Order Code RS22614
Updated April 10, 2007
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric
Administration (NOAA): FY2007
Appropriations and FY2008 Budget
Wayne A. Morrissey
Information Research Specialist
Knowledge Services Group
Summary
For the remainder of FY2007, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric
Administration (NOAA) in the Department of Commerce is operating under a revised
continuing resolution, P.L. 110-5, that, for the most part, funds the agency at FY2006
appropriation levels. The President requested a total of $3.82 billion in discretionary
appropriations for NOAA for FY2008. The Secretary of Commerce announced funding
in his FY2008 budget for NOAA of $123 million that would support the President’s
2004 Ocean Action Plan (OAP), and increase funding for ocean research and sustainable
fisheries management. Ocean advocates argue that the funding is not enough, however.
NOAA is poised to have all of its programs and activities authorized under a single law,
but Congress differs about Administration-proposed authorities. For FY2008, NOAA
would prioritize funding and scheduling of its satellite programs to ensure critical
continuous meteorological and environmental observations and data acquisition.
The mission of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) is
“[t]o understand and predict changes in the Earth’s environment and conserve and manage
coastal and marine resources to meet the nation’s economic, social, and environmental
needs.”1 In terms of funding, NOAA is the largest agency of the Department of
Commerce (DOC) and, for FY2008, accounts for about 57% of DOC’s discretionary
budget request of $6.33 billion. Congress may choose to fund NOAA under Title II of
the Commerce, Justice, Science Appropriations Act of FY2008 (hereafter, CJS Approps.).
The President’s FY2008 Request
For FY2008, the President requested $3.82 billion in discretionary funds for NOAA
(Table 1). Meanwhile, NOAA is operating under P.L. 110-5, the Revised Continuing
1 Department of Commerce, NOAA FY2008 Budget Summary, Feb. 8, 2007. Available at
[http://www.corporateservices.noaa.gov/%7Enbo/08bluebook_highlights.html].

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Appropriations Resolution, 2007 (hereafter, CR) that instructs how much and in what
manner funding will be allocated by Congress to most federal agencies through September
30, 2007. Specifically, Chapter 9 of the CR approved, with some exceptions, P.L. 109-
108, the Science, State, Justice, and Commerce Appropriations Act for FY2006 (hereafter,
SSJC Appropriations) as the baseline for P.L. 110-5 (Table 1). For NOAA, the CR also
includes a rescission of $25 million from unobligated funds appropriated for FY2006.
NOAA would also acquire $79 million in offsetting budget authority from the U.S.
Department of Agriculture for fishery products research and development, the transfer is
$12 million more than the FY2006 approved level. Specific instructions are included in
the CR which indicate that provisions of Title II §§208-209 of SSJC Appropriations for
FY2006 are not funded in FY2007.
In Table 1 below, FY2006 appropriation amounts are compared with the FY2007
request, P.L. 110-5, and the FY2008 request. Total budget authority (BA) requested is
tabulated for NOAA’s ORF and PAC accounts. Those figures are then adjusted and
added with NOAA’s Other Accounts to derive discretionary appropriations totals.
Table 1. NOAA FY2007 Request & FY2006-FY2007 Appropriations
($ in millions)
NOAA Accounts
FY2006
FY2007
P.L.
