News and Updates Archive

January, February, March 2012

February 2012

Senator Mikulski Staff Attends Black History Month Program

On February 7, staff for Senator Barbara Mikulski (D-MD) joined NOAA officials and staff in Silver Spring, Maryland, for the NOAA Black History Month Program and read a letter from the Senator in honor of the event.

Representative Tonko Staff Visit WFO

On February 2, staff for Representative Paul Tonko (D NY-21) visited NOAA’s National Weather Service, Weather Forecast Office (WFO) in Albany, New York. WFO officials provided a tour received a tour and in-brief. Topics of discussion focused on a Flood Awareness Town Hall, the Mohawk River Symposium, and the Mighty Waters Initiative.

January 2012

House Field Hearing on Oil Drilling Off Cuba

On January 30, the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure, Subcommittee on Coast Guard and Maritime Transportation (Chair, Representative Frank LoBiondo, R NJ-2) held a field hearing in Miami, Florida, titled, “Offshore Oil Drilling in Cuba and the Bahamas: The U.S. Coast Guard’s Oil Spill and Readiness and Response Planning.”

The Chief of the Emergency Response Division of NOAA’s National Ocean Service, Office of Response and Restoration, Debbie Payton, testified and a copy of the written testimony may be viewed on the Congressional Testimony page.

Senate and House Staff Briefing on MRIP Methodology and Updated Recreational Catch Estimates

On January 23, all interested Senate and House staff were briefed by NOAA’s Acting Assistant Secretary of Conservation and Management, Eric Schwaab, on the improved Marine Recreational Information Program (MRIP) methodology and new recalculated recreational catch estimates. MRIP is the NOAA National Marine Fisheries Services’ program to improve marine recreational anglers’ catch and effort data for the Atlantic and Gulf of Mexico coasts. The new methodology addresses a major concern of the National Research Council’s independent evaluation of the current Marine Recreational Fisheries Statistics Survey, and was mandated by the 2007 amendments to the Magnuson-Stevens Act. The new catch estimation method is being implemented to improve the accuracy of the catch estimates and to better serve the needs of fishermen, stock assessors, managers and others.

Representative Tonko Staff Visit WFO

On January 20, staff for Representative Paul Tonko (D NY-21) visited NOAA’s National Weather Service, Weather Forecast Office (WFO), in Albany, New York. WFO Albany provided a brief tour and discussion about how the WFO serves Representative Tonko's Albany-area district. The discussion also focused on hydrology, and impacts from flooding wrought by Hurricane Irene and Tropical Storm Lee, which severely impacted the surrounding area.

Senator Landrieu Staff Attend WFO Event

On January 20, staff for Senator Mary Landrieu (D-LA) attended a Weather-Ready Nation Rollout and NOAA National Weather Service, Weather Forecast Office (WFO) Open House in Slidell, Louisiana. The New Orleans/Baton Rouge WFO hosted a ceremony to launch its Weather-Ready Nation pilot project to enhance preparedness and resiliency in the region. The first of its kind, this emergency response project will improve weather forecasts for emergency managers during high-impact weather events in this predominantly coastal setting.

NOAA’s Assistant Secretary for Environmental Observation and Prediction, Dr. Kathryn Sullivan; and the Assistant Administrator of NOAA’s National Weather Service, Dr. Jack Hayes, headlined for NOAA. Jane Campbell, Senator Landrieu's Chief of staff spoke on the Senator’s behalf. Additionally, Kevin Davis, the Director of the LA Governor's Office of Homeland Security & Emergency Preparedness spoke.

Senator Murkowski Hosts Town Hall on Tsunami Debris

On January 20, Senator Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) hosted a town hall in Anchorage, Alaska, and was joined by staff from NOAA’s National Ocean Service, Office of Response and Restoration, Marine Debris Program to discuss tsunami debris. Staff from NOAA's Marine Debris Program provided remarks on what NOAA is doing to assess and examine marine debris derived from the tsunami, how we are working with other federal agencies and partners, and what we know as this point about the nature of the debris. Senator Murkowski is one of several original co-sponsors of Senator Daniel Inouye's (D-HI) bill, S 1119, the Trash Free Seas Act of 2011, which would reauthorize the Marine Debris Research, Prevention, and Reduction Act of 2006.

Senate and House Staff See DSCOVR Satellite

On January 19, staff for the Senate and House Appropriations Committees visited NASA’s Goddard Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland, so see the Deep Space Climate Observatory (DSCOVR) satellite. They also attend a quarterly budget briefing review meeting with the Assistant Administrator of NOAA’s National Environmental Data and Information Service, Mary Kicza, and other NOAA and NASA officials in which they received updates on the various satellite programs that NOAA and NASA are working on together.

Senate and House Staff Briefing on the National Ocean Policy

On January 12, all interested Senate and House staff were briefed by the Director of NOAA’s Policy Office, Sally Yozell, and other federal officials on the progress of the National Ocean Council’s (NOC) implementation of the National Ocean Policy (NOP), including the accomplishments to date and details on draft implementation plan and other upcoming milestones. Representatives from NOAA, Department of Defense, Department of Homeland Security, Department of the Interior, Environmental Protection Agency, and Department of Agriculture represented their respective agencies at this briefing to provide examples of how each agency or department is implementing the NOP.

