# Presentation: 081193

## Science Advisory Board

- VADM Conrad C. Lautenbacher, Jr., USN (Ret.)Under Secretary of Commerce for Oceans and Atmosphere  |  NOAA Administrator November 8, 2005

## Menu Slide

- Current Environment
- Corporate NOAA
- “One NOAA” Hurricane Success
- Local/Regional Partners Engage
- NOAA Happenings
- Awards
- Leadership
- Fisheries
- Challenges / Opportunities

- The Benefits of One NOAA

**Notes:**
First, I would like to extend a thank you to Jake Rice and Denise Stephenson-Hawk who are continuing to serve on the SAB while new members are being appointed.  This definitely shows their commitment to NOAA and the Science Advisory Board.

I would also like to thank David Fluharty and Geraldine Knatz for attending the SAB (membership in clearance)  

Menu Slide:  This is the context we are working in, and some opportunities and challenges that we face.

## Current EnvironmentNOAA Budget

- Current EnvironmentNOAA Budget

- ($ in Billions)

- Conference Mark

- The Benefits of One NOAA

**Notes:**
There is more interest in controlling the deficit – showing change in the thought process by the deficit hawks
$3.9 billion for NOAA:  $364.8 million above the request. 
Good – Matches record number for NOAA
Bad – lots of earmarks which could have impact on the mission (To be Determined)	
Hurricane recovery activities for Hurricane Katrina, Rita, and Wilma are putting enormous burden on the Treasury; and continuing war debts and war on terrorism
There is a need to justify budgets; No guarantee agencies will even get inflation costs.

NASA/NSF: $22.1 billion
$16.5 billion for National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA): $260.3 million above the FY05 level and $1 million above the request. 
$5.65 billion for National Science Foundation: $180.5 million above the FY05 level and $48 million above the request. 
Commerce and Related Agencies: $6.6 billion (NOAA see above)
$44.8 million for the U.S. Trade Representative (USTR):  $3.8 million above the FY05 level and $6 million above the request. 
$406.9 million for the International Trade Administration (ITA): $10.7 million above the FY05 level and $3 million above the request. 
$284.1 million for the Economic Development Administration (EDA): equal to the FY05 level and $257.4 million above the request; Does not include the Strengthening America’s Communities Initiative. 
$812.2 million for the Bureau of the Census: $67.4 million above the FY05 request 
$40.1 million for National Telecommunication and Information Administration (NTIA):  $1.4 million above the FY05 level and $16.6 million above the request. 
$22 million for public telecommunications facilities, planning, and construction
$1.7 billion for the Patent and Trademark Office (PTO): $158.5 million above the FY05 level and equal to the revised request. 
$761.8 million for the National Institute for Standards and Technology (NIST): $62.5 million above the FY05 level and $229.8 million above the request. 
$106 million for the Manufacturing Extension Partnership (MEP); $80 million for the Advanced Technology Program (ATP). 

## Current EnvironmentEnergy Policy Act

- The Energy Bill (signed by President Bush on August 8):
- Encourages conservation and energy efficiency
- Diversifies and expands the use of alternative and renewable energy
- Provides a tax credit of up to $3,400 for owners of Hybrid vehicles
- Encourages investment in modernization and reliability of the U.S. energy infrastructure
- Helps reduce the global energy demand

- The Benefits of One NOAA

**Notes:**
The Energy Bill was passed by the Congress and on Monday, August 8, 2005, President Bush signed the $12.3B bill into law.  The 1724-page  Bill paves the way for a brighter and more secure energy future with more reliable, affordable, and clean sources of energy to power America forward.  It will also put us on a path to reduce our dependence on foreign sources of energy.  By harnessing the power of American innovation and technological development, the Energy Bill will help us transform the way that we use and produce energy – resulting in greater energy security, a growing economy, and a healthier environment for generations of Americans to come. 

The following bullets are some examples of the outcomes of the Energy Bill:

Encourages conservation and energy efficiency – promoting residential efficiency (including offering consumers tax credits for making energy efficiency improvements in their homes) and increasing efficiency of appliances and commercial products by setting new minimum energy efficiency standards for a range of consumer and commercial products including heaters, refrigerators, and lighting units.  Tax credits are available for commercial use of highly efficient central a/c units, heat pumps, and water heaters.

Diversifies and expands the use of alternative and renewable energy – promotes use of renewable energy sources with tax credits for wind, solar, and biomass energy, including first-ever tax credit for residential solar energy systems.  The bill also expands research into developing hydrogen technologies and establishes national Renewable Fuels Standard to encourage greater use of renewable fuels.

