# Presentation: 816809

## COREBoard of Governors

- Vice Admiral Conrad C. Lautenbacher, Jr., U.S. Navy (Ret.)
- Under Secretary of Commerce for Oceans & Atmosphere
- NOAA Administrator
- March 7, 2007

## Today’s Agenda

- Hill and the Budget
- Organic Act
- Question and Answers

- CORE: Board of Governors

## Hill and the Budget FY 07 Continuing Resolution

- Joint Resolution 20 signed into law on February 15th, 2007
- Funds the Federal government through September 30th, 2007
- Joint Resolution provides NOAA with continued funding at the FY06 Enacted level ($3.9 billion)
- Possible small upward adjustments to some items
- FY 2007 spending plan is still under development

- CORE: Board of Governors

**Notes:**
Note: the Panel will likely ask whether NOAA plan to use any of its FY 07 discretionary funds to support or boost existing programs?

Answer: FY 07 spending plan is still under development, so it is currently unclear whether any program will receive additional funding during the current fiscal year.  

## Hill and the BudgetNOAA Funding TrendsIncluded House Marks & 2007 Senate Mark

- *

- *In FY’03, the House did not report or pass an SJC appropriations bill. The House-Introduced bill total is used here.

- *

- ($ in Billions)

- *

- CORE: Board of Governors

**Notes:**
The numbers:
The President’s request for FY 2007 totaled close to $3.86B; about 5.9% less than the FY 2006 enacted amount
On June 26, 2006, the House passed H.R. 5672, appropriating almost $3.38B for NOAA, 8.2% less than the President’s Request.  This bill would cut funding for every line office, with the exception of the National Weather Service.
On July 13, 2006, the Senate Appropriations Committee approved H.R. 5672 after appropriating $4.43B for NOAA, approximately 20.3% more than the requested amount and 13.3% above the FY 2006 enacted level.
On February 14, 2007 the Senate passed Joint Resolution 20, funding the Federal government through September 30, 2007.
Signed into law on February 15th, JR 20 funds NOAA at the FY 06 Enacted level.
For 3 years NOAA has been funded at $3.9 billion (request keeps rising, but enacted budget does not). 

The FY07 CR has presented some challenges for our operating plan.  For example, with grant-making, which is nearly one third of NOAA’s budget:
in the 1st Q of FY07 we issued 19 awards for $15M
that is 80% less awards, at nearly half the dollar value when compared with the 1st Q of FY06 (100 awards for $28M), because we are unable to exercise our full discretionary spending authority.
This means will are likely to have to do roughly 85-90% of the funded grants workload in the last 6 months of the fiscal year, which affects our customers and our people.

## Hill and the Budget FY 2008 Budget Context

- NOAA Services Crucial to Our Nation’s Competitiveness
- Increasing Need to Preserve Ocean and Coastal Resources
- Severe Weather Impacting Our Economy and Public Safety
- Understanding Climate Change to Manage Resources Better
- NOAA Environmental Information Key to Millions of Decisions
- Fiscal Environment Requires Careful Resource Decisions

- Pfiesteria HAB in Lake Erie

- Planting Oysters in Chesapeake Bay NERR

- Hurricane Frances—2004

- Sinking Oil Tanker (JESSICA)

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**Notes:**
These points highlight the context in which NOAA is operating and the agency’s highest priorities for the coming fiscal year. 

## Hill and the Budget FY 2008 Budget Highlights

- Hill and the Budget FY 2008 Budget Highlights

- Request of $3,815.4M is $131.3M or 3.4% above the FY 2007 President’s Budget
- Request is $96.1M or 2.5% below the FY 2006 Enacted Level
- Reflects the Administration’s Guidance on Discretionary Spending
- Supports Core Mission Services
- Includes $51.5M for Adjustments to Base and $79.9M in Program Increases
- Supports President’s U.S. Ocean Action Plan

- CORE: Board of Governors

**Notes:**
FY06 Enacted:  $3,911.4M ($4,088M w/ supplemental)
$177M (broken down into $128M for fish, $20M for marine debris & hurricane infrastructure, and $25M for the Pascagoula Lab). 
FY07 PB:  $3,684.1M
FY07 CR $3,387.0M
FY08 PB:  $3,815.4M

