WASHINGTON, D.C.—The U.S. Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation held an Oceans, Atmosphere, Fisheries, and the Coast Guard Subcommittee hearing today on NOAA’s FY 2012 budget request and oversight.

Witness List:

The Honorable Jane Lubchenco, Undersecretary of Commerce for Oceans and Atmosphere, Administrator of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA)

Key Quotations from Today’s Hearing:

“NOAA touches the lives of every American every day. Businesses, families and communities turn to NOAA for weather forecasts, severe weather warnings, cutting-edge research, coastal management and ocean mapping to conduct business, protect property and save lives. Just last month, we saw the critical role NOAA played in providing life-saving information to officials in the U.S. and around the world following the tragic tsunami and earthquake in Japan. Whether it’s a tsunami, tornado, flood or hurricane, NOAA’s critical severe weather and natural hazards tracking and preparedness systems have simply proven to be indispensable to our nation. I am deeply concerned that without proper funding, there will be a significant and dangerous gap in satellite coverage in the future. I’ve been told by NOAA that this gap will seriously degrade weather forecasting, placing lives, property and infrastructure at risk.”

Chairman John D. (Jay) Rockefeller IV 

“We all owe NOAA a great deal of thanks for their work in recent weeks monitoring the Pacific tsunami that followed the tragic earthquake in Japan and I was proud to say ‘thank you’ to Dr. Lubchenco on behalf of coastal Alaskans. As all federal departments tighten their fiscal belts, NOAA will need to outline plans to prioritize and implement programs under future budgets. In Alaska this means a focus on managing our fisheries for sustainability, growing seafood sector jobs, continuing to provide reliable weather forecasts and conducting ocean and resource based research.”

Senator Mark Begich, Chairman, U.S. Senate Subcommittee on Oceans, Atmosphere, Fisheries, and the Coast Guard

“NOAA generates value for the Nation by providing the information and services that communities, managers, businesses, and individuals rely on every day to make decisions and about their lives and businesses. NOAA touches the lives of every single American; we work 24/7 to keep families safe, property protected, living marine resources vibrant, communities thriving, and businesses strong. The FY 2012 NOAA budget recognizes that environmental and economic sustainability go hand in hand. We learned through the BP Deepwater Horizon oil spill and other events that we cannot have healthy economies without healthy communities and healthy ecosystems and that good science and stewardship is good business. NOAA’s 2012 budget makes the investments needed to save