Hybrid Tax Credit – provides up to $3400 per vehicle in tax credits to consumers for purchase of these cars based on their fuel savings potential.

Encourages investment in modernization of reliability on US energy infrastructure – modernize our aging energy infrastructure to help reduce blackouts and minimize transmission bottlenecks by repealing outdated rules that discourage investment in new infrastructure, offering tax incentives to new transmission construction, and encouragement of new technologies.

Helps reduce global demand – promoting development and deployment of new, more efficient energy technologies for global use.

## Current EnvironmentEnergy Policy Act

- Provisions of interest to NOAA include:
- Hydropower
- Liquefied Natural Gas
- Coastal Zone Management
- Alternative Energy
- Coastal Impact Assistance Program

- The Benefits of One NOAA

**Notes:**
The Act contains several provisions of particular importance to coastal resource management.

HYDROPOWER: Requires DOC, DOI, and USDA to develop a joint rule establishing trial-type hearing procedures for appeal of the agencies’ prescriptions and conditions by 11/7/05 (yesterday).

LIQUEFIED NATURAL GAS: Grants FERC “the exclusive authority to approve or deny an application for the siting, construction, expansion, or operation of an LNG terminal” for onshore facilities.

COASTAL ZONE MANAGEMENT: Amends the CZMA to require the Secretary of Commerce to close the record of appeal within 160 days.  Shorter time period than before.

ALTERNATIVE ENERGY: Allows MMS to permit wind farms and other alternative energy structures in Federal waters. Could provide MMS authority to permit the use of decommissioned oil rigs for aquaculture.

COASTAL IMPACT ASSISTANCE PROGRAM: Amends the Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act to provide $250 million per year from 2007-2010 to producing states and coastal political subdivisions. 

## Corporate NOAAThe Executive Decision Process

- The Benefits of One NOAA

**Notes:**
Review how the Corporate NOAA structure is working

No more “hub” and spoke

A proposal systematically works through levels of executive oversight until the NEC recommends the Under Secretary approve it.
A proposal can start anywhere in the organization at any level.
All proposals must receive approval from all relevant Councils before presenting to the NEP.
The NEP may (1) recommend the proposal proceed to the NEC for presentation, (2) recommend presentation to the NEC after suggested revisions, or (3) require extensive revisions and another presentation to the NEP.
Proposals presented to the NEC may be (1) recommended for approval by the US, (2) recommended for approval with suggested revisions, or (3) required to make extensive revisions and present to the NEC again at a later date.

Examples of topics that have made it to the NEC are the following:

Policy on Transition of Research to Applications
The Role of NOAA & Private Partnerships
NOAA Aviation Safety Policy
Deemed Exports
Budget Guidance

## Corporate NOAA

- The Benefits of One NOAA

**Notes:**
Review NOAA structure and how it is working.

This diagram is meant to show the integration of our corporate NOAA structure, not shown on the previous diagram.  Line offices, goal leads, and councils all have to work together for us to complete our mission.

Regional is included in this.

## “One NOAA” Hurricane Success

- The Benefits of One NOAA

**Notes:**
You will be hearing many details on NOAA’s hurricane activities in the following session:

This shows the hurricane success stories of all our partners both internal and external coming together for a common goal – to better predict the hurricanes to save lives and property.

Prior to a Hurricane making landfall:  NOAA Support to Hurricane Forecasting 
NOAA’s National Hurricane Center, a division of NOAA’s Tropical Prediction Center (TPC), maintains a continuous watch on tropical cyclones over the Atlantic, Caribbean, Gulf of Mexico, and the Eastern Pacific.  The Center prepares and distributes hurricane watches and warnings for the public, and also prepares and distributes marine advisories.
The local Weather Forecast Offices (WFOs) and River Forecast Offices issue local, area-specific watches, warnings including inland watches and warnings for flooding events and tornadoes.   The Hydrometeorological Prediction Center provides the rainfall predictions for tropical cyclones.
NOAA Aircraft (P-3s & G-IV) conduct hurricane reconnaissance, surveillance, and research missions to provide data to the National Hurricane Center and increase forecast accuracy.  For this hurricane season to date, they have flown 95 missions, 775 hours, and deployed the following instruments for data collection:  nearly 2,000 GPS dropwindsondes and over 300 bathythermograph buoys.
Prior to land fall, NOAA Satellite and Information Service works with the National Weather Service/Hurricane Center providing geostationary satellite imagery from GOES (visible, infrared and water vapor), and at the request of the Weather Service changes the satellites observation capability to a rapid scan operations which increases the frequency of image collection to 5 or 1 minute collection.  NESDIS generates six hourly positions and intensity estimates to support the NHC.  Using satellite imagery, NESDIS produces the Tropical Rainfall Potential maps, which estimate how much rain may come out of the hurricane.  After the system makes landfall, NESDIS produces satellite precipitation estimates, which tell the rainfall potential over land.
NOAA’s AOML researchers provided expertise on how hurricanes work and helped to develop the models that are used to forecast where the hurricanes go and how strong they will be.

