Congressional Testimony
114th Congress: 2015-2016
2nd Session of the 114th Congress - 2016
House Hearing on Maritime Navigation Programs
On September 7, the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, Subcommittee on Coast Guard and Maritime Transportation [Chairs, Representative Duncan Hunter (R CA-50)] and Subcommittee on Water Resources and Environment [Chairs, Representative Bob Gibbs (R OH-7)] held a hearing titled, “Federal Maritime Navigation Programs: Interagency Cooperation and Technological Change.” The Director of NOAA’s National Ocean Service, Office of Coast Survey, Rear Admiral (one star) Shepard Smith, testified.
OLIA Lead: Mike Jarvis
House Hearing on Satellite Programs and Partnerships
On July 7, the House Committee on Science, Space, and Technology Committee, Subcommittee on Environment [Chair, Representative Jim Bridenstine (R OK-1)], held a hearing on NOAA’s polar-orbiting satellite programs and our partnerships with the Department of Defense and DOD and the European Organisation for the Exploitation of Meteorological Satellites (EUMETSAT). The Assistant Administrator of NOAA’s National Environmental Satellite, Data, and Information Service, Dr. Stephen Volz, testified.
Senate Hearing on Hurricanes
On May 25, the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation, Subcommittee on Oceans, Atmosphere, Fisheries, and Coast Guard [Chair, Senator Marco Rubio (R-FL)] held a hearing on hurricanes. The Director of NOAA’s National Weather Service, National Hurricane Center, Dr. Rick Knabb, testified.
House Hearing on FY17 Budget Request
On March 22, the House Committee on Natural Resources, Subcommittee on Water, Power, and Oceans [Chair, Representative John Fleming (R LA-4)] held a hearing on NOAA’s FY17 budget request. The Assistant Administrator of NOAA’s National Marine Fisheries Service, Eileen Sobeck, testified.
House Hearing on FY17 Budget Request
On March 16, the House Committee on Science, Space, and Technology, Subcommittee on the Environment [Chair, Representative Jim Bridenstine (R OK-1)] held a hearing on NOAA’s FY17 budget request. NOAA’s Under Secretary of Commerce for Oceans and Atmosphere and NOAA Administrator, Dr. Kathryn Sullivan, testified.
House Hearing on FY17 Budget Request
On March 15, the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, Subcommittee on Coast Guard and Maritime Transportation [Chair, Representative Duncan Hunter (R CA-50)], held a hearing on the President's Fiscal Year 2017 Budget Request for the Coast Guard and Maritime Transportation Programs. NOAA’s Under Secretary of Commerce for Oceans and Atmosphere and NOAA Administrator, Dr. Kathryn Sullivan, submitted a Statement for the Record.
House Legislative Hearing on Fisheries Conventions
On March 1, the House Committee on Natural Resources, Subcommittee on Water, Power, and Oceans [Chair, Representative John Fleming (R LA-4)] held a legislative hearing on the Administration’s draft proposals of S 1335 and S 1336, the North Pacific Fisheries Resources Convention and South Pacific Fishery Resources Convention Implementation Act (to implement the Conventions on the Conservation and Management of High Seas Fisheries Resources in the North Pacific Ocean, South Pacific Ocean, and for other purposes). The Deputy Assistant Administrator for International Fisheries, Russell Smith, testified.
Senate Hearing on MSA
On February 23, the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation, Subcommittee on Oceans, Atmosphere, Fisheries, and Coast Guard [Acting Chair, Senator Dan Sullivan (R-AK)] held an oversight hearing titled, “Magnuson-Stevens Act (MSA) at 40: Successes, Challenges, and the Path Forward." The Deputy Assistant Administrator for Regulatory Programs of NOAA’s National Marine Fisheries Service, Sam Rauch, testified.
House Hearing on Salmon
On February 10, the House Committee on Natural Resources, Subcommittee on Water, Power, and Oceans [Chair, Representative John Fleming (R LA-4)] held an oversight hearing titled, “The Costly Impacts of Predation and Conflicting Federal Statutes on Native and Endangered Fish Species.” The Regional Administrator of the Western Region of NOAA’s National Marine Fisheries Service, Will Stelle, testified.
OLIA Lead: Becky Cruz Lizama
House Legislative Hearing
On February 2, the House Committee on Natural Resources, Subcommittee on Water, Power, and Oceans [Chair, Representative John Fleming (R LA-4)] held a legislative hearing on two bills:
- HR.3070, the EEZ Clarification Act, is a bill to clarify that for purposes of all Federal laws governing marine fisheries management, the landward boundary of the exclusive economic zone between areas south of Montauk, New York, and Point Judith, Rhode Island, and for other purposes.
- HR 4245, a bill to exempt importation and exportation of sea urchins and sea cucumbers from licensing requirements under the Endangered Species Act of 1973.
The Deputy Regional Administrator of NOAA’s National Marine Fisheries Service – Greater Atlantic Regional Fisheries Office, Daniel Morris, testified.
OLIA Lead: Craig Woolcott
1st Session of the 114th Congress - 2015
House Hearing on Satellites
On December 10, the House Committee on Science, Space, and Technology, Subcommittee on Environment [Chair, Representative Jim Bridenstine (R OK-1)] and the Subcommittee on Oversight [Chair, Representative Barry Loudermilk (R GA-11)], held a hearing on NOAA’s weather satellite programs and policies including the implications of the recent delay to the GOES-R Series. The Assistant Administrator of NOAA’s National Environmental Satellite, Data, and Information Service, Dr. Stephen Volz, testified.
OLIA Lead: Sierra Jones
House Hearing on Atlantic Fisheries
On December 7, the House Committee on Natural Resources [Chair, Representative Rob Bishop, (R UT-1)] held a field hearing in Riverhead, New York, titled, “Restoring Atlantic Fisheries and Protecting the Regional Seafood Economy.” The Chief - Population Dynamics Branch, Northeast Fisheries Science Center, of NOAA’s National Marine Fisheries Service, Paul Rago, testified.
OLIA Lead: Craig Woolcott
House Hearing on HR 3094
October 22, 2015 – Testimony of the Director of NOAA's National Marine Fisheries Service, Office of Sustainable Fisheries, Alan Risenhoover, during a hearing before the House Committee on Natural Resources, Subcommittee on Water, Power, and Oceans on HR 3094, the Gulf States Red Snapper Management Authority Act.
House Hearing on National Marine Sanctuaries and Marine National Monuments
September 29, 2015 – Testimony of the Assistant Administrator of NOAA’s National Ocean Service, Dr. Holly Bamford, performing the duties of NOAA’s Assistant Secretary of Conservation and Management.
House Hearing on ESA Consultation
On July 29, the House Committee on Natural Resources (Chair, Representative Rob Bishop, R UT–1), held an oversight hearing on, “Federal Agencies' Selective Enforcement of Endangered Species Act (ESA) Consultation.” The Deputy Assistant Administrator for Regulatory Programs for NOAA’s National Marine Fisheries, Sam Rauch, testified.
House Hearing on CZMA
On July 28, the House Committee on Natural Resources, Subcommittee on Energy and Mineral Resources (Chair, Representative Doug Lamborn, R CO–5) held an oversight hearing on the Coastal Zone Management Act (CZMA). The Assistant Administrator for NOAA’s National Ocean Service performing the duties of the Assistant Secretary for Conservation and Management, Dr. Holly Bamford, testified.
House Hearing on Fisheries Legislation
On July 23, the House Committee on Natural Resources, Subcommittee on Water, Power, and Oceans (Chair, Representative John Fleming (R LA–4), held a legislative hearing on three bills. The Deputy Regional Administrator for the West Coast Region of NOAA’s National Marine Fisheries Service, Barry Thom, testified on two of the bills:
- HR 564, Endangered Salmon and Fisheries Predation Prevention Act
- HR 2168, West Coast Dungeness Crab Management Act
House Hearing on Commercial Weather Data
On July 14, the House Committee on Science, Space and Technology, Subcommittee on Environment (Chair, Representative Jim Bridenstine, R OK-1) held a hearing on, “Advancing Commercial Weather Data: Collaborative Efforts to Improve Forecasts." NOAA’s Assistant Secretary of Environmental Observation and Prediction, Manson K. Brown, testified.
Senate Hearing on Fisheries Data
On May 20, the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation, Subcommittee on Oceans, Atmosphere, Fisheries, and Coast Guard (Chair, Senator Marco Rubio, R-FL) held a hearing titled, “Improvements and Innovation in Fisheries Research and Data Collection.” The Under Secretary of Commerce for Oceans and Atmosphere and NOAA Administrator, Dr. Kathryn Sullivan, testified.
NOAA FY 2016 Budget Hearing
On March 19, the House Committee on Natural Resources, Subcommittee on Water, Power and Oceans Subcommittee (Chair, Representative John Fleming, R LA-4) and the Subcommittee on Federal Lands (Chair, Representative Tom McClintock, R CA-4) held a joint hearing on NOAA’s and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s FY 2016 budget request. NOAA’s Under Secretary of Commerce for Oceans and Atmosphere and NOAA Administrator, Dr. Kathryn Sullivan, testified.
NOAA FY 2016 Budget Hearing
On March 18, the House Committee on Appropriations, Subcommittee on Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related Agencies (Chair, Representative John Culberson, R TX-7) held a hearing on NOAA’s FY 2016 budget request. NOAA’s Under Secretary of Commerce for Oceans and Atmosphere and NOAA Administrator, Dr. Kathryn Sullivan, testified.
House Hearing on Satellites
On February 12, the House Committee on Science, Space, and Technology, Subcommittee on Environment (Chair, Representative Jim Bridenstine, (R OK-1) and the Subcommittee on Oversight (Chair, Representative Barry Loudermilk, (R GA-11), held a hearing on satellite issues titled, “Bridging the Gap: America’s Weather Satellites and Weather Forecasting”. The purpose of the hearing was to provide Congress with an update on NOAA's polar-orbiting and geostationary weather satellite programs. The Assistant Administrator of NOAA's National Environmental, Science, and Information Service, Dr. Stephen Volz, testified.