National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) FY2024 Budget Request and Appropriations

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) FY2024 Budget Request and Appropriations

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Updated March 18, 2024
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA)
FY2024 Budget Request and Appropriations
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
Figure 1. ORF and PAC Annual Direct Obligations,
(NOAA) is an agency in the Department of Commerce
FY2014-FY2024
whose mission is to understand and predict changes in
($ in bil ions, nominal and adjusted)
weather, climate, oceans, and coasts; share that information;
and conserve and manage coastal and marine ecosystems
and resources. NOAA’s work is divided among six line
offices: National Environmental Satellite, Data, and
Information Service (NESDIS); National Marine Fisheries
Service (NMFS); National Ocean Service (NOS); National
Weather Service (NWS); Office of Oceanic and
Atmospheric Research (OAR); and Office of Marine and
Aviation Operations (OMAO). NOAA’s Mission Support
provides planning, leadership, finances, information
technology, educational programming, and other support
across the line offices.
Congress provides NOAA with annual mandatory and
discretionary appropriations. Mandatory appropriations,
which generally comprise a small percentage of total
NOAA funding, are disbursed to various accounts that
support programs in NOS, NMFS, and OMAO. NOAA’s
discretionary appropriations typically are included in the
annual Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related Agencies
appropriations act. Discretionary appropriations support
two broad accounts—Operations, Research, and Facilities

