National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) FY2022 Budget Request and Appropriations

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) FY2022 Budget Request and Appropriations

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Updated June 17, 2022
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA)
FY2022 Budget Request and Appropriations
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s
Congress also provided NOAA supplementary
(NOAA’s) mission is to understand and predict changes in
appropriations for ORF and PAC for use in FY2022 and
weather, climate, oceans, and coasts; to share that
beyond for expenses related to hurricanes and wildfires in
information with others; and to conserve and manage
2020 and 2021 (P.L. 117-43) and restoration, observation,
coastal and marine ecosystems and resources. NOAA’s
modeling, and forecasting activities, among others (under
work is divided among six line offices: National
the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act; P.L. 117-58).
Environmental Satellite, Data, and Information Service
(NESDIS), National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS),
Figure 1. Annual NOAA Direct Obligations for ORF
National Ocean Service (NOS), National Weather Service
and PAC Accounts, FY2013-FY2022 ($ in billions)
(NWS), Office of Oceanic and Atmospheric Research
(OAR), and Office of Marine and Aviation Operations
(OMAO). NOAA also has an overall Mission Support (MS)
office, which provides planning, administrative, financial,
information technology, and other services to the line
offices.
Congress provides NOAA, an agency of the Department of
Commerce (DOC), with annual mandatory and
discretionary appropriations. Mandatory appropriations
generally form a small percentage of total NOAA funding
and are disbursed to a variety of funds that support

