News and Updates
January 2010
Representative Costa and Congressional Staff Participate in National Research Council Meeting
On January 24-26, Representative Jim Costa (D CA-1), and staff from the offices of Senator Dianne Feinstein (D-CA) and Representative Dennis Cardoza (D CA-18) participated in the First Meeting of the National Research Council (NRC) Committee on Sustainable Water and Environmental Management in the California Bay-Delta. Other Members and congressional staff attended open sessions of the meeting held at the University of California, Davis. Officials from NOAA’s National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) briefed the NRC on NMFS’ biological opinion (BiOp) on the Operations, Criteria, and Plan for the Central Valley Water and State Water Projects.
NOAA's Gulf of Mexico Disaster Response Center Groundbreaking
On January 22, staff from the office of Senator Richard Shelby (R-AL) and Representative Jo Bonner (R AL-1) joined the Under Secretary of Commerce for Oceans and Atmosphere, Dr. Jane Lubchenco, and Acting Assistant Administrator for NOAA's National Ocean Service, David Kennedy, for the groundbreaking of NOAA's Gulf of Mexico Disaster Response Center at the construction site in Mobile, Alabama. When complete, the Center will consolidate NOAA resources and capabilities to provide scientific support expertise, including geo-spatial and remote sensing data; oceanic and atmospheric modeling; and incident specific weather forecasts, to the highly vulnerable Gulf region and will also be a coordination point for federal, state, and local partners. The 15,000-square-foot facility will be constructed to withstand a major hurricane and devoted to conserving energy, water and natural resources while reducing impacts on human health and the environment.
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Representative Costa |
Representative Cardoza |
Representative Costa and Representative Cardoza Host Forum on Central Valley Water Issues
On January 14, Representative Jim Costa (D CA-20) and Representative Dennis Cardoza (D CA-18) hosted a public forum in Los Banos, California, on Central Valley water issues that was attended by about 200 people. An official from NOAA’s National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) participated to discuss the status of Central Valley salmonids and the measures NMFS is taking or prescribing to recover these species.
House Passes Bill to Consolidate Existing Legislation Related to Space
On January 13, the House passed HR 3237, the National Aeronautics and Space Act. The Act addresses certain laws related to the National and Commercial Space Programs, and includes various provisions for NOAA related to aviation weather services, Earth observations, and coordinated efforts with other federal agencies.
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Representative Capps |
Representative Capps and Ocean Science Education Building Groundbreaking
On January 11, Representative Lois Capps (D CA-23) joined the Under Secretary of Commerce for Oceans and Atmosphere and NOAA Administrator, Dr. Jane Lubchenco, for the groundbreaking of a new Ocean Science Education Building at the Marine Science Institute, University of California in Santa Barbara (UCSB). The Ocean Science Education Building is a partnership between the UCSB and NOAA's Channel Islands National Marine Sanctuary. It will be located on the campus of UCSB and house offices for the Sanctuary and the Outreach Center for Teaching Ocean Science at UCSB.