## “One NOAA”Hurricane Response

- One NOAA response
- Forecasts
- Wetland assessment (satellites)
- Citation flights – digital imagery
- NRTs
- OR&R – oil spill response
- Environmental assessment cruises

- The Benefits of One NOAA

**Notes:**
I’d like to spend a few brief moments on some current events on which NOAA has focused lately.  I mentioned the idea of “one NOAA” a minute ago.  A recent example of how the agency functions as “one NOAA” is our response to Hurricanes Katrina and Rita.  The Gulf of Mexico ecosystem has many components with which NOAA is involved.  All of these components, including the fisheries, wetlands and coasts were severely impacted as were the ports and communities.  

NOAA’s National Weather Service did an excellent job predicting the path of both Hurricanes and the strength at landfall.  NWS weather forecast offices in the area were severely impacted, yet the NWS continued to supply accurate forecasts for the recovery area subsequent to the storm.
NOAA’s Satellite and Information Service provided satellite imagery to help assess the impact of the storms on wetlands, including NOAA funded restoration projects.  Additionally, imagery assisted forecasts and other assessments.

NOAA’s Aircraft fleet supported damage assessment flights, VIP over flights and digital imagery collection.  In fact, our digital imagery was linked to the Google website and allowed displaced families to assess the status of their homes prior to returning to the area.  This, of course, was not possible for everyone, but some were assisted by the large collection of images.

NOAA’s Navigation Response Teams convened from all over the country to survey the ports to ensure safety for passage allowing the Coast Guard to open the ports quite after the storms passed.  They worked in extraordinary conditions to reopen one of the most economically important port areas of the country.

NOAA’s Office of Response and Restoration is still on the ground evaluating the impacts and status of the numerous oil spills in the area.  The Scientific Support Team has been diligently working as part of the interagency response to cleaning up these oil spills.

NOAA has conducted three sets of environmental assessment cruises and will continue these efforts until at least the end of the year.  Preliminary results show no elevated contaminant levels in white shrimp and no elevated hydrocarbon or E. coli levels in fish and crab samples. 

## Local/Regional Partners Engage

- IOOS supported in U.S. Ocean Action Plan
- Funding Opportunities with NOAA Sea Grant (RFA to be posted soon):
- 2yr Regional Research and Information Plans
- NOAA Research and/or Outreach Partnerships
- How does IOOS support ecosystem-based management?
- What other scientific and technical tools can be brought to bear on issue?

- The Benefits of One NOAA

**Notes:**
Funding Opportunities:
2yr Regional Research and Information Plans
- Will invite widest participation of other NOAA entities, existing regional entities, and other interested parties
- Plan:  Six regions will each receive a $250K grant (plus $125K match) in FY 06 to develop a regional plan over 2 years
Activities include:
Conduct bottom-up needs assessment user input; Identify research priorities and information gaps; Develop research plan to address management-critical issues; Develop coordination mechanism to transfer technology; Communicate and coordinate among all parties;
Infuse management decisions with appropriate information

NOAA Partnerships (research and/or outreach) Request for Application to be posted soon through Sea Grant
Matching Grant Competition (state and other NOAA federal)
Other NOAA offices will add to funding pool beyond match
Funding commitment is $3M over 2 years ($1.5M each for FY06 and FY07)
Primary purpose will be to address regional priorities

Questions we need to answer are:  How does IOOS support ecosystem-based management? 
What other scientific and technical tools can be brought to bear on issue?

## NOAA HappeningsAwards

- NOAA highlights since August 2005:
- Awards
- UNEP/WMO Vienna Convention Awards
- Dr. Susan Solomon and Dr. Dan Albritton of Chemical Sciences Division of NOAA's Earth System Research Laboratory (ESRL) in Boulder, CO
- Presidential Rank Awards:
- Dr. James Kimpel of NOAA’s National Severe Storms Laboratory in Norman, OK
- Dr.Venkatachala Ramaswamy of NOAA’s Geophysical Fluid Dynamics Laboratory in Princeton, N.J.
- Dr. Pieter Tans of NOAA’s Earth System Research Laboratory-Global Monitoring Division in Boulder, CO
- Mr. Max Mayfield of the National Hurricane Center in Miami, FL
- Dr. Stephen Lord of the National Weather Service in Suitland, MD