## Ocean Action PlanFY 2008 President Budget Increases over FY 2007

| Ocean Science and Research | $60 |
| --- | --- |
| Ocean Research Priorities Plan Implementation | $20.0 |
| Integrated Ocean Observing System | $16.4 |
| Vessel Time and Equipment for Ocean Science | $9.0 |
| Mapping the Extended Continental Shelf | $8.0 |
| Saltonstall-Kennedy Competitive Fisheries Research Grants (mandatory funds) | $3.5 |
| Right Whales Research | $2.0 |
| Ocean Health Initiative | $1.0 |
| International Polar Year—Marine survey in the Antarctic | $0.6 |
|  |  |
| Protecting and Restoring Sensitive Marine and Coastal Areas | $38 |
| Northwestern Hawaiian Islands National Marine Monument | $8.0 |
| Penobscot River Restoration | $10.0 |
| Coastal and Estuarine Land Conservation | $15.0 |
| Gulf of Mexico Collaboration | $5.0 |
|  |  |
| Ensuring Sustainable Use of Ocean Resources | $25 |
| Magnuson Stevens Implementation | $20.2 |
| Aquaculture | $3.0 |
| Marine Mammals and Sound | $1.8 |
|  |  |
| NOAA Total | $123 |
|  |  |
| Support Implementation of Ocean Research Priorities Plan (ORPP)—NSF/DOI | $20 |
| Total | $143 |

- ($ in Millions)

- CORE: Board of Governors

## NOAA’s Organic ActHistorical Perspective

- Organic Acts establish a statutory basis of an agency or office within the government: priorities, mission & functions
- Provide basic authorities to conduct activities needed to meet an agency‘s mission
- NOAA was created by President Nixon in 1970 by Reorganization Plan No. 4
- Formed from existing bureaus grouped together
- Since then:
- NOAA has accumulated diverse responsibilities and hundreds of separate legislative authorities

- CORE: Board of Governors

**Notes:**
NOAA Organic: Organic acts are typically used to create an agency or office within the government.  They establish a statutory basis for existence and describe the function of the agency or office.  An organic act provides basic authorities to conduct the activities needed to meet the missions of the agency. They are not intended to be changed frequently, rather to provide guidance for the long term.  The level of detail in an organic act can vary widely. 

## NOAA’s Organic ActRationale

- Time is right to advance from an outdated Reorganization Plan to a 21st century agency that:
- Can meet today’s needs and plan for the future
- U.S. Commission on Ocean Policy and others, recognize the needs for NOAA to be strengthened and have an organic act
- The Commission’s report: An Ocean Blueprint for the 21st Century, recommends immediate Congressional action on an organic act to enhance NOAA’s ability to conduct operations “consistent with the principles of ecosystem-based management and with its primary functions.”

- CORE: Board of Governors

## NOAA’s Organic ActLegislative Implications/language

- The Administration’s proposed NOAA Organic Act:
- Establishes NOAA within the Department of Commerce
- Sets primary purposes & functions along current NOAA Mission Statements
- Provides authorities such as:
- Authority to operate through partnerships and enter into agreements with non-Federal entities to facilitate cooperative conservation and research activities.
- Authority to conduct education and outreach activities for all NOAA programs and not just a few specifically authorized programs including Sea Grant, National Marine Sanctuary Program, and Coral Reef Conservation Program.

- CORE: Board of Governors

**Notes:**
Example:

The Hollings Marine Laboratory in Charleston, South Carolina is a good example of what problems NOAA faces without specific authorities, which could be included in an organic act.  A consortium of Federal, state, and university organizations desired to enter into long-term, collaborative research program at the Hollings Marine Lab, but were hampered by the lack of legal authorities allowing the Federal agencies to participate.  It required the enactment of special legislation in the Fiscal Year 2004 Department of Commerce appropriations act to legitimize the most efficient method of working together.  A separate legislative effort should not be necessary each time NOAA desires to enter into these mutually beneficial relationships.