(ORF) and Procurement, Acquisition, and Construction
Sources: CRS, from NOAA budget justifications, congressional
(PAC)—as well as a few smaller accounts. This product
explanatory statements, and Office of Management and Budget,
focuses on NOAA’s FY2024 discretionary funding for ORF
Historical Tables, Table 10.1.
and PAC. It also notes potential topics of interest for
Notes: See text for abbreviations. Figure does not include
Congress from NOAA’s FY2024 budget request, including
supplemental appropriations. Direct obligations include
NOAA’s satellite operations, science and data for economic
appropriations, transfers, and recoveries from prior year obligations.
development, and climate-related products and services.
Supplemental Appropriations Available in FY2024
Agency Funding
Congress also has made supplemental appropriations
available to NOAA for ORF and PAC, including
NOAA requested over $7.1 billion in discretionary direct
obligations for ORF and PAC for FY2024, including
• $52.2 million for expenses related to hurricanes and
almost $6.8 billion in appropriations (Figure 1 and Table
wildfires in 2020 and 2021, available through FY2024
1). NOAA requested a total of $7.3 billion in direct
(P.L. 117-43);
obligations for all accounts. Direct obligations include
• $1.2 billion for restoration, observation, modeling,
annual appropriations, transfers, and recoveries from prior
forecasting activities, and other purposes, through
year obligations. For FY2023, Congress provided $6.5
FY2024 (Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act; P.L.
billion in annual ORF and PAC direct obligations and an
117-58);
additional $150.8 million in supplemental funding through
P.L. 117-328, for a total of $6.7 billion (Table 1).
• $3.3 billion for conservation, restoration, protection,
According to NOAA, the supplemental amounts are
construction, reviews, research and forecasting,
considered “base or discretionary funding designated as
computing, aircraft acquisition, and other purposes,
emergency.” Supplemental appropriations are described in
through FY2026 (Inflation Reduction Act of 2022; P.L.
the right column. For FY2024, Congress provided a total of
117-169); and
$6.7 billion in direct obligations for ORF and PAC in P.L.
• $527.5 million for expenses related to hurricanes,
118-42, including $6.3 billion in appropriations (Table 1).
typhoons, flooding, and wildfires in 2022; fishing gear
and techniques; aircraft acquisition; and other uses,
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through FY2024 or until expended (P.L. 117-328, of
which $150.8 million is included in Table 1 amounts).
Table 1. NOAA Annual Direct Obligations and Appropriations for Discretionary ORF and PAC Accounts
($ in millions, nominal)
FY2023
FY2024
FY2024
H.R. 5893 and
S. 2321 and
FY2024
Line Office and CPF/CDS
Enacteda
Base Levelb
Requestb Related Exp. Mat.c
S.Rept. 118-62
Enacted
NESDIS
1,705.7
1,716.5
2,073.9
1,490.5
1,916.7
1,796.9
NMFS
1,093.3
1,161.7
1,154.9
890.2
1,112.8
1,113.8
NOS
693.4
744.4
687.7
644.7
694.7
684.0
NWS
1,356.7
1,403.9
1,380.1
1,164.5
1,353.6
1,351.6
OAR
761.3
792.0
786.3
706.1
751.3
726.1
OMAO
460.7
469.9
459.0
379.4
447.7
439.7
Mission Support
503.8
533.5
605.6
370.2
494.8
471.3
CPF/CDS
111.5
37.7
0
(57.0 within NOS)
85.2
139.5
Total Direct Obligationsd
6,686.4
6,821.9
7,147.4
5,771.3
6,856.7
6,722.9
Total Appropriationse
6,305.5
6,430.8
6,756.3
5,380.3
6,455.7
6,268.4
Sources: CRS using the explanatory statements accompanying P.L. 117-328 and P.L. 118-42; NOAA, Budget Estimates Fiscal Year 2024, Congres-
sional Submission; H.R. 5893, as introduced; explanatory materials for H.R. 5893 (October 31, 2023); S.Rept. 118-62; S. 2321, as reported.
Notes: CPF/CDS = community project funding/congressional y directed spending; Exp. Mat. = explanatory material; NA = not available. See
text for additional abbreviations. Components may not sum to totals shown due to rounding. Values are rounded to the nearest tenth.
a. Amounts include both FY2023 annual direct obligations and the supplemental appropriations in Division N, Title II, of P.L. 117-328.
b. NOAA calculated the FY2024 base level as equal to the FY2023 enacted amount plus expected “Adjustments-To-Base,” such as certain
inflationary adjustments.
c. Total direct obligations amounts in H.R. 5893 and tables in the explanatory materials differ ($5,771,300,000 vs. $5,645,623,000). Table 1
shows the line office amounts from the explanatory materials and the total direct obligations amount from H.R. 5893.
d. Total Direct Obligations, or total program or funding levels, include annual appropriations, transfers, and recoveries from prior year
obligations but exclude any supplemental appropriations, except FY2023 Enacted includes some supplemental appropriations from Division
N, Title II, of P.L. 117-328.
e. Total Appropriations are a part of the total direct obligations. Total Appropriations include annual appropriations but exclude any
supplemental appropriations, except FY2023 Enacted includes some supplemental appropriations from Division N, Title II, of P.L. 117-328.
Issues for Congress
environmental stewardship and optimize advances in
NOAA’s FY2024 requested budget proposed changes to
science and technology to create value-added, data-driven
multiple activities, the largest portion of which was
sustainable economic development, with a particular focus
increased funding for activities under the agency-identified
on the New Blue Economy.” NOAA’s requested increases
themes of satellites, science and data for economic
included $88.0 million ($70.0 million enacted in FY2023)
development activities, and climate products and services.
for the Office of Space Commerce (OSC) and $223.2
The agency also proposed reducing or eliminating funding
million ($203.9 million enacted in FY2023) to minimize the
for several activities across all of the line offices.
effects of offshore wind energy activities on NMFS
Satellites
scientific surveys within broader NMFS activities. The
NOAA’s NESDIS request includes increases for the Polar
explanatory statement accompanying P.L. 118-42 includes
$65.0 million for OSC and $205.9 million for the broader
Weather Satellites (PWS) and Geostationary Extended
NMFS activities.
Observations (GeoXO) programs. PWS includes the Joint
Polar Satellite System and Polar Follow-On missions,
Climate Products and Services
which provide global meteorological observations for short-
NOAA requested additional funding across all of the line
and midterm forecasts and weather warnings. GeoXO is the
offices to continue implementing E.O. 14008, “Tackling the
next generation of space-based environmental monitoring
Climate Crisis at Home and Abroad.” Included in these
satellites. NOAA requested $342.4 million ($183.5 million
activities, the agency requested $87.9 million for the
enacted in FY2023) for PWS and $417.4 million ($285.0
sanctuaries and marine protected areas ($68.0 million
million enacted in FY2023) for GeoXO programs. The
enacted in FY2023) and $224.3 million ($204.0 million
explanatory statement accompanying P.L. 118-42 includes
enacted in FY2023) for OMAO for marine operations and
$342.4 million for PWS and $285.0 million for GeoXO
maintenance. The explanatory statement accompanying
programs.
P.L. 118-42 includes $67.0 million for sanctuaries and
Science and Data for Economic Development
marine protected areas and $204.0 million for OMAO
NOAA requested additional funding for NMFS, NOS,
activities.
NWS, OAR, and Mission Support for activities that “foster
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National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) FY2024 Budget Request and Appropriations

IF12406
Eva Lipiec, Specialist in Natural Resource Policy

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