I’d like to welcome you all to today’s oversight hearing of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration [NOAA], its Fiscal Year 2009 budget, and issues facing the National Marine Sanctuaries program.

 

Thank you, Admiral Lautenbacher, for being here today.  

 

I would like to start out today with an important note of congratulations.

 

 NOAA scientists are among the hundreds of researchers across the globe who contributed to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC).

 

Last year, the IPCC was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize, and I was delighted to see that many of NOAA’s scientists shared in this prestigious honor.

 

I have here a list of the NOAA scientists who contributed to this effort, and will be including it in the record. 

 

I congratulate those individuals, and all those in NOAA who work so hard on this vital topic. 

 

 

Budget Overview

 

I’m happy to see that for the first time, the President’s budget request for NOAA actually exceeds last year’s Congressional appropriation.

 

I am concerned, though, that when we look deeper into the numbers, this budget is not the victory we would like it to be. 

 

NOAA’s Fiscal Year budget request for 2009 of $4.1 billion is 5 percent above Fiscal Year 2008 enacted levels of $3.9 billion. 

 

Almost this entire increase, though, goes toward funding the cost overruns in the troubled weather and climate satellite acquisition program.

 

Unfortunately, this means that while NOAA’s top-line budget request is larger, the President is still proposing cuts for our nation’s ocean programs. 

 

 

Troubled Satellites Program

 

Admiral, as you know, there has been a lot of attention of late to the troubles with NOAA’s satellite acquisition program. 

 

Our aging fleet of satellites monitors weather, hurricanes, the climate, and the oceans, and desperately needs to be replaced.

 

But the failures of this acquisition are impossible to ignore.

 

While cost overruns have driven the price of the National Polar-orbiting Operational Environmental Satellite System from $6.5 billion to $12.5 billion, the lead contractor was awarded $123 million dollars in “award fees.”

 

This is inexcusable.

 

 

U.S. Census

 

I am also concerned about recent revelations over the 2010 Census. 

 

The Census Bureau’s handheld census computer acquisition has failed miserably.  More than doubling in price, the computers are riddled with so many problems they will not be ready for use during the 2010 census.

 

To help pay for these troubles, Secretary Gutierrez has asked Congress to transfer $27 million from NOAA to the Census Bureau during this fiscal year. He has also indicated he will need to move up to $700 million from NOAA and other agencies in Fiscal Year 2009 to make up for the Census shortfall. 

 

As these failures threaten to decimate NOAA’s budget, it is once again the oceans that will be asked to suffer.

 

 

Cuts to Ocean Programs

 

Because of the financial demands of the satellite acquisition program and the Census Bureau, we are seeing cuts proposed for many of your most important agencies. 

 

The National Ocean Service, the office of Oceanic and Atmospheric Research, and the National Marine Fisheries Service all see their budgets slashed.

 

Despite the demands Congress laid out in the Magnuson-Stevens Act reauthorization, and despite ocean acidification and the role the oceans play in global warming, the Administration still feels the need to weaken our ocean programs – in a time when attention to the oceans is needed now more than ever.

 

In Washington, the Puget Sound Partnership is embarking on a mission to save the Puget Sound’s ecosystem – everything from salmon to orca whales.  But the Puget Sound Partnership’s efforts cannot succeed without strong federal support – and this budget lacks support for either the orcas or the Puget Sound.

 

 

Salmon Recovery Fund

 

If you recall, last year I told you how disappointed I was to see the President request only $67 million for the Pacific Coastal Salmon Recovery Fund – a program that averaged $87 million in funding per year from 2000 to 2005. 

 

I’m sure you can guess, then, that I and many of my colleagues are even more upset at this year’s request of only $35 million – representing a 60 percent cut over the historically-funded level.

 

This funding goes to those on the front lines of salmon recovery – the states and Tribes that do the hard, on-the-ground work to protect our salmon.

 

 In just the past week we have seen;

In such a critical time for salmon recovery, the Bush Administration’s proposed cuts to our salmon recovery funding are unacceptable.

 

I was also disappointed to see funding for NOAA’s Education Program take a 51 percent cut from 2006 levels, from $34 million to $16.5 million. 

 

I look forward to working with you and my colleagues to restore funding to these critical programs.

 

 

Doppler Radar Gap

 

Finally, Admiral, I would like to briefly discuss the Doppler radar gap on the outer coast of Washington state.

 

 I have discussed this issue with you before, and last year I secured funding for a NOAA study on how best to address this gap.

 

 I want to emphasize, though, that Washington state communities were devastated by massive storms and flooding last December. 

 

The urgency for solving this problem is greater now than ever before.

 

 Two months ago today, I held a community meeting on this issue in Grays Harbor, Washington, and the message from my constituents was clear: we need a solution now.

 

I look forward to working with you to find that solution quickly, and implementing it as soon as possible.

 

 

Conclusion

 

So thank you again, Admiral for your testimony and for appearing here today to discuss NOAA’s budget.

 

At this time I would like to hand it over to my colleagues for their opening remarks.