It's just really focused on,
hey, what exactly is happening with regard to some of these
really important salmon runs, Kuskokwim, Yukon, Kenai,
primarily the King salmon runs, and how do we address that,
what's the research shortfalls, and how do we bring Federal
dollars to bear on addressing that.
So can I just get your commitment to work with us on that?
I know you already have given it to us, but I just want to
finish up the last conversation.
Dr. Spinrad. Yes. I do want to commit to that and I would
say that, as you well know, the applications of research to the
seafood issues writ large in Alaska, I mean, we can talk about
snow crab, we can talk about any number of different
applications.
Senator Sullivan. Right. It's not just salmon.
Dr. Spinrad. Yes.
Senator Sullivan. You're correct. I mean, the crab--yes.
It's obviously another big one.
And then another quick one that we were talking about, work
force, you know, I've raised this with every NOAA Administrator
since I've been in the Senate. I do want a commitment.
One thing that I've seen over the years, I think you're
working on it now, but I just want you to stay focused on it,
both you and Admiral Hann. You know, what I've seen over
decades was kind of this migration of NOAA staff, NOAA
scientists who have Alaska-focused missions, right, to--they
kind of migrated to the Lower 48. The Fairweather was an
example of that.
Washington State has the Alaska Fisheries Research Center
in Washington State, right. You know, you wouldn't put the
study of the Grand Canyon in Illinois.
So I just want you to stay focused on when it's an Alaska-
focused NOAA mission, the people of NOAA and the scientists in
my view should be based in Alaska.
Let me give you one example. Several years ago I met with
your Marine Debris Director for the Alaska Marine Debris
Program from NOAA. Great. Met with me in Anchorage, had a great
meeting with him. Said where are you based? I thought he was
going to say Juneau. Oh, I'm based in Seattle. What? You're the
head of the Alaska Marine Debris Program for NOAA. Why the hell
are you based in Seattle?
So can you just commit to me to keep a focus on if it's a
NOAA mission primarily related to Alaska, those people should
be in Alaska? Would you agree with that and can you commit to
me on that because I know I've raised with you, I've raised
with every NOAA Director. You'd be amazed at how many NOAA
scientists and employees who have a NOAA Alaska focus mission
who don't live in Alaska. I don't think any other state would
tolerate that and I know you're working on it, but I just want
to raise it in this hearing because it has been a frustration
of mine and my constituents.
Dr. Spinrad. Thank you, Senator.
I would have been surprised if we didn't have this
discussion in this hearing. So thank you for bringing it up.
Senator Sullivan. I mean, come on. It's a legit issue,
right?
Dr. Spinrad. Well, and I'd also point out----
Senator Sullivan. Wouldn't want to have the NOAA Great
Lakes expert in Florida.
Dr. Spinrad. You used the phrase in your opening statement
about ensuring mission accomplishment, ensuring that we do what
we need to do for our mission. That to me is of primary
importance and then the second issue is how, where, and when we
do that, with what workforce.
Having said that, though, as you and I shared when I
visited Alaska last summer,----
Senator Sullivan. Yes.
Dr. Spinrad.--and specifically in Nome, for example, where
I had the opportunity to talk with folks who were relying on
the Weather Service for their forecasts and we realized there
was a staffing issue there and in fact one person shared with
me that a problem that we're having in the Weather Service in
Alaska is that people get trained up in the Lower 48 and come
up and after some period of time decide they want to go back to
the Lower 48 and so the head of the Weather Service, Ken
Graham, is taking a real strong forward--leaning approach on
this, saying, well, why are we doing that? Why aren't we
training in flights as it were?
Senator Sullivan. Yes.
Dr. Spinrad. And so we now have a program we've started and
I look forward to briefing you on this. We're working with the
community college structure which fortunately is done through
the University of Alaska structure, so it's kind of one-stop
shopping, where we can train up especially some of the Alaska
Native tribal members and get qualified meteorologist
forecasters in the Weather Forecast Offices in Alaska. I think
that's one step.
We talked about the homeporting the Fairweather in the
Ketchikan Port. That's another step toward work force.
The third, I would say, it's small but I think we're going
to see significant consequences of this. Admiral Hann indicated
that we have worked very hard with NORTHCOM----
Senator Sullivan. Oh, right.
Dr. Spinrad.--to place an 06 as a liaison with NORTHCOM and
my intent is that that be a particular focus on outcome and I
think between our regional coordinator in Alaska with a NOAA 06
in NORTHCOM, we'll start seeing a lot of other opportunities,
especially with emphasis on all of the Arctic activities that
we can expect to emerge soon.
So hold this space available. I think you and I may have a
different conversation here in a year or two on that aspect.
Senator Sullivan. Well, you know, I serve on the Armed
Services Committee and if there are any issues with ALCOM, on
that 06 being placed at ALCOM, because, you know, NORTHCOM's in
Colorado, but ALCOM's in Alaska. So if there are any issues,
let me know because I think that's a great idea and I
appreciate your innovative thinking on that.
Dr. Spinrad. Thank you.
Admiral Hann. And if I may add, Senator, I know this is an
issue discussed at the Coast Guard hearing last week with
Admiral Fagan and it's definitely an issue that I'm paying
attention to, but with the completion of the Ketchikan facility
which is an exceptional opportunity for us,----
Senator Sullivan. Oh, right.
Admiral Hann.--the Fairweather does have the largest
complement of NOAA Corps officers and professional mariners on
that ship. So one thing I'm concerned about----
Senator Sullivan. And they're going to be homeported in
Ketchikan?
Admiral Hann. Yes, sir, and one thing that----
Senator Sullivan. We love it. It's great.
Admiral Hann.--I'm paying close attention to is just access
to affordable housing, health care, dependent employment. That
will influence decisions for people that base their dependents
there. So that's----
Senator Sullivan. Well, look, these are the issues that
we're more than willing to work with you on. As you know, I had
to pass legislation, a Federal law, to make it so NOAA and the
Federal Government could accept funding from the State of
Alaska to help build the NOAA facility. That's how motivated we
were to help the state of Alaska. Our legislature appropriated
dollars and the Feds said we can't take your money. OK. Well,
we passed the law to say we own it, now you can take our money.