- Solomon

- Albritton

- Kimpel

- Tans

- Mayfield

- The Benefits of One NOAA

**Notes:**
UNEP/WMO Vienna Convention Awards:  Dan Albritton and Susan Solomon, of the Chemical Sciences Division of NOAA's Earth System Research Laboratory (ESRL), were awarded the Vienna Convention Award from the United Nations Environment Programme/World Meteorological Organization. 
The award recognizes 15 international scientists for their contributions for the protection of the ozone layer and includes Nobel laureates.  Albritton and Solomon were among 5 U.S. scientists who received the honor.  Albritton’s contributions have spanned the full extent of the Vienna Convention’s 20-Year history.  He serves as one of the three international Co-chairs of the Scientific Assessment Panel, which periodically assesses the state of scientific understanding regarding the ozone layer.  Solomon has led scientific expeditions to both the Antarctic and Arctic to investigate polar ozone depletion, and her research identified the cause of the Antarctic ozone hole.  Of course, we are very proud of their accomplishments, all of which was accomplished NOAA.

Presidential Rank Awards: 
Five NOAA Research Scientists will receive the Distinguished Presidential Rank Award, the most prestigious recognition given to career government executives and scientists: 

Kimpel: for his renowned scientific vision, leadership skills, and for his talent in putting together coalitions of federal, academic, and private partners to address complex challenges in order to save lives, protect property, and reduce economic loss from severe weather events.  

Ramaswamy: for his work with the factors that cause changes in the global climate and his research into the effects that natural causes and human activity may have on the climate.  Ramaswamy’s  work on the climate forcing and global warming potential of several greenhouse gases in the atmosphere have been widely used in many national and international assessments, including Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC). 

Tans:  for his work that led to the North American Carbon Program, aimed at understanding the uptake of carbon dioxide in North America, and allowing for more accurate climate projections, and improving our understanding of how plants, trees, and soil absorb carbon dioxide. Funding by the President’s Climate Change Research Project is allowing Tans to create a network of small aircraft and tall communications tower platforms to better understand regional carbon uptake across the United States.

Mayfield:  For contribution for to the Hurricane Warning program for the 2004 Hurricane season.

Lord:  For contributions to numerical weather prediction models for hurricanes for the 2004 season.

## NOAA HappeningsLeadership

- NOAA highlights since August 2005:
- APEC Oceans Related Ministerial Meeting; Bali, Indonesia
- MTS/Oceans 05 meeting; Washington, DC
- National Polar Orbiting Operational Environmental Satellite System (NPOESS)
- Issues with the instrument development
- Tri-agency Executive Committee (EXCOM) directing an Independent Program Assessment
- Working to establish a realistic baseline for program development

- The Benefits of One NOAA

**Notes:**
2nd APEC Oceans Related Ministerial meeting, Bali, Indonesia (Sept):
Co-chaired by both Indonesia and Canada.  APEC -- Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation -- is the premier forum for facilitating economic growth, cooperation, trade and investment in the region; and NOAA for many years has been involved in its working groups on marine resources conservation and also fisheries.    

In Bali, our U.S. goal was to gain Ministerial endorsement from the other 20 APEC members for actions in areas such as ocean observations, ecosystem-based management, aquaculture, and integrated coastal management.  We succeeded in achieving our goal, and these particular objectives are reflected in the Bali Plan of Action that the Ministers adopted.  The Bali Plan of Action is a thorough and pointed document that outlines actions in areas such as 
- observing, collecting and sharing essential scientific and economic data on which to base decisions, make predictions and issue warnings; 
-improving governance to eliminate threats to coastal, marine and fisheries sustainability; 
-employing integrated coastal and ocean management to reduce the vulnerability of communities to coastal hazards; 
-tackling problems like invasive marine species, seafood safety concerns, sustainable aquaculture issues; 
-and making renewed efforts to enhance trade facilitation and market access for fisheries and fish products.
For the rest of this decade, these practical commitments will guide the priorities and projects of APEC and its working groups, as well as demonstrate our regional commitment to global oceans and fisheries priorities.

MTS/IEEE Oceans 2005 Conference; Washington, DC (mid-Sept):
Served as a major forum for nearly 1500 ocean scientists, engineers, industry end users and suppliers, technologists, educators and researchers, policymakers, and the public throughout the world to present their latest research results, state-of–the-art technologies, future concepts, and innovative ideas to their peers and many others who are involved in the future of our "One Ocean."  

