CORE Board of Governors

1. COREBoard of Governors Vice Admiral Conrad C. Lautenbacher, Jr., U.S. Navy (Ret.) Under Secretary of Commerce for Oceans & Atmosphere NOAA Administrator March 7, 2007

2. Today’s Agenda • Hill and the Budget • Organic Act • Question and Answers CORE: Board of Governors

3. Hill and the Budget FY 07 Continuing Resolution • Joint Resolution 20 signed into law on February 15th, 2007 • Funds the Federal government through September 30th, 2007 • Joint Resolution provides NOAA with continued funding at the FY06 Enacted level ($3.9 billion) • Possible small upward adjustments to some items • FY 2007 spending plan is still under development CORE: Board of Governors

4. Hill and the BudgetNOAA Funding TrendsIncluded House Marks & 2007 Senate Mark ($ in Billions) * * * *In FY’03, the House did not report or pass an SJC appropriations bill. The House-Introduced bill total is used here. CORE: Board of Governors

5. Hill and the BudgetFY 2008 Budget Context • NOAA Services Crucial to Our Nation’s Competitiveness • Increasing Need to Preserve Ocean and Coastal Resources • Severe Weather Impacting Our Economy and Public Safety • Understanding Climate Change to Manage Resources Better • NOAA Environmental Information Key to Millions of Decisions • Fiscal Environment Requires Careful Resource Decisions Pfiesteria HAB in Lake Erie Hurricane Frances—2004 Planting Oysters in Chesapeake Bay NERR Sinking Oil Tanker (JESSICA) CORE: Board of Governors

6. Hill and the BudgetFY 2008 Budget Highlights • Request of $3,815.4M is $131.3M or 3.4% above the FY 2007 President’s Budget • Request is $96.1M or 2.5% below the FY 2006 Enacted Level • Reflects the Administration’s Guidance on Discretionary Spending • Supports Core Mission Services • Includes $51.5M for Adjustments to Base and $79.9M in Program Increases • Supports President’s U.S. Ocean Action Plan CORE: Board of Governors

7. Ocean Action PlanFY 2008 President Budget Increases over FY 2007 ($ in Millions) CORE: Board of Governors

8. NOAA’s Organic ActHistorical Perspective • Organic Acts establish a statutory basis of an agency or office within the government: priorities, mission & functions • Provide basic authorities to conduct activities needed to meet an agency‘s mission • NOAA was created by President Nixon in 1970 by Reorganization Plan No. 4 • Formed from existing bureaus grouped together • Since then: • NOAA has accumulated diverse responsibilities and hundreds of separate legislative authorities CORE: Board of Governors

9. NOAA’s Organic ActRationale • Time is right to advance from an outdated Reorganization Plan to a 21st century agency that: • Can meet today’s needs and plan for the future • U.S. Commission on Ocean Policy and others, recognize the needs for NOAA to be strengthened and have an organic act • The Commission’s report: An Ocean Blueprint for the 21st Century, recommends immediate Congressional action on an organic act to enhance NOAA’s ability to conduct operations “consistent with the principles of ecosystem-based management and with its primary functions.” CORE: Board of Governors

10. NOAA’s Organic ActLegislative Implications/language • The Administration’s proposed NOAA Organic Act: • Establishes NOAA within the Department of Commerce • Sets primary purposes & functions along current NOAA Mission Statements • Provides authorities such as: • Authority to operate through partnerships and enter into agreements with non-Federal entities to facilitate cooperative conservation and research activities. • Authority to conduct education and outreach activities for all NOAA programs and not just a few specifically authorized programs including Sea Grant, National Marine Sanctuary Program, and Coral Reef Conservation Program. CORE: Board of Governors

11. NOAA’s Organic ActLegislative History • Congress has examined NOAA Organic Acts for 20 years – not much success • Competitive Jurisdiction has been focused on “wet vs. dry” • Administration sent Organic Act legislation to 108th Congress • House Science introduced own version in 108th Congress • House Science re-introduced Bill to 109th Congress • Passed the House, but did not include fisheries & resource management issues under jurisdiction of House Resources • Senate did not take action CORE: Board of Governors

12. NOAA’s Organic ActAdministration vs. Congress • Administration’s Bill • Simply lays out general mission and authorities for NOAA, provides flexibility to Agency as needed • House Science Bill • More representative of an authorization bill, it re-structures NOAA into 3 categories: • Resource Management • Research and Education • Operations and Services • This Bill does not allow sufficient flexibility to make those organizational and programmatic changes that may be needed to meet future developments and challenges CORE: Board of Governors

13. NOAA’s Organic ActWhere are we today? • Administration plans to re-submit the 2004 version of the NOAA Organic Act to the 110th Congress • Congressman Sam Farr introduced Oceans-21 Bill (HR-21), January 4. This bill included the House Science’s last version of the NOAA Organic Act • Co-sponsors of Oceans-21: Reps Allen, Gilchrest and Saxton • Senate Staff seems interested in the NOAA Organic Act Sam Farr—CA CORE: Board of Governors

14. Questions?

15. Back up Slides

16. Ocean Action PlanFY 2008 President Budget Increases over FY 2007 CORE: Board of Governors

17. Hill and the BudgetNOAA Funding Trends2007 Constant Dollars ($ in Billions) CORE: Board of Governors