So we're more than willing to put our fair share and into
those kind of issues, housing, other issues that make it more
attractive. We know that, you know, being in Alaska, some of
these challenges on cost of living and things like that are
challenges, but we're more than willing to do our part, the
state is, and I think we proved that on the NOAA facility----
Dr. Spinrad. Thank you.
Senator Sullivan.--in Ketchikan.
Admiral Hann. Thank you.
Senator Baldwin. I have two more topics I want to delve
into. So I'm going to do one more round. If you have further
than one more round, we can see how the timing works.
I wanted to start with a focus on the Digital Coast. I was
able to secure passage of the Digital Coast Act in 2020. That
bill was intended to enable local governments, businesses, and
citizens to make informed decisions regarding coastal planning,
resource management, and hazard mitigation.
Dr. Spinrad, I understand that since the program came
online, it has been instrumental in providing coastal
communities with valuable geospatial data and tools and
resources.
I wonder if you can bring the Committee up to speed on the
economic benefits and returns that result from the wide
availability and utilization of the Digital Coast Program's
data and tools. Specifically, how does the program contribute
to job creation, economic growth, and resilience of coastal
communities?
Dr. Spinrad. Thank you, Chair Baldwin, and, yes, the
Digital Coast Act has been a valuable and enormous shot in the
arm for a lot of coastal communities to be able to get access
to the sort of decision support that I was alluding to earlier,
the environmental intelligence associated with things like
storm surge vulnerabilities, sea level rise, as well as
information that will help communities adapt to and become more
resilient to climate change by doing things like hybrid green
and gray infrastructure solutions to sea level rise and
increased storm surge.
These resilience investments, what we have found, and we
can certainly follow up with more information, is that
typically a dollar spent on resilience/adaptation in a coastal
community returns anywhere from $6 to $12 in a number of
different ways: cost avoidance from storm mitigation to job
opportunities associated with enhanced ecotourism, for example,
or increased real estate values.
So we have undertaken a number of ocean economic studies
and we'd be glad to come brief your staff on what those look
like specifically with regard to the use of the kind of tools
that the Digital Coast Act made available.
Senator Baldwin. Thank you, and you've already opined what
my next questions are going to be relating to coastal
resilience.
So I'm wondering specifically can you provide some examples
of successful partnerships or initiatives between NOAA's
Coastal Zone Management Programs and state and local
governments or nonprofit organizations or community groups that
have effectively enhanced coastal resilience and how have these
collaborations contributed to building resilient
infrastructure, promoting ecosystem restoration, and supporting
sustainable economic development?
Dr. Spinrad. There are a lot of examples and we're
documenting those as part of our Climate Ready Coasts
Initiative in the Climate Ready Nation Approach.
One that sticks out in my mind I'll bring up because it is
a BIL-related investment is actually in Cape Cod with the
Mashpee Tribe in Cape Cod who was looking at trying to build
out a much more robust aquaculture industry for shellfish and
they had, I would say, a small operation going with the
investments that we're now able to make in restoration in that
area.
We've been able to do--well, we will be able to do a couple
of things. The restoration itself is going to support a
conservation agenda. It's going to support tourism on Cape Cod,
and it's also going to support the buildout of that particular
shellfish industry for that tribe.
Numbers to be determined, but having visited the spot,
kicked the tires, walked the property with the tribal elders, I
can tell you that that's just one example of the kind of
return-on-investment that we're going to see from coastal
resilience and adaptation funds.
Senator Baldwin. Thank you.
Senator Sullivan.
Senator Sullivan. Thank you, Madam Chair.
Dr. Spinrad, over the last 2 years the Nation's eight
Regional Fishery Management Councils developed the first
Synthesis of Conservation Areas in Federal Waters of the United
States, identifying hundreds of conservation areas covering
more than 72 percent of Federal waters.
The purpose was to provide an in-depth examination of
existing fishing gear restrictions and a clear robust
methodology to facilitate inclusion in the Administration's
American Conservation and Stewardship Program.
The Councils' report, and I think you guys supported that,
is that their conclusion is that fishery management measures
through the existing regulatory process, that's the Magnuson-
Stevens Act Councils, can directly result in improved
conservation outcomes that benefit fisheries, work with you
guys with that and science, benefit fish populations and other
marine species and habitat, and can be responsive to changes in
the ecosystem or populations that warrant conservation which is
the whole point of the Council process in the MSA.
Two questions for you. Is NOAA still focused on these
Councils and the work that you do with them, critical work you
do, as the primary tool on these conservation approaches or is
NOAA changing its views of other tools to accomplish more
targeted protections that can be supported by both science and
local and regional stakeholders?
Dr. Spinrad. The Councils by law, of course, are a critical
tool and they are a key component in our ensuring a balance of
fisheries management and conservation.
Senator Sullivan. Let me ask. You know, I've talked to you,
the Secretary of Commerce, Janet Coit, Admiral Hann, you know,
on making sure that if there's any sanctuary designation, it
comes from stakeholder input, not some kind of top-down, you
know, driven by certain special interests.
Dr. Spinrad, I appreciated your recent letter regarding the
marine sanctuary proposal in Alaska. The April 8th hearing that
I think you got a lot of--and again I appreciate you guys
having that, but I think you got a lot of stakeholder input
which was the whole point in the hearing.
Your letter led me to believe that NOAA's not pursuing the
scoping project to designate the sanctuary in question from
your letter.
Can you confirm that is the case right now?
Dr. Spinrad. Yes, I can confirm that we have no plans to
initiate the designation process.
Senator Sullivan. Great. Thank you.
