News and Updates Archive

January, February, March 2012

 

March 2012

House Hearing on Weather Forecasting

On March 28, the House Committee on Science, Space, and Technology, Subcommittee on Energy and Environment (Chair, Representative Andy Harris, R MD-1) held a hearing titled, "To Observe and Protect: How NOAA procures data for weather forecasting."  The Assistant Administrator of NOAA’s National Environmental Satellite, Data, and Information Service, Mary Kicza, testified and a copy of the written testimony may be viewed on the Congressional Testimony page of the OLIA website.

 

Senate and House Staff Briefings on OAR Labs and Programs

On March 20-22, staff from various Senate and House offices were briefed by officials from NOAA’s Office of Oceanic and Atmospheric Research (OAR) on OAR's labs and other programs. Below are the briefings recently held noting lab/program and Member or staff.

Air Resources Laboratory

Atlantic Oceanographic and Meteorological Laboratory

Earth System Research Lab

Geophysical Fluid Dynamics Laboratory

Great Lakes Environmental Research Laboratory

National Severe Storms Laboratory

Pacific Marine Environmental Laboratory

Office Ocean Exploration and Research

Sea Grant and Pacific Marine Environmental Laboratory

Severe Weather Warning Research

 

House Hearing on FY 2013 Budget – Appropriations Committee

On March 20, the House Committee on Appropriations, Subcommittee on Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related Agencies (CJS) (Chair, Representative Frank Wolf, R VA-10) held a hearing on NOAA’s FY 2013 Budget Request. The Under Secretary of Commerce for Oceans and Atmosphere and NOAA Administrator, Dr. Jane Lubchenco, testified and a copy of the written testimony may be viewed on the Congressional Testimony page of the OLIA website.

 

Representative Tonko Attends Mohawk River Symposium

On March 16, Representative Paul Tonko (D NY-21) attended and provided keynote remarks at the Mohawk River Symposium in Schenectady, New York, which highlighted recent and on-going work in the Mohawk River watershed. NOAA’s National Weather Service, Weather Forecast Office in Albany was an invited presenter on Hurricanes Irene/Lee.

 

Senate and House Staff Briefing on 2012 Spring Flood Awareness

On March 16, over 25 congressional offices from the Senate and House staff were briefed by officials from NOAA’s National Weather Service on the 2012 Spring Hydrographic and Flood Outlook, which highlighted the proactive measures that NOAA, the Federal Emergency management Agency (FEMA), the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE), and the American Red Cross are taking to prepare for flooding & drought concerns this year. In addition, NOAA provided tools and materials that the congressional offices could use to help inform their constituents during National Flood Awareness week.

 

Senate Hearing on FY 2013 Budget – Commerce Committee

On March 7, the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation, Subcommittee on Oceans, Atmosphere, Fisheries, and Coast Guard (Chair, Senator Mark Begich, D-AK) held a hearing on NOAA’s FY 2013 Budget Request. The Under Secretary of Commerce for Oceans and Atmosphere and NOAA Administrator, Dr. Jane Lubchenco, testified and a copy of the written testimony may be viewed on the Congressional Testimony page of the OLIA website.

 

House Hearing on FY 2013 Budget – Resources Committee

On March 6, the House Committee on Natural Resources, Subcommittee on Fisheries, Wildlife, Oceans, and Insular Affairs (Chair, Representative John Fleming, R LA-4) held a hearing on NOAA’s FY 2013 Budget Request. The Under Secretary of Commerce for Oceans and Atmosphere and NOAA Administrator, Dr. Jane Lubchenco, testified and a copy of the written testimony may be viewed on the Congressional Testimony page of the OLIA website. The Acting Assistant Secretary of Conservation and Management, Eric Schwaab, attended and addressed questions from the committee.

 

House Hearing on FY 2013 Budget – Science Committee

On March 6, the House Committee on Science, Space, and Technology, Subcommittee on Energy and Environment (Chair, Representative Andy Harris, R MD-1) held a hearing on NOAA’s FY 2013 Budget Request. The Under Secretary of Commerce for Oceans and Atmosphere and NOAA Administrator, Dr. Jane Lubchenco, testified and a copy of the written testimony may be viewed on the Congressional Testimony page of the OLIA website.

 

Representative Scott Staff Visit NOAA Ship Okeanos Explorer

On February 24, local staff for Representative Tim Scott (R SC-1) visited the NOAA Ship Okeanos Explorer while it was in port in Charleston, South Carolina. NOAA’s Office of Oceanic and Atmospheric Research, Office of Ocean Exploration and Research hosted several tours of the ship for local school groups and media.

Okeanos

 

FY 2013 Budget Briefings for Congress

A number of Members of the Senate and House and congressional staff have been briefed by NOAA leadership on the FY 2013 NOAA Budget Request (and/or the Line Office/Program FY 2013 request). Below are the briefings recently held noting date, Member or staff, briefer, and OLIA Lead(s):

March 29

March 27

March 22

March 21

March 20

March 16

March 15

March 14

March 13

March 12

March 8

March 7

March 6

March 5

March 1

 

February 2012


Senator Shelby Attends National Water Center Groundbreaking

On February 21, Senator Richard Shelby (R-AL) attended the NOAA National Water Center (NWC) Groundbreaking event in Tuscaloosa, Alabama. The Senator was joined by NOAA’s Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Environmental Observation and Prediction, Dr. Kathryn Sullivan, and other NOAA officials at the NWC. The NWC will have national relevance and scope to address a broad range of water resources issues, including the extreme floods and prolonged droughts, which are threatening the economic stability of the nation and negatively impacting the quality of water in our rivers and estuaries. It is scheduled for completion in the fall of 2013.

Senator Shelby

L to R: Laura Furgione, Deputy Director, NOAA/NWS; Robert E. Witt, Ph.D., President, University of Alabama; Senator Shelby; Dr. Sullivan; William H. Werkheiser, USGS, Associate Director for Water 

 

Senator Inouye Attends PRC Dedication

On February 21, Senator Daniel Inouye (D-HI), and staff from the offices of Senator Daniel Akaka (D-HI) and Representative Mazie Hirono (D HI-2) joined the Under Secretary of Commerce for Oceans and Atmosphere and NOAA Administrator, Dr. Jane Lubchenco, at the Pacific Regional Center (PRC) dedication ceremony in Honolulu, Hawaii. The event dedicated NOAA's Marine Science & Storage Facility Bldg. 130 on Ford Island, which is the first building to open of what will be the new PRC. Senator Inouye and Governor Neil Abercrombie (D-HI) both participated in the ceremony with Dr. Lubchenco.

 

Representative Farr Tours National Aquarium

On February 17, Representative Sam Farr (D CA-17) joined the Under Secretary of Commerce for Oceans and Atmosphere and NOAA Administrator, Dr. Jane Lubchenco, for a tour of the National Aquarium in Washington, DC. During the tour they had an opportunity to discuss interests and priorities for the current congressional session.

 

FY 2013 Budget Briefings for Congress

A number of Members of the Senate and House and congressional staff have been briefed by NOAA leadership on the FY 2013 NOAA Budget Request (and/or the Line Office/Program FY 2013 request). Below are the briefings recently held noting date, Member or staff, briefer, and OLIA Lead(s):

February 29

 

February 28

February 27

February 24

February 22

February 21

February 17

February 16

February 15

February 14


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.

mocp
mocp

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 
mocp
mocp

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. 
mocp
mocp

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.