FY2008
Approps.a,b
Req.c
110-5d
Req.e
Operations, Research, and Facilities (ORF)
National Ocean Service (NOS)
493.6
393.5
493.2
436.8
NOAA Fisheries (NMFS)
669.8
649.0
669.8
704.6
NOAA Research (OAR)
368.9
338.3
368.9
358.4
National Weather Service (NWS)
735.8
783.4
735.8
807.8
NOAA Satellites (NESDIS)
177.0
149.6
177.0
157.8
Program Support
351.8
364.0
351.8
389.5
ORF BA Total
2,794.3
2,678.8
2,796.5
2,854.9
BA Offsets (transfers/deobligations)
(66.1)
(91.0)
(94.0)
(93.0)
Adjustments (P.L. 109-148)f
20.0
—
11.0
2.0
ORF Discretionary
2,748.2
2,587.8
2,713.5
2,763.9
Procument, Acquisition, & Construction
1,095.7
1,024.5
1,092.0
979.9
Adjustments (P.L. 109-148)f
37.4
—
17.0
—
PAC Discretionary
1,133.1
1,024.5
1,109.0
979.9
Other Accounts/PCSRF/CZMF
69.0
60.8
57.0
71.6
Subtotal Discretionary
$3,950.3
$3,673.1 $3,879.5 $3,815.4
Other Adjustmentsg (P.L. 109-234)
150.0
—
—
—
NOAA Discretionary Approps.
$4,100.3
$3,673.1 $3,879.5 $3,815.4

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Sources: Compiled from sources as noted below.
Notes:
a. “House Recommendations,” July 5, 2006, includes emergency appropriations of $54 million for NOAA provided
for FY2006 in P.L. 109-148, i.e., $17.2 million for ORF and $37.4 million for PAC for Hurricane Katrina
recovery. An additional emergency appropriation of $150 million was provided for NOAA in P.L. 109-234 for
FY2006, but was not included in the FY2007 or FY2008 request or P. L. 110-5 totals.
b. FY2006 appropriations (P.L. 109-108) totals include an OMB cut of 1% for NOAA (P.L. 109-148), or $40.1
million, i.e., $28.3 million for ORF, $0.6 million for PCSRF, $11.2 million for PAC, and $300,000 for fisheries
finance programs. Together with Sec. 638 of P.L. 109-272, NOAA rescissions for FY2006 were 1.28%.
c. FY2007 NOAA line office budget request details figures from NOAA, FY2008 Budget Summary, February 8, 2007,
available at [http://www.corporateservices.noaa.gov/%7Enbo/07bluebook_highlights.html].
d. P.L. 110-5, Revised Continuing Appropriations Resolution, 2007, February 15, 2007, Ch 9., Science, State, Justice,
Commerce and Related Agencies (121 Stat. 41).
e. NOAA, FY2008 Budget Summary, February 8, 2007
f. Figures for P.L. 110-5 are scored as Homeland Security funding for NOAA (Congressional Budget Office, “2007
Continuing Resolution — Commerce, Justice,” April 5, 2007).
g. Included in Senate Appropriations Committee Recommendation for FY2007.
Summary of the FY2008 Request. NOAA’s Administrator, Vice Admiral
Conrad C. Lautenbacher, Jr. (Ret. Navy), also the Under Secretary of Commerce for
Oceans and Atmosphere, stated that the FY2008 request of $3.82 billion for NOAA
represents a “national consensus” of what would be required to fund ongoing activities
at the agency.2 That amount is $130 million, or 3.3%, less than the $3.95 billion
appropriated for NOAA in FY2006. The FY2008 budget proposed $30.2 million in
savings from certain programs that were either “unrequested” by the Administration or
“performing poorly.”3
Of the FY2008 total, $2.76 billion would be for NOAA’s Operations, Research, and
Facilities (ORF) account and almost $980 million for the Procurement, Acquisitions, and
Construction (PAC) account. For NOAA’s “Other Accounts” a total of $71.6 million is
requested, including $66.8 million for the Pacific Coastal Salmon Recovery Fund
(PCSRF); $3 million for the Coastal Zone Management Fund (CZMF); and a net $4.8
million for Fishery Financing and the Promote and Develop Fishery Products Fund
(PDAFF).
Some in Congress may take issue with the FY2008 request because of the following.
! Criticism by international ocean advocacy groups about the amount of
NOAA funding requested for FY2008 to fund the Joint Oceans
Commission Initiative (JOCI) aimed at preventing over fishing and
alleviating ocean pollution. The Administration requested $123 million
to implement the President’s 2004 Ocean Action Plan; however, some
argue that an earnest response would be about $750 million.