Let me turn to another issue that you guys, in my view,
have done a really important job at and I want to do a
particular shout-out to Ryan Wolfe of the NOAA Team and this is
something that's very unique to Alaska but so, so important to
my constituents and that's NOAA's support and work with over
the years, decades really, the Alaska Eskimo Whaling Commission
and the Aboriginal Subsistence Whaling issues at the
International Whaling Commission at the IWC.
As you know, these subsistence hunts are an enormously
important part of the culture and heritage of the communities
on the North Slope and the Northwest Arctic part of Alaska that
undertake this important activity which they've been doing for
literally tens of thousands of years.
I just want to make sure to get your commitment, no issues
right now, but that NOAA will continue to work with the AAWC to
address the different impacts on subsistence whale hunting and
work with the IWC.
As you know, we had this huge success in the Brazil IWC
meeting in 2018. Ryan Wolfe again played a critical role. My
team was actually down there in Brazil with you guys at the IWC
meetings, but I just want to make sure that you from the top
here continue to commit to working with these great Alaskans,
great Americans, our whaling captains, and it's something
that's real special.
It's hard to explain sometimes. I've literally explained
this to Presidents, to Secretaries of State. Hey, we have a
culture here that's really important. You guys get it. You've
been great. I just want to get your commitment in this hearing
on those issues.
Dr. Spinrad. Thank you.
As somebody who enjoyed Mukluk with the Mayor of the North
Slope Borough, I can tell you that I have personal experience
with the community of subsistence hunters and fishers.
We are committed to support the needs of the Indigenous
hunting and fishing communities. As you know, we've gone the
extra mile in some cases. We created a specific product for the
walrus hunting community, the Sea Ice for Walrus Outlook
Product. So, yes, that's evidence of our approach that we will
support those activities.
Senator Sullivan. Great. Thank you.
Senator Baldwin. I'm just going to excuse myself to vote in
another committee and Senator Sullivan will take over the gavel
and close out the hearing when he's done with his questions.
Thank you again for your testimony.
Senator Sullivan. Thank you, Madam Chair, very much.
Let me turn to the issue of hydrographic surveys. Where are
we on the Hydrographic Services Improvement Act which was
included in the Coast Guard Reauthorization Bill and really
tries to get NOAA to finish and update its hydrographic
surveys.
Of course, you know, Admiral, it's a big issue in Alaska
because most people would be surprised there are a lot of
places in Alaska that aren't mapped and that's dangerous if you
don't know where the reef is in the middle of the ocean or
things like that.
Where are we on that, and can you provide an update to the
Committee?
Admiral Hann. Thank you for the question, Senator Sullivan.
I can come back to you with a gift bag on where we are on
executing that plan, but I can say the award of the two new
charting and mapping vessels 2 weeks ago tomorrow was
absolutely critical to make sure that we have that capacity.
In addition, we are leaning into uncrewed systems with the
current vessels that do that work and it will be a corps
complement of the new vessels. So again maximizing every single
day that we're at sea to make sure we're collecting as much
data as possible.
To your point, there's a lot that remains to be mapped in
Alaska and as the Maritime Commerce is getting larger, moving
in new areas, it's critically important that we provide
accurate navigation information, but I will provide you a get
back of exactly where we are in executing that plan.
Senator Sullivan. Great. Let me turn to the Marine Debris
Program and NOAA does a good job, although, like I said, I
would like your Marine Debris, your Alaska Marine Debris NOAA
official to be stationed in Alaska. I think that kind of makes
sense but it's just me. You might want to check into that one.
But this is an area of strong bipartisan support. Senator
Whitehouse and I have led the efforts here in the Senate. We've
made a lot of progress. It's an issue that I know both of you
care deeply about. It's an issue that I think, you know, really
unites Members of Congress, members of the country, regardless
of political party, because we all want clean sustainable
oceans and my Save Our Seas Act and then Save Our Seas Act 2.0
goes a long way in addressing some of these challenges and not
just domestically and from an innovation standpoint but also
internationally with regard to some of the challenges overseas.
A lot of the ocean debris that ends up on the shores of
Alaska comes from Asia, comes from other countries overseas.
So can you give an update on the fully funded Marine Debris
Program that NOAA is undertaking and the implementation of the
Save Our Seas 2.0 Act? As I mentioned, Dr. Spinrad, you're the
Chair of the new Marine Debris Foundation, which I think has
enormous potential, particularly given that kind of like the
Ketchikan Pier can accept both public and private sector funds
and has the ability to really revolutionize the way in which
we're trying to address marine debris issues, particularly
given the emphasis on trying to make sure the private sector
innovation that is so critical, in my view, to cleaning up our
oceans is viewed as a key part of that Foundation and the
solution and so I'd just like an update on where you think we
are on the Save Our Seas 2.0 Act implementation and the Marine
Debris Foundation?
Dr. Spinrad. Yes. Thank you, Senator, for that, and thank
you for the work that you've done in this area with Senator
Whitehouse, the leadership you've shown on the Save Our Seas
and Save Our Seas 2.0, our seminal pieces of legislation to
address a truly insidious problem.
I think one of the most important things that those pieces
of legislation have done collectively is elevate the visibility
of this problem to a broader community and also kind of call to
task some of the responsible parties who are contributing and
have contributed to the problems.
So in a general sense, the activity associated with--and
the Marine Debris Program is consistent with all the objectives
in Save Our Seas and Save Our Seas 2.0. One minor point of
clarification. The Marine Debris Foundation is actually chaired
by Ginny Eckert, the Sea Grant Director from the state of
Alaska.
Senator Sullivan. Right. You're correct. I apologize.
Dr. Spinrad. But I do serve in an ex-officio capacity, as
you well know, and currently serving as the Chair of the Search
Committee for the Executive Director, and we're right in the
middle--pardon me?
Senator Sullivan. How's that going?
Dr. Spinrad. We're going to be starting interviews for
candidates. We got over 200 expressions of interest or
applications. So, yes, a lot of folks out there very
interested.
Senator Sullivan. That's incredible.