programs in NOS, NMFS, and OMAO. Discretionary
Sources: CRS, from NOAA budget justifications, congressional
appropriations typically are included in the annual
explanatory statements, and OMB, Historical Tables, Table 10.1
Commerce, Justice, Science (CJS), and Related Agencies
Notes: ORF = operations, research, and facilities; PAC =
Appropriations Act. Discretionary appropriations support
procurement, acquisition, and construction. Graph whiskers denote
two broad accounts—operations, research, and facilities
amounts adjusted for inflation. Direct obligations include annual
(ORF) and procurement, acquisition, and construction
appropriations, transfers, and recoveries from prior year obligations.
(PAC)—and a few smaller accounts. This CRS product
focuses on NOAA’s FY2022 discretionary funding for ORF
Issues for Congress
and PAC, and briefly describes supplemental
According to NOAA’s FY2022 budget summary, the
appropriations. The product also notes potential issues for
requested budget would have expanded investments in
Congress, including NOAA’s climate-related activities,
climate-related activities (research, observations, and
marine and aviation fleet support, and satellite operations.
forecasting; restoration and resilience; offshore wind; and
equity), marine and aviation fleet support, and satellite
Agency Funding
operations (including observational satellites and space
NOAA requested a total of $7.19 billion in discretionary
weather activities).
direct obligations for ORF and PAC for FY2022, including
$6.92 billion in appropriations (Table 1). Direct obligations
Climate-Related Activities
include annual appropriations, transfers, and recoveries
NOAA requested increases in FY2022 to existing activities
from prior year obligations. In Division B of P.L. 117-103,
and proposed new activities to implement Executive Order
Congress provided $6.11 billion for ORF and PAC in
14008, “Tackling the Climate Crisis at Home and Abroad.”
FY2022, including $5.83 billion in appropriations. The
According to the agency, the requested climate-related
enacted amounts include $84.35 million for community
increases and new expenditures totaled $855.1 million over
project funding/congressionally directed spending (the first
the FY2022 base level. For example, two of NOAA’s
time Congress has included such Member requested
largest funding increase requests included $40 million to
funding since FY2012). The NOAA FY2022 enacted
develop a competitive process in NMFS to support large-
amount is $460 million above the FY2021 enacted level,
scale nonfederal habitat restoration projects and $35 million
$333 million over the FY2022 base level (the FY2021
to support additional coastal resilience activities in OAR. In
enacted amount plus certain adjustments, such as inflation),
the explanatory statement for P.L. 117-103, Congress did
and $1.08 billion below the FY2022 request. Over the past
not provide the requested funds for the proposed NMFS and
10 years, enacted annual NOAA ORF and PAC direct
OAR activities but provided FY2021 enacted levels for
obligation amounts peaked in FY2016 in adjusted dollars
certain activities and increased funding for other activities
and in FY2022 in nominal dollars (Figure 1).
across the agency.
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Table 1. NOAA Direct Obligations and Appropriations for ORF and PAC Accounts
($ in millions, nominal)
FY2022
FY2022
FY2022
Line Offices and
FY2021
FY2022
Budget
House-
Senate-
FY2022
CPF/CDS Funding
Enacted
Base Levela
Request
Passed
Introduced
Enacted
NESDIS
1,518.5
1,521.6
2,029.0
1,830.2
1,708.6
1,617.1
NMFS
964.9
985.3
1,099.3
1,044.6
1,074.0
1,016.0
NOS
628.2
632.9
862.4
714.5
717.8
649.2
NWS
1,204.4
1,269.4
1,328.7
1,337.0
1,340.2
1,281.7
OAR
614.1
618.9
815.7
738.0
730.0
647.9
OMAO
373.7
393.5
605.1
589.9
469.0
436.8
Mission Support
345.8
354.5
450.7
407.3
406.2
376.5
CPF/CDS
NA
NA
NA
24.0
64.0
84.4
Total Direct Obligationsb
5,649.5
5,776.1
7,191.0
6,685.5c
6,509.7
6,109.5
Total Appropriationsd
5,372.9
5,501.1
6,916.4
6,410.8
6,228.5
5,830.0
Sources: CRS, using the explanatory statements accompanying P.L. 116-260 and P.L. 117-103, and posted to the Senate Committee on
Appropriations’ website to accompany S. 3042; H.Rept. 117-97; and NOAA, Budget Estimates Fiscal Year 2022, Congressional Submission.
Notes: CPF/CDS = community project funding/congressionally directed spending; ORF = operations, research, and facilities; PAC =
procurement, acquisition, and construction.
a. NOAA calculated the FY2022 base level as equal to the FY2021-enacted amount plus expected “Adjustments-To-Base,” such as certain
inflationary adjustments.
b. “Total Direct Obligations,” or total program or funding level, include annual appropriations, transfers, and recoveries from prior year
obligations but exclude any supplemental appropriations. Components may not sum to totals shown due to rounding.
c. There is a discrepancy between the PAC Direct Obligations noted in the text ($1,998 million) vs. table ($1,996 million) of H.Rept. 117-97.
d. “Total Appropriations” are a part of the total direct obligations. Total Appropriations include annual appropriations but exclude any
supplemental appropriations.
Marine and Aviation Fleet Support
Satellite Operations
NOAA, through OMAO and its Commissioned Officer
NOAA, through NESDIS, manages several portfolios of
Corp (NOAA Corps), maintains a variety of specialized
environmental satellites. NOAA requested changes in
ships and aircraft that gather oceanographic, atmospheric,
funding for some activities under these portfolios. For
hydrographic, and fisheries data to support the agency’s
example, NOAA’s largest proposed increase was $455
missions. For FY2022, the agency requested a total of $305
million (for a total of $465 million) for the Geostationary
million for the PAC account to support platform
Extended Observations (GeoXO) program, which
improvements/tech infusion (including mid-life repair to the
contributes data to weather forecasts and detects and
NOAA Ship Ronald H. Brown) and aircraft and vessel
monitors environmental hazards (e.g., wildfires, smoke,
recapitalization (NOAA received $120 million in FY2021
fog). NOAA’s largest proposed decrease was $252.8
for such activities). In the explanatory statement for P.L.
million for planned reductions in Polar Weather Satellite
117-103, Congress provided NOAA with the funding it
(PWS) activities. Congress approved the funding level
requested for ship repair ($63 million) but a lower amount
decrease for PWS (explanatory statement for P.L. 117-103)
than requested for the other vessel and aircraft activities (an
and provided $150 million in total for GeoXO in FY2022
additional $101.5 million).
(communication with NOAA).
OMAO also provides coordination, support, and guidance
NOAA proposed and Congress approved some satellite
for uncrewed marine and aircraft systems (UxS) across
budget structure changes in FY2020 and FY2021. For
NOAA through the Autonomous Uncrewed Technology
FY2022, NOAA requested to create two new subactivities
Operations (AUTO) program. NOAA currently uses UxS
(low-earth orbiting and space weather) to focus on
for seafloor and habitat mapping, ocean exploration, marine
portfolios of satellites and “maintain a flat overall budget.”
mammal and fishery assessments, emergency response, and
In the explanatory statement for P.L. 117-103, Congress
at-sea observations. In FY2022, the agency requested $15.6
largely adopted NOAA’s FY2022 budget reorganization
million for AUTO in OMAO’s ORF account (it received
requests, with the exception of the proposed combining of
$13.7 million in FY2021). In the explanatory statement for
funding for current programs with funding for next-
P.L. 117-103, Congress provided $14 million toward
generation satellite programs.
AUTO, with certain amounts to be used for external
partnerships and data acquisition.
Eva Lipiec, Analyst in Natural Resources Policy
IF11914
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National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) FY2022 Budget Request and Appropriations

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