2 U.S. Department of Commerce, NOAA, “2008 President’s Budget Rollout,” presentation of
Vice Admiral Conrad C. Lautenbacher, Jr., U.S. Navy (Ret.), Under Secretary of Commerce for
Oceans and Atmosphere, Feb. 8, 2007. The slide presentation is available at
[http://www.corporateservices.noaa.gov/%7Enbo/FY08%20Rollout%20Materials/1_31_07_
ROLLOUT/VADM_Presentation/FY08_VADM_Constituents%20Brief_FINAL_2_7_07.pdf].
3 See for example performance ratings for NOAA’s “National Marine Fisheries Service,” at
[http://www.whitehouse.gov/omb/expectmore/summary/10000036.2002.html].

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! Proposal for an organic act that would authorize all of NOAA’s programs
and activities under a single law. The Administration has urged Congress
to enact such a law. Although the House Science Committee reported
legislation, H.R. 5450, at the end of the 109th Congress (H.Rept. 109-
545), the Administration differs with Congress over agency flexibility
and budget autonomy.4
! NOAA’s is attempting to correct chronic problems with its satellite
programs (e.g., launch schedule slippages and contractor performance).
For FY2008 the President’s budget prioritizes funding for Nunn-
McCurdy satellite program certification, which requires reconfiguration
of systems architecture and payloads so as to ensure future continuity of
global weather and environmental observations. Appropriations for
NOAA satellite programs may be contingent on NOAA’s responsiveness
and success in addressing Government Accountability Office (GAO) and
others’ recommendations delivered to the 109th Congress in 2006.
NOAA Budget Priorities for FY2008. In his FY2008 NOAA budget
presentation, Administrator Lautenbacher also discussed how the President’s requested
funding would be prioritized at the agency. The following summarizes his statement.
Personnel and Core Mission. Most administrative, custodial, and mission
support-related functions are funded by NOAA Program Support (see Table 2 below).
The Administrator indicated that a total of $51.5 million in budget adjustments would be
required to cover salaries, personnel expenses, and other “core mission” requirements for
FY2008, including a presidentially proposed pay increase of 3% for federal employees.
The Administrator stated that budget increases would be made possible, in part, after
terminating “items of interest to Congress” that were proposed for FY2007
appropriations, or about $30 million. To foster personnel safety at NOAA, $1.7 million
was requested for pay differential to cover expenses of rotating NOAA maritime crews
more frequently (OMAO). Currently, crews are required to serve 140-day tours of duty
at sea. An increase in new billets filled since FY2004 would help make this possible.
4 NOAA was created in the Department of Commerce by President Nixon with Reorganization
Plan No. 4 in 1970. The plan consolidated programs from different agencies across the federal
government; however, those programs have maintained their respective authorizing laws.

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Table 2. NOAA Program Support Funding Detailed
($ in millions)
FY2006
FY2007
P.L.
FY2008
NOAA PROGRAM SUPPORT
Approp.a
Req.
110-5b
Req.
Corporate Services (CS)c
176.6
191.9
176.6
195.6
Educational Pgms. (Ed)
37.5
19.3
37.5
19.4
Marine &Aviation Ops. (OMAO) Subtotal
196.1
150.6
196.1
160.0
ORF
Marine Services
95.5
93.5
95.5
112.6
Fleet Planning & Maint.
15.0
17.2
15.0
17.2
Aviation Ops.
20.9
19.2
20.9
25.8
Officers Health Care Benefits
2.0
0.0
2.0
0.0
PAC
Fleet Replace/Acq.
