March 18, 2015

On March 18, The House Appropriations Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related Agencies Subcommittee met to discuss the President’s proposed fiscal year (FY) 2016 budget for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). The Honorable Dr. Kathryn Sullivan, Administrator of NOAA, answered representatives’ questions about NOAA satellite projects, coastal resilience, and hurricane research.

Subcommittee Chairman John Culberson (R-TX) and Ranking Member Chaka Fattah (D-PA) raised concerns over the potential weather satellite coverage gap prior to the launch and calibration of the Joint Polar Satellite System (JPSS).  Dr. Sullivan testified that NOAA has done its utmost to mitigate the potential gap, and JPSS is on track to launch in January 2017. NOAA anticipates a gap of between 12 and 42 months where satellite weather data may not be available.  Dr. Sullivan highlighted the need for funding for the Polar Follow On program, investing in the future of the JPSS series in order to ensure data continuity and prevent future gaps in data.

Dr. Sullivan addressed the need for funding for NOAA’s fleet of research vessels and described its vital work maintaining operation of NOAA’s Deep-ocean Assessment and Reporting of Tsunamis buoys (DART). NOAA will have to retire half of its current fleet by 2020 due to aging vessels.

Source: NOAA