Dr. Spinrad. It is incredible. I haven't had a chance to
look at the portfolio, but we're using a hiring firm to do the
down select for us. We got a great committee, search committee,
and we should be able to do final interviews, I would hope,
sometime in September and have somebody onboard shortly after
that.
Senator Sullivan. Fantastic.
Dr. Spinrad. The other thing I want to report out is the
Foundation is up and running, doing its thing. Thanks to the
Department of State, we have some nominal resources that we can
use for issuing grants, small grants for activities, and right
now I feel my role on the Board is to ensure exactly what the
Act expresses, that there be close coordination between and not
duplication of effort between the Foundation and Nancy Wallace,
whose program, the Marine Debris Program at NOAA,----
Senator Sullivan. Right.
Dr. Spinrad.--and so when you look at that, for example,
some of the things that we tend not to focus on in our program
are the upstream aspect, the manufacturing, the production, the
delivery of debris through rivers and other mechanisms.
So how can the Foundation in its solicitation of primarily
private donors' funds coupled with what we're doing with public
funds, which is really about fate and effects, if you will,----
Senator Sullivan. Yes.
Dr. Spinrad.--of not just plastics but marine debris writ
large, I mean,--excuse me--abandoned vessels are part of that
program, as well.
So marine debris goes from the micron to the 20 meter size
and make sure that we have a much more comprehensive view to
limiting the delivery of marine debris into the ocean and then
removing the debris once it's there and right now it's early.
The other part of what the Foundation is doing is
addressing a fundraising strategy so we have----
Senator Sullivan. Yes.
Dr. Spinrad.--both a grant-making and a fundraising
strategy that we are developing and I'm confident, thanks to
the leadership of Ginny Eckert, we're making great progress in
being able to establish the Foundation as a very effective
complement to what we're doing in NOAA's Marine Debris Program.
Senator Sullivan. No. I think it's a great initiative that
has enormous potential and I appreciate your continued focus on
it. So thanks.
Dr. Spinrad. Thank you.
Senator Sullivan. Let me ask just two final questions on
two final topics.
One is the topic of IUU fishing. So this is illegal
unreported unregulated fishing, and this is a topic that I
think we all care about. NOAA's been very involved with it.
I have a new bill that I introduced with Senator Whitehouse
that we're trying to advance here on the Commerce Committee
called The FISH Act which we worked with you and the Coast
Guard on to enhance the Coast Guard's enforcement capabilities
and advancing international bilateral negotiations to achieve
enforceable agreements and treaties, including blacklisting
offending foreign vessels from U.S. ports and waters.
Now the secret--it's not a secret that everybody knows.
This is the main IUU violator by far is China with their gray
fleets that they go out off the coast of Africa, Latin America,
and the High Seas in many ways ravage the oceans and this is a
problem and it's a problem again that unites Americans because
it's dangerous. It oftentimes involves, you know, human
trafficking and, you know, labor issues.
So I wanted to make sure if you wanted to comment on that.
NOAA was actually helpful in providing us expertise as we were
working on drafting The FISH Act, but I want to make sure that
it's clear and I think that you guys can help on this.
I'm concerned that sometimes there's reporting in our own
media that fails to distinguish fisheries that operate--
American fisheries in sustainable manners in our own EEZs and
then the foreign fleets which are the real source of the IUU
fishing violations.
Over decades the Alaska fishing industry has built an
incredible brand because of our sustainable practices in
partnership with NOAA and yet sometimes recently in media there
are suggestions that IUU fishing is occurring in U.S. waters on
U.S. vessels.
For example, in a recent episode of the Deadliest Catch,
there was a subplot where a Coast Guard officer wrongly implies
IUU fishing is occurring in the U.S. EEZ side of the Bering Sea
from U.S. vessels.
Can you just dispel this plot line and confirm that the
focus of IUU enforcement is on foreign fleets, particularly
China, and that's where the data shows that this is a problem,
and any other comments you want to make on the importance of
the IUU fishing issue?
Dr. Spinrad. Thank you, Senator.
This is unfortunately another one of those insidious
problems and certainly from an economic perspective, from a
labor perspective, as you indicated, we have got to deal with
this.
So it is very much an open seas international issue, by and
large. Our challenge is the detection, the deterrence, and the
traceability of the seafood and so we have a small increase in
the Fiscal Year 2024 Budget to address that.
I would say the greatest success is going to be in the sort
of all of government approach. I had the opportunity just a few
weeks ago to talk to Secretary of the Navy Dal Toro about this.
How do we cooperate with the Coast Guard about this, as well?
There is an interagency working group that's attending to this.
As you know, there was a National Security memo a year ago
June that identified some actions along those lines. Still a
lot of work to be done, but I think the elevation of this issue
here in Congress as well as in the Executive Branch is at the
place now where we're ready to start making some considerable
improvements.
On the policy side, there are a number of things we can do.
I think you know we're looking at a rulemaking associated with
the Seafood Import Monitoring Program. That's part of the
solution there.
So I think there are a mix of actions, collaborative
activity with our partner agencies in the Federal Government,
and then some policy changes, as well.
Senator Sullivan. Good. Well, I appreciate that.
Admiral, do you have a view on that, as well?
Admiral Hann. Yes. If I may answer to the point of whole of
government effort and intelligence, which is key to tackling
this problem, there are two actions we're taking that we've
seen pay significant benefits.
We have a NOAA Corps liaison officer in INDOPACOM and so
we've seen him serve directly as a connective tissue between
the different agencies of government that have intelligence and
knowledge and access to information and he's really brought
those skillsets together and has informed some key decisions to
make sure the right people are in the right room with all the
information so that we can make traction on this issue.
Assigning the NORTHCOM liaison officer is building upon the
success that we've seen at INDOPACOM. We've established an MOU
between INDOPACOM and NOAA and so it enables us to directly
move funds and knowledge and intelligence back and forth
between everyone represented at that combatant command and NOAA
and we'll do the same at NORTHCOM.
Senator Sullivan. Great. Wow! That's good news. I didn't
know that. Thank you very much.