Deputy Secretary of Commerce David Sampson delivered opening remarks, kicking off a successful Oceans Conference, with NOAA contributions at every turn. VADM Lautenbacher, an honorary co-chair of the conference, delivered a key plenary talk on Moving GEOSS Forward.  Other important speakers included ADM Watkins, chair of the U.S. Commission on Ocean Policy and chair of the White House Council on Environmental Quality, James Connaughton.

## NOAA HappeningsLeadership

- NOAA highlights since August 2005:
- International Group on Earth Observations
- New Secretariat Director – José Achache
- GEO-II Meeting in December 2005 - Work Plan Team reporting on activities for 2005
- U.S. GEO working on near term opportunities for implementing the U.S. Integrated Earth Observation System (IEOS)
- Next Generation – Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite – R (GOES-R)
- Key Decision Point approved by the Secretary of Commerce
- Awarded program definition and risk reduction study contracts to Lockheed Martin Space Systems, Boeing Satellite Systems, and Northrop Grumman Space and Mission Systems

- The Benefits of One NOAA

**Notes:**
GOES-R
In mid-October the Secretary of Commerce approved a Key Decision Point for the GOES-R Program, clearing a major acquisition program milestone and enabling NOAA to award three contracts for the Program Definition and Risk Reduction (PDRR) stage of satellite development.  In late October NOAA awarded three contracts to Lockheed Martin Space Systems, Boeing Satellite Systems, and Northrop Grumman Space and Mission Systems for PDRR studies. 

## NOAA HappeningsFisheries

- NOAA highlights since August 2005:
- Fisheries Council Meeting
- New Members and Commissions
- Congressional Activities
- Magnuson-Stevens Act Reauthorization Bill
- Endangered Species Act

- The Benefits of One NOAA

**Notes:**
Fisheries Council Meeting:
I recently spent an afternoon at a meeting of the fishery management council chairs, executive directors and new members.  We discussed current events, the Magnuson-Stevens Reauthorization bill, which I will touch on in a moment, and NOAA’s budget.  Aside from myself, Deputy Secretary David Sampson attended and delivered remarks.  We also had the pleasure of hearing from Kameran Onley, from CEQ.  That line up of speakers is an excellent accomplishment.  We had all levels of the Administration gathered to discuss fisheries management issues.  With the Magnuson-Stevens Bill, Aquaculture bill and devastation to the Gulf fisheries from the hurricanes, the level of attention on fisheries management issues has increased greatly.

Magnuson (Hogarth has 45 minute slot on Wed at SAB):
The goals of the bill are to: 
Promote long-term sustainable use of U.S. marine resources; Take action on commitments in the President’s U.S. Ocean Action Plan; Build upon the successes of MSA and evolve to meet modern needs and scientific understanding. 
To accomplish these goals, the bill will:
Promote the use of market-based management tools; End overfishing; Expand scientific support for fisheries management; Establish a national saltwater angler registration; Emphasize ecosystem approach to fisheries
What will happen with a Magnuson-Stevens Reauthorization Bill remains to be seen.  There is certainly interest in Congress as demonstrated by the drafts that exist.  There is strong Administration support.  The President is interested in ending overfishing and ensuring a sustainable resource for commercial and recreational fishermen. 

Endangered Species Act:
Pombo bill has passed the House;
Gives all jurisdiction over ESA to Interior (NOAA has concern over this)
 NOAA has a number of items of concern from scientific perspective, but this is secondary if all ESA jurisdiction goes to Interior
There is no bill in the Senate yet, but there is lots of interest.  It is unclear as to when the Senate will move on this issue.

## Challenges / Opportunities

- Presenting One NOAA internally & externally
- Web / Public Affairs / Legislative Affairs, etc.
- NOAA’s “Policy on Partnerships in the Provision of Environmental Information”
- NOAA Transition of Research to Application
- Incorporating the Capability to Measure Biological Data in Observing Systems including Data Policy and Management of Data
- Facilities Recapitalization
- Satellites
- Facilities
- Ships/aircraft

- The Benefits of One NOAA

**Notes:**
This is a small selection of the challenges and opportunities facing NOAA.

With our public affairs work, for example, we aim to demonstrate that NOAA is an agency where science gains value. 
Stating this consistently, and being clear about how, is key. We need to do this in lay language, making points that will hit home
and be understood by readers of USA Today and viewers of CNN – and that means getting the main message across in about 15 seconds!

NOAA’s “Policy on Partnerships in the Provision of Environmental Information”:  
The FRN asking for comments to this policy closed on November 2nd.  
138 responses have been received thus far (More could arrive through post office mail).  This is about 1/10 of the number commenting on the original policy.

Update on Santorium Bill – has been referred to committee.  There is no House version (and we don’t expect one).

## Questions