58.7
20.7
58.7
4.4
Aircraft Replacement
4.0
0.0
4.0
0.0
Facilities (FAC) Subtotal
57.3
23.5
57.3
42.2
ORF
Enviro. Compliance
2.4
4.5
2.4
4.1
Maint./Construction/Safety
8.5
19.0
8.5
14.8
PAC
Construction
46.4
0.0
46.4
23.3
Integr. Ocean Obs. Sys. (IOOS)d 17.7
0.0
17.7
0.0
Total PS ORF
358.4
364.6
358.4
389.5
Total PS PAC
126.8
20.7
126.8
27.7
Grand Total Program Support
485.2
385.3
485.2
417.2
Source: Compiled by CRS from NOAA, FY2008 Budget Summary, February 5, 2007.
a. FY2006 total includes a 1.28% rescission from P.L. 109-108 and P.L. 109-148. See Notes, Table 1.
b. At the subactivity level, funding for PS under P.L. 110-5 is essentially the same as that for FY2006.
c. Funding for Corporate Services (CS) includes the Offices of the Under Secretary for Commerce for Oceans and
Atmosphere (USAO) and the division of Policy Formulation and Development (PFD). (All ORF.)
d. For FY2006 a PS-PAC budget subactivity was created to fund development of an Integrated Ocean Observation
System (IOOS). For FY2008, funding for IOOS is requested in NOS.
Satellites. For FY2008, NOAA’s GOES-R geostationary satellite budget would
be reduced by $80.3 million. Together with a $26.8 million reduction from the POES-N
satellites budget, a net increase of $25 million would help prioritize launch of the POES-
N Prime (N’) — the last of the POES-polar orbiting satellite series — for 2009. The
United States forged an agreement with the European Union’s MetOp satellite program
to ensure uninterrupted critical meteorological observations.
Currently, there are three GOES satellites in geostationary orbit. Two are poised
over the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans for the 2007 hurricane season, while GOES-13,
launched in 2006, is in “On-Orbit” storage over South America and will relieve GOES-
12, deployed in 2004. Redundancy has reduced the priority of next generation GOES-R
satellite deployment. The first launch of a GOES-R satellite is planned for 2014, which
will provide time for advanced instrument development and testing. The NPOESS polar
orbiting satellite program that replaces the POES program is back on track after “Nunn-
McCurdy” certification for redesign. The United States is also gearing up for a NPOESS

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Preparatory Project (NPP) and the launch of a NPP satellite at the end of 2009. The NPP
satellite will test environmental data collection, management, and ground components’
capabilities to support the first NPOESS-C1 satellite, whose launch is scheduled for 2013.
Ocean Activities. For FY2008, a line in NOAA’s budget was established for the
International Ocean Observation System (IOOS) under NOS (ORF) and $14 million was
requested. The IOOS budget would fund grants for developing regional networks of
remote ocean sensors, including biological sensors, that would monitor the general health
of the ocean. For the first time, President Bush requested $15 million for the Coastal,
Estuarine, Land Conservation and Acquisition Program (CELCP). CELCP was funded
by Congress in FY2003 as a national effort at preserving coastal natural resources and
protecting marine ecosystems. In addition, NOAA would implement fisheries research
and management requirements of the 2006 Magnuson-Stevens Fisheries Reauthorization
Act, for which $17.5 million is requested. The President requested $8 million to map the
extended continental shelf in the U.S. Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) as part of
NOAA’s ocean exploration efforts to identify marine resources potential in those areas.
Under Program Support, $20.3 million is requested in construction funding for renovation
of the Pacific Regional Fisheries Center in Honolulu, HI. Additionally, funding of $123
million was requested for NOAA to implement the President’s 2004 Ocean Action Plan
and would be for ocean research and U.S. fisheries management and marine conservation.
Weather. In addition to priorities previously discussed concerning weather and
environmental satellite continuity, NOAA would receive $5.5 million for the operations
and maintenance (O&M) of a third WP-3 Orion “hurricane hunter” that was funded by
post-Katrina emergency supplemental appropriations (P.L. 109-234). This same funding
source enabled the National Weather Service in FY2006 to deploy a total of 15 hurricane
buoys in the Western Atlantic Basin to improve detection and characterization of tropical
storms. Finally, for FY2008 the President requested funding to bring the 19 remaining
tsunami detection (DART) buoys online in U.S. Pacific waters.

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