You know, you talk about seafood traceability issues. I'm
glad to see my friend from Massachusetts is here, Senator
Markey. He and I work on those that relate to Russian and
Chinese imports that we're trying to sanction.
Before I turn it over to Senator Markey, I have one final
question. It's for you, Admiral Hann.
So again we're really excited about the Fairweather
collaboration that we did. We have this beautiful new
functional port facility. Of course, we need a ship to utilize
it.
So two quick questions on that. I plan on being out at the
ribbon-cutting. I hope you and maybe both of you can make it.
What is your timeframe and plan to recapitalize the
Fairweather? We wouldn't want this beautiful facility that you,
the Federal Government, and the State of Alaska paid for
without our ship and the great men and women of NOAA to be
homeported there, and then a second related question, you know,
we appreciate the seasonal rotation of NOAA's aviation assets.
You were actually talking about those earlier. In Alaska,
given our Arctic interests, the harsh weather, year-round
fisheries and remote locations, such as the Bering Sea, the
aviation assets can be really, really important.
What strategies or services are needed for a more permanent
NOAA aviation presence in Alaska to house not only seasonal C-
130 rotations but additional NOAA aviation assets on a
permanent basis, kind of what we're doing on the Fairweather,
and if either of you want to respond to that and then I'll turn
it over to Senator Markey for his questions.
Admiral Hann. Thank you for the question.
So we believe----
Senator Sullivan. Both the Fairweather and aviation.
Admiral Hann. Yes, sir. So we awarded the contract that
will pick up the tasking requirements of the Fairweather. I
believe that ship is to be delivered in 2027, but I will get
back to you with the exact date, but the period of performance
has started on the Thomas Sea Marine Constructors, which is the
same yard where the first two ships are being built, and
they've been exceptional partners. So I'm confident they're
going to deliver a good ship on time. We're going to be able to
pick up those capabilities.
The Fairweather is currently doing with even more
capabilities than we see in that 55-year-old ship, as you're
well aware. So we're excited to get the new ship and the new
facility. We're looking forward to that.
As far as the aircraft and Aircraft Recapitalization Plan,
being able to meet the requirements in Alaska was one of the
drivers, one of the gap in requirements that we identified. So
specifically we identified needing a fifth Twin Otter. Again, I
had the opportunity to fly the Twin Otter, spent a lot of time
flying it in Alaska which was exceptional flying, exceptional
experience, but there are far more demands and many of them in
Alaska than we can meet with the four Twin Otter aircraft we
have. So a fifth will help us meet those requirements.
You also mentioned the C-130s. So if we can recapitalize
beyond the two C-130s right now, we would definitely look to
expand our ability to meet requirements in Alaska.
Senator Sullivan. And are you looking at any plans or I'd
like to discuss maybe, you know, with our staffs any plans for
permanent aviation presence in Alaska?
Admiral Hann. It's a good question. So during my career, we
had decentralized aviation operations. At one point we had
assets based in Minnesota, assets based in Alabama, assets
based in California, and then our main operation center in
Tampa.
The problem that we saw is we did not meet a
standardization of training and qualification and that was a
real concern is the operational commanders. So we've pulled all
assets back to Florida where the Aircraft Operations Center is.
So to standardize that training, that maintenance, the
engineering, everything we do that makes us able to so nimbly
meet those requirements, but we do base aircraft for months at
a time wherever the mission needs to be. So we spend months
every year in Alaska, whether we're updating the perimeter
data, collecting protected species data, which directly reduces
the uncertainty in the fishery forecasts.
We are committed to operating out of wherever we need to be
to collect the data but from a centralization standpoint, we
found having one hub of aircraft operations was the best way to
safely conduct our mission.
Senator Sullivan. OK. Well, let's discuss that perhaps
later because, as you know, there's flying and then there's
flying in Alaska as----
Admiral Hann. There is.
Senator Sullivan.--you just talked about and just ask the
Coast Guard Air Stations in Sitka and in Kodiak. I mean, their
best pilots in the Coast Guard have to come to Alaska because
that's the toughest flying and then they deploy there. They're
permanently stationed there and, you know, they become the best
pilots in the Coast Guard. There's no doubt about it, and I
think permanent presence provides that permanent training and
operations skill set which is what you need to operate in
Alaska safely.
Admiral Hann. Understood.
Senator Sullivan. So thank you.
Admiral Hann. Thank you.
Senator Sullivan. You have a comment on that?
Admiral Hann. No. Thank you, sir.
Senator Sullivan. All right. OK.
Senator Markey.
STATEMENT OF HON. EDWARD MARKEY,
U.S. SENATOR FROM MASSACHUSETTS
Senator Markey. Thank you, Senator Sullivan, and I am
continuing to look forward to working with you on the Russian
fishing issue.
Earlier this month, we experienced what might have been
Earth's hottest day in 125,000 years. In Phoenix, Arizona, the
temperature has been 110 degrees or higher for nearly 3 weeks
in a row, and on July 15, nearly one in three Americans were
living under an extreme heat alert. This national problem
requires a national response.
There is a heat dome over the United States right now. The
ongoing forest fires in Canada are like an exhaust pipe sending
those toxic fumes into the lungs of Americans. The water off of
the coast of Florida right now is 100 degrees. The water off
the coast of Florida is 100 degrees. That's going to be super
charging hurricanes in terms of the impact on our country and
that's why I'll be working with my colleagues to reintroduce
the Preventing Heat Illness and Deaths Act to formalize NOAA's
National Integrated Heat Health Information System to study
extreme heat and provide the resources and planning we need to
combat it.
Administrator Spinrad, what is NIHHIS doing now to address
extreme heat and what more could we do if we had the right
resources to support it?
Dr. Spinrad. Thank you, Senator Markey, and I couldn't
agree more with your characterization. In fact, a few minutes
ago I showed the Committee a two-page document that was listing
all of these record-setting weather events just from the last
week or so here in the country and you emphasized that in your
point. Let's talk about heat health.
