NOAA Budget to Fund Ocean, Climate Priorities
February 4, 2008
(Credit: NOAA)
President Bush today released a fiscal year 2009 budget for NOAA that includes significant increases to implement the President’s Ocean Initiative, to maintain critical weather forecasting abilities and to sustain the nation’s ability to monitor and predict global climate change.
The $4.1 billion request represents a 7.7 percent increase over the President’s FY 2008 request and a 5.2 percent increase over the FY 2008 budget passed by Congress. The request is the highest ever for NOAA.
“This budget allows us to continue making significant investment to protect life and property through improved weather and extreme event forecasting. By investing in climate monitoring, research and modeling we further solidify the U.S. as the world leader in climate science. It also provides increased resources toward implementing the President’s Ocean Initiative by ending overfishing, protecting natural resources and furthering ocean research,” said Navy Vice Adm. Conrad C. Lautenbacher, Ph.D., under secretary of commerce for oceans and atmosphere and NOAA Administrator.
The budget includes a substantial increase in support of NOAA’s satellite program, ensuring that NOAA continues to receive the critical data necessary for weather forecasts and climate predictions. Specifically, $242.2 million is included for the GOES-R program, supporting the next generation of geostationary satellites.
The budget also includes more than $81 million to improve climate monitoring and prediction. The increase includes investments in new satellite sensors to monitor climate, unmanned aerial vehicles and an early-warning system for drought.
Additionally, the budget includes more than $49 million in new funding to implement the President’s Ocean Initiative. Specifically, the request in total will fund $78.3 million for ocean science and research, $31.7 million to protect and restore marine coastal areas and $48.9 million to ensure sustainable use of coastal resources.
Specific budget highlights include:
- $31.8 million to implement new requirements under the Magnuson-Stevens Fisheries Conservation and Management Reauthorization Act of 2006 designed to end overfishing
- $7 million to improve our understanding of the oceans through the Integrated Ocean Observing System
- $4 million to clean up dangerous marine debris
- $5.4 million to restore streams and rivers by removing obsolete dams
- $5.3 million to improve hurricane forecasts
NOAA’s proposed FY 2009 budget and budget fact sheets are available online from NOAA's Budget Office.