Senator Merkley and Staff for Representative Schrader Visit MOC-P

On January 11, Senator Jeff Merkley (D-OR) and staff for Representative Kurt Schrader (D OR-5) visited NOAA’s Office of Marine and Aviation Operations, Marine Operations Center – Pacific (MOC-P) in Newport, Oregon. The Senator and congressional staff toured the facilities and two of the five NOAA Ships currently in port, the Bell M. Shimada and the Fairweather. They learned more about MOC-P’s mission, programs, and activities, as well as had the opportunity to meet members of the NOAA Commissioned Officer Corps and other staff who serve at the facility and on the ship.


CAPT David Neander, NOAA (Commanding Officer, NOAA Ship Fairweather), discusses NOAA's missions. L to R: State Representative Jean Cowan, CAPT David Neander, NOAA (Commanding Officer, NOAA Ship Fairweather), Senator Jeff Merkley (D-OR) Location: NOAA Pier, Marine Operations Center - Pacific	CAPT David Neander, NOAA (Commanding Officer, NOAA Ship Fairweather), discusses survey launch operations. Survey launches are used to collect hydrographic data. L to R: CAPT Wade Blake, NOAA (Commanding Officer, Marine Operations Center - Pacific), State Representative Jean Cowan, Debra Scroggin (Staff Assistant for Senator Merkley), Senator Jeff Merkley (D-OR), CAPT David Neander, NOAA (Commanding Officer, NOAA Ship Fairweather) Location: NOAA Ship Fairweather

CAPT David Neander, NOAA (Commanding Officer, NOAA Ship Fairweather), discusses hydrographic survey operations. The NOAA Ship Fairweather collects data that is used to update nautical charts, thus increasing maritime safety. L to R: CAPT David Neander, NOAA (Commanding Officer, NOAA Ship Fairweather), Senator Jeff Merkley (D-OR), State Representative Jean Cowan. Location: Plot Room, NOAA Ship Fairweather	CDR Todd Bridgeman, NOAA (Commanding Officer, NOAA Ship Bell M. Shimada), discusses a joint U.S./Canadian Pacific hake survey with VIPs. Much of the survey work on this commercially important species was conducted from NOAA Ship Bell M. Shimada. L to R: Senator Jeff Merkley (D-OR), State Representative Jean Cowan, Courtney Warner Crowell (Deputy Communications Director for Senator Merkley), CDR Todd Bridgeman, NOAA (Commanding Officer, NOAA Ship Bell M. Shimada). Location: Pilot House, NOAA Ship Bell M. Shimada.

CDR Todd Bridgeman, NOAA (Commanding Officer, NOAA Ship Bell M. Shimada), discusses the NOAA Ship Bell M. Shimada's missions. L to R: State Representative Jean Cowan, Senator Jeff Merkley (D-OR), CDR Todd Bridgeman, NOAA (Commanding Officer, NOAA Ship Bell M. Shimada), CAPT Wade Blake, NOAA (Commanding Officer, Marine Operations Center - Pacific) Location: Pilot House, NOAA Ship Bell M. Shimada	CDR Todd Bridgeman, NOAA (Commanding Officer, NOAA Ship Bell M. Shimada), discusses fisheries survey work aboard NOAA Ship Bell M. Shimada. L to R: CDR Todd Bridgeman, NOAA (Commanding Officer, NOAA Ship Bell M. Shimada), Senator Jeff Merkley (D-OR) Location: Survey Lab, NOAA Ship Bell M. Shimada

Senator Cardin and Staff for Senator Mikulski and Representative Sarbanes Attend Chesapeake Bay Event

On January 10, Senator Ben Cardin (D-MD) joined officials from the NOAA Chesapeake Bay Office at a Chesapeake Bay Fisheries Science Event that celebrated NOAA-funded fisheries research projects in Maryland. The event took place at the Smithsonian Environmental Research Center in Edgewater, Maryland. At the event, scientists from the Research Center, University of Maryland of Environmental Science, and Maryland Department of Natural Resources highlighted their research projects relating to blue crabs, blue catfish, menhaden, soft-shell clams, and other fish. Senator Cardin attended and spoke and was joined by staff from the offices of Senator Barbara Mikulski (D-MD) and Representative John Sarbanes (D MD-3).

Senator Wyden Hosts Marine Debris Briefing

On January 8, Senator Ron Wyden (D-OR) hosted a briefing for local, state, and park officials, as well as fishermen in Newport, Oregon, to discuss the Japan tsunami and resulting marine debris. An official from NOAA’s National Ocean Service, Office of Response and Restoration, Marine Debris Program attended the town hall to provide an update on the Program, what NOAA is doing to assess and examine this issue, and how we are working with other federal agencies and partners.