So, first, I co-chair with Secretary Becerra from HHS and
EPA Administrator Regan a White House Committee on Heat Health
specifically looking at what the needs are, what the products
are that we can develop. NIHHIS, the National Integrated Heat
Health Information System that you alluded to, is something
that we started a few years back. We use that as a model.
NIDIS, which was the National Integrated Drought Information
System, we developed 10 or 15 years ago when we started seeing
the Western U.S. developing drought conditions.
It serves as a great model first for collecting information
from users, communities, cities, counties, and developing the
forecast needs and the dissemination mechanisms.
So we are improving our models, our weather models to make
sure we can characterize not just when we're going to see a
heat health event but as you probably know, the temperature in
Downtown Boston could be 95 degrees but in another part of the
city, in Chelsea, it could be 115 degrees, and so we're trying
to get higher resolution in our models to be able to predict
that.
And then the last piece of this is getting the information
into the hands of the users. So we have built a climate.gov
portal in conjunction with our colleagues at ESRI which is now
the place, the go-to place for all government information on
heat and heat health impacts.
Senator Markey. And again the United States is running a
fever right now and how do we know that? Just use thermometers,
not sophisticated equipment. We just know how hot it is in the
ocean and on land all across the country, and there are no
emergency rooms for countries. So we have to engage in
preventative care. All the warning signs are there. So----
Dr. Spinrad. Can I make another comment on that because
there's another aspect to this and that is there are
contributions that can be made from sectors we hadn't thought
of before.
So I've had discussions with the faith-based communities
about how we might use houses of prayer as cooling centers and
they are interested in knowing how we might do that.
If we could give them an accurate three-to-four-to-5 day
lead time, can we take a mosque, a synagogue, a church and use
it for a cooling center? So there are other solutions that
we're working on, as well.
Senator Markey. Yes. And again when Pope Francis wrote his
encyclical Laudato Si, in praise of everything, meaning the
planet that we live on, God's creation, obviously synagogues,
churches, mosques are the places where people reflect what
God's gifts are to us and so they are the proper places for
people to find some relief, but we have to be better than that
as a nation. We have to respond and thus far we have had great
difficulty in doing that on a bipartisan basis.
My hope is that we, looking at the evidence today, what's
happening everywhere and what the predictions are for the
future, that we can accelerate our coordinated efforts.
NOAA Fisheries coordinates the Marine Mammal and Sea Turtle
Stranding Networks, which respond to sick and stranded animals,
collects scientific data, transport animals to rehabilitation
facilities, and help educate the public about conservation.
Currently, grant funding is available for partner
institutions that rescue, rehabilitate, and research the marine
mammals but not sea turtles, even though sea turtle strandings
continue to increase.
In 2000, 49 sea turtles were stranded and found on the
beaches of Cape Cod and in 2022 that number skyrocketed to 866
stranded sea turtles.
This is why I introduced the Sea Turtle Rescue Assistance
Act of 2023 with Senator Cornyn and Senator Wicker to support
nationwide sea turtle rescue, rehabilitation, and research.
So, Administrator Spinrad, would additional support for
stranding responses bring an immediate return on investment and
direct on-the-water benefits for threatened and endangered sea
turtles?
Dr. Spinrad. Thank you for the question, Senator.
Just to sort of set context, our responsibilities
associated with marine mammals are obviously tied to our
statutory responsibilities in the Marine Mammal Protection Act
and so your question about would there be an immediate return
for sea turtle standing investment, I'm going to have to get
back to you on that because I don't have the facts to know what
that impact would be of such an investment but be glad to get
back to you.
Senator Markey. I think it's important. Please do it as
soon as possible. We can see the evidence----
Dr. Spinrad. Understood.
Senator Markey.--real time in terms of the impact on that
species.
Surging ocean temperatures driven by climate change are
causing marine heat waves that jeopardize fish and other marine
life. Again, as I said, the waters off of Florida's coasts are
approaching 100 degrees. Fishery managers have struggled to
adapt to account for the impacts of warming waters.
Administrator Spinrad, do you think NOAA has sufficient
resources to fully understand these ecosystem changes that hurt
fish stock and marine mammals as well as the coastal
communities that rely upon the blue economy?
Dr. Spinrad. Thank you, Senator.
At the heart of your question is our ability to monitor,
detect the changes in temperature. We do a lot of that through
our Integrated Ocean Observing System and in our Fiscal Year
2024 Budget Request, especially when you incorporate the
additional resources from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, we
are well positioned to be able to provide those observations,
to provide decisionmakers the information they need about what
temperatures the water is and what the forecasts might be, as
well.
Senator Markey. Well, you can't forecast if you don't have
the information.
Dr. Spinrad. That's right.
Senator Markey. So we have to get you the resources so that
scientifically you can be warning, so that the mosques can be
ready, the churches can be ready, the synagogues can be ready
for the inevitable consequences of what is happening.
The ocean exploration work done by NOAA and other partner
organizational, like the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution,
is critically important for understanding ocean health and
beyond.
You can't manage what you don't measure. NOAA's research
and data collection informs weather forecasts, including severe
weather, like tsunamis, severe storms, and flooding, and
atmospheric rivers, as well as climate predictions and
fisheries management.
So, Administrator Spinrad, would additional support help
the Ocean and Coastal Observation Programs better address the
rapidly increasing demand for more and better data to support
ocean and earth system modeling efforts?
Dr. Spinrad. The request we've got right now is what we
deem to be appropriate for the requirements that you've alluded
to with respect to providing exactly those forecasts.
Senator Markey. And how much are you asking for?
Dr. Spinrad. We're going to get back to you on that because
that covers a range of observational capabilities. So it's the
Integrated Ocean Observing System. It's many of the resources
and things like the Water Level Observing Network as well as
our Cooperative Ocean Operations, Products and Services
component, as well.
So we can get you the full aggregate of those requests as a
followup.
Senator Markey. Yes. I think it's very important. We really
are already in the middle of this crisis. OK? You cannot have
any better evidence than what is occurring right now on land
and at sea and in the air coming down from Canada.