## NOAA’s Organic ActLegislative History

- Congress has examined NOAA Organic Acts for 20 years – not much success
- Competitive Jurisdiction has been focused on “wet vs. dry”
- Administration sent Organic Act legislation to 108th Congress
- House Science introduced own version in 108th Congress
- House Science re-introduced Bill to 109th Congress
- Passed the House, but did not include fisheries & resource management issues under jurisdiction of House Resources
- Senate did not take action

- CORE: Board of Governors

## NOAA’s Organic ActAdministration vs. Congress

- Administration’s Bill
- Simply lays out general mission and authorities for NOAA, provides flexibility to Agency as needed
- House Science Bill
- More representative of an authorization bill, it re-structures NOAA into 3 categories:
- Resource Management
- Research and Education
- Operations and Services
- This Bill does not allow sufficient flexibility to make those organizational and programmatic changes that may be needed to meet future developments and challenges

- CORE: Board of Governors

## NOAA’s Organic ActWhere are we today?

- Administration plans to re-submit the 2004 version of the NOAA Organic Act to the 110th Congress
- Congressman Sam Farr introduced Oceans-21 Bill (HR-21), January 4.  This bill included the House Science’s last version of the NOAA Organic Act
- Co-sponsors of Oceans-21: Reps Allen, Gilchrest and Saxton
- Senate Staff seems interested in the NOAA Organic Act

- Sam Farr—CA

- CORE: Board of Governors

## Questions?

## Back up Slides

## Ocean Action PlanFY 2008 President Budget Increases over FY 2007

| Ocean Science and Research | $60 |  | Protecting and Restoring Sensitive Marine and Coastal Areas | $38 |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Ocean Research Priorities Plan Implementation |  |  | Northwestern Hawaiian Islands National Marine Monument | $8.0 |
| Coastal Decision Support | $5.0 |  | Penobscot River Restoration | $10.0 |
| Develop sensors for rapid toxin detection (HABs) | $5.0 |  | Coastal and Estuarine Land Conservation | $15.0 |
| Ocean Circulation and Climate | $5.0 |  | Gulf of Mexico Collaboration | $5.0 |
| Comparative Analysis of Marine Ecosystems | $5.0 |  |  |  |
| Integrated Ocean Observing System |  |  | Ensuring Sustainable Use of Ocean Resources | $25 |
| IOOS-Regional Observations | $11.5 |  | Magnuson Stevens Implementation |  |
| NOAA-Data management and coordination | $2.5 |  | Reauthorization—new requirements | $6.5 |
| IOOS-Weather sensors on NWLON stations | $1.0 |  | Klamath River Recovery | $3.0 |
| IOOS-Ocean sensors on NWS buoys | $1.4 |  | Limited Access Privilege Programs (LAPPs) | $6.0 |
| Vessel Time and Equipment for Ocean Science |  |  | Observers and Training | $3.0 |
| O&M for Newer NOAA Fisheries Research Vessels | $4.6 |  | Survey and Monitoring Projects | $1.7 |
| OKEANOS EXPLORER O&M | $1.0 |  | Aquaculture | $3.0 |
| Additional support for vessel crews | $1.7 |  | Marine Mammals and Sound | $1.8 |
| Vessel Equipment and Technology Refresh | $1.0 |  |  |  |
| Autonomous Underwater Vehicles for Hydrographic Surveying | $0.7 |  | NOAA Total | $123 |
| Mapping the Extended Continental Shelf | $8.0 |  |  |  |
| Saltonstall-Kennedy Competitive Fisheries Research Grants (mandatory funds) | $3.5 |  | Support Implementation of Ocean Research Priorities Plan (ORPP) | $20 |
| Right Whales Research | $2.0 |  | Transfer to National Science Foundation | $17.0 |
| Ocean Health Initiative | $1.0 |  | Transfer to Department of Interior (USGS) | $3.0 |
| International Polar Year—Marine survey in the Antarctic | $0.6 |  |  |  |
|  |  |  | Total | $143 |

- CORE: Board of Governors

## Hill and the BudgetNOAA Funding Trends2007 Constant Dollars

- ($ in Billions)

- CORE: Board of Governors

**Notes:**
For 3 years NOAA has been funded at $3.9 billion (request keeps rising, but enacted budget does not). 

The FY07 CR has presented some challenges for our operating plan.  For example, with grant-making, which is nearly one third of NOAA’s budget:
in the 1st Q of FY07 we issued 19 awards for $15M
that is 80% less awards, at nearly half the dollar value when compared with the 1st Q of FY06 (100 awards for $28M), because we are unable to exercise our full discretionary spending authority.
This means will are likely to have to do roughly 85-90% of the funded grants workload in the last 6 months of the fiscal year, which affects our customers and our people.