Dr. Spinrad. Agreed.
Senator Markey. It's all there right now and whatever you
need, please tell us.
Dr. Spinrad. Thank you.
Senator Markey. Don't hesitate.
Dr. Spinrad. Thank you.
Senator Markey. Be bold because the times call for
boldness. We have to be able to respond.
NOAA's timeliness in executing its permitting
responsibilities is critically important to the continued
growth and development of the U.S. offshore wind industry.
Administrator Spinrad, how does NOAA plan to better include
all stakeholders and allocate resources to create a more
transparent and consistent permitting process?
Dr. Spinrad. Thank you, Senator.
We work closely with our colleagues at Bureau of Ocean
Energy Management who has the primary responsibility. We are
advisory in that capacity on things like Endangered Species
Act, the fundamental information that that industry needs to
make their decisions, and there has been a great push by the
Biden-Harris Administration to increase through the 30 by 30
Initiative, 30 gigawatts of offshore wind by 2030.
So we have strengthened our relationship with our
colleagues at the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management through a
Memorandum of Understanding. We have actually exchanged
personnel and the other thing that we've done is we've hired
additional staff through the direction of Secretary Raimondo
for our offshore wind permitting activity, much of which is
done in fact in Gloucester at the Greater Atlantic Regional
Fisheries Office and so between staffing, more collaboration
with our colleagues at BOEM, and also holding a number of
public sessions and discussions and getting information out to
the public is how we're ensuring both the public engagement and
also more efficient processing of permitting materials.
Senator Markey. OK. Thank you.
As I work with my colleagues on fishery compensation fund
legislation, we need you to commit to helping us to provide the
technical assistance so that we will be able to accomplish that
goal.
Dr. Spinrad. Happy to do that.
Senator Markey. You agree to help us with that technical
assistance?
Dr. Spinrad. Yes.
Senator Markey. We thank you and we thank you, Rear
Admiral, as well.
So this hearing record will remain open for two weeks until
August 3, 2023. Any Senators who would like to submit questions
for the record should do so by August 3, 2023.
We ask that your responses be returned to the Committee as
quickly as possible and in no case later than two weeks after
receipt.
So with that, with the thanks of the Committee, this
hearing is adjourned. Thank you.
[Whereupon, at 11:34 a.m., the hearing was adjourned.]
A P P E N D I X
Prepared Statement of Hon. Ted Cruz, U.S. Senator from Texas
Chairwoman Baldwin and Ranking Member Sullivan, thank you for
holding today's hearing on the NOAA Budget. And, Senator Sullivan,
thank you for letting me give my opening statement before you so I that
I can attend a markup.
I also want to welcome Dr. Spinrad and Admiral Hann to this
hearing.
The National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration, or NOAA,
has an important role to play in protecting American lives and
supporting the U.S. economy. NOAA weather forecasters provide warnings
of incoming storms, and work with police, fire, and emergency
management to help them save lives.
Texas is a big place, with 30 million people, and a whole lot of
challenging weather situations. Just last month, Perryton, Texas was
hit by a devastating tornado. When I visited the town I saw up close
the utter destruction of homes and lives that tornado caused.
While NOAA weather and warning systems do important work, there are
improvements that need to be made to them. This Congress, I've been
pleased to work in a bipartisan manner with Senators Cantwell and
Wicker on bills that will improve how NOAA communicates to people
during weather disasters.
Most tornado deaths, like the ones in Perryton, happen at night
when people are fast asleep and can't see the tornado coming. One of
these bipartisan bills, the NOAA Weather Radio Act, will help address
this issue by fixing NOAA's aging weather radio system, and will save
lives by warning people to get to safety.
Although the National Weather Service has an essential function in
saving American lives, the Biden Administration has failed to
prioritize making sure that they have adequate equipment to predict
deadly storms. For example, the Biden Administration's budget includes
zero dollars for NOAA's Hurricane Hunter aircraft. These aircraft fly
directly through the heart of hurricanes to collect critical data that
improves the predicted hurricane track by as much as 25 degrees.
This is the difference between a direct hit on Houston or New
Orleans. Evacuating the wrong city can be costly, both in dollars and
lives: the average cost to families evacuating Houston during hurricane
Harvey was twelve hundred dollars, and needlessly evacuating
hospitalized patients can result in deaths. However, NOAA's Hurricane
Hunters do not have adequate backup. If these aging planes are
grounded, we lose our eye in the sky for hurricanes, and thousands of
people could die. Yet, the Biden Administration did not request one
cent.
Instead of focusing on NOAA's core mission of saving lives and
supporting the American economy, the Biden Administration's budget
request for NOAA includes $9.1 million for woke initiatives such as
``workforce development and training pilot projects and grants, focused
on environmental justice and equity, to support a more robust and
diverse domestic seafood sector.''
Ironically, even NOAA Fisheries does not know what this means. NOAA
Fisheries' own 2023 Equity and Environmental Justice Strategy states
that the number one barrier faced by underserved communities is that
NOAA has ``not fully identified the underserved communities that are
impacted by our work.'' This means the Biden Administration wants to
throw $9 million at a problem that NOAA Fisheries admits they do not
understand, and might not even exist except in the Biden
Administration's imagination.
That is all the more striking when NOAA Fisheries has plenty of
substantive work to be doing, especially with respect to Illegal,
Unreported, and Unregulated (IUU) fishing. NOAA's 2021 report to
Congress on Improving International Fisheries Management highlights
rampant illegal fishing of red snapper in U.S. waters off of Texas.
American tax dollars go to NOAA Fisheries to stop illegal fishing and
to safeguard American resources, not to underwrite a woke agenda.
We have also heard complaints that NOAA is deliberately ignoring
safety concerns in their haste to do the bidding of environmental
groups. In particular, NOAA has rushed to implement speed limits that
will make it harder for pilots and mariners to safely maneuver at sea
and hurt coastal economies--all without any evidence that there will be
environmental benefits. Radical activists despise sport fishermen and
much commercial ocean activity, which is why I fear that this is just
an effort to empower activists and trial lawyer allies to ``sue and
settle'' with law-abiding fishermen.
Finally, I want to mention obstacles Texas companies have faced
when it comes to NOAA and energy development. Last summer our country
hit record high energy prices and President Biden went on television
blaming these prices on alleged collusion by oil companies. What
President Biden didn't mention is that because of mathematical error in
one of NOAA's regulations, offshore oil and gas companies couldn't get
permits to explore and drill. I was receiving phone calls from CEOs of
the world's largest energy companies saying we're at a standstill on
future activity until NOAA gives us a permit. I along with nineteen of
my Senate colleagues wrote to the Biden Administration about the urgent
need to fix this. But it shouldn't take two years to fix a math error
after you've identified it.
Let's hope that something like that doesn't happen again at NOAA.
______
Response to Written Questions Submitted by Hon. Dan Sullivan to
RADM Nancy Hann
Question 1. In December 2018, the Hydrographic Services Improvement
Act (HSIA) was included in the Coast Guard Reauthorization bill and
signed into law, thereby authorizing the program from 2019 through
2023. The bill calls for the Secretary of Commerce to develop a
strategy for how NOAA will increase contracting with the private sector
for hydrographic data collection, with the strategy due to Congress
within six (6) months of enactment of the bill.
a. Has this strategy authorized in 2018 been completed? Has it been
turned over to Congress? If not, when will NOAA turn this 2018
requirement over to Congress?
Answer. The Strategy for Increasing Contracting with Non-
Governmental Entities Report to Congress from the HSIA reauthorization
was transmitted to Congress on April 19, 2023.
Question 2. As we discussed during the hearing, can you confirm
what your time-frame and plan are to recapitalize the Fairweather?
Answer. NOAA awarded the contract for two charting and mapping
vessels in June 2023 to Thoma-Sea Marine Constructors, L.L.C. With this
award, NOAA will be starting the Detail Design and Construction of
these two vessels. NOAA anticipates the ship replacing the capabilities
of the Fairweather to be completed by 2027.
______
Response to Written Questions Submitted by Hon. Ted Cruz to
RADM Nancy Hann
Question 1. Houston was hit extremely hard by Hurricane Harvey in
2017. Fortunately, the accurate hurricane path predictions provided by
the National Weather Service, which included the data from the
Hurricane Hunters flown by the NOAA Corps, helped Emergency Management
prepare so that fewer lives were lost than if we didn't see the
hurricane coming. In 2017, Hurricanes Katia, Jose, and Irma were all
threatening the U.S. simultaneously. NOAA only has three Hurricane
Hunter aircraft, and a limited number of pilots who fly very long
hours.
a. What are some of the potential consequences if NOAA's Hurricane
Hunters could not all operate--for instance, due to equipment failures
or a lack of pilots--when multiple storms simultaneously threaten the
U.S.?
Answer. NOAA's National Hurricane Center estimates that through its
deployment of the world's most sophisticated weather instruments, the
WP-3D provides data that improve the hurricane track forecast by 15-20
percent, and the hurricane intensity forecast by 10-15 percent.
b. Does NOAA have adequate backup aircraft and pilots so that
neither equipment nor people get worn down when the storms are
threatening the U.S.?
Answer. The FY24 President's Budget would begin to address this
problem through a $4.2M request to grow the NOAA Corps and sustained
funding for Aircraft Recapitalization and Construction.
NOAA pilots and crew are dedicated to collecting critical data to
inform hurricane forecasts in order to protect life and property. The
President's Budget would grow the Corps to 353 officers, the most NOAA
could reasonably grow in FY24 due to onboarding time and other
constraints. NOAA is working aggressively to recruit and hire pilots.
Given the rigorous conditions that NOAA Hurricane Hunters fly into, it
takes six years to train a pilot to fly the Hurricane mission. By
increasing the Corps' strength, NOAA will be able to provide more
sustainable and reliable hurricane operations to protect our coasts.
At present, NOAA has six G-IV pilots. For atmospheric rivers and
hurricanes, NOAA creates watch-bills that are 12 hours long. A crew is
assigned to a watch-bill and flies when tasked. This allows NOAA to
meet current taskings; however, if a pilot becomes sick, taskings could
be canceled until a qualified pilot is pulled from another assignment.
In 2022, given the rapid succession of Hurricanes Earl, Fiona, and Ian,
each of these pilots agreed to sign waivers to exceed the recommended
safety limit of 120 hours per 30 days.
The funding provided through the 2023 Disaster Supplemental and the
Inflation Reduction Act will help begin the acquisition process to
replace these aging assets. The FY 2024 President's Budget request
would allow NOAA to continue the acquisition of a second G-550 high-
altitude jet, which also received funding provided through the
Inflation Reduction Act. The second G-550 will satisfy the 2017 Weather
Act requirement to have redundant capability and allow NOAA to meet
current and expanding demands for hurricane forecasting. The $327M
funding provided through the 2023 Disaster Supplemental will help start
the acquisition process for replacing the WP-3D aircraft. NOAA
continues to pursue enhanced capability to meet growing national
priorities.
In addition, as outlined in the NOAA Aircraft Recap plan, the
United States Air Force Reserve also has a fleet of hurricane hunter
aircraft (10 WC-130Js) and crews whose mission is to provide
operational weather reconnaissance support to NOAA. NOAA aircraft have
additional instrument capabilities, including the Tail-Doppler Radar,
that DoD assets are not required to have. These assets are tasked
through a request for assistance from the National Hurricane Center
through CARCAH (Chief Aerial Reconnaissance Coordination All
Hurricanes) to United States Air Forces Northern Command to provide
weather reconnaissance support in the form of flying low-level
investigative, storm fix, buoy deployment and synoptic surveillance
missions. Details on their tasking, reliability, and recapitalization
efforts and needs can better be addressed by the United States Air
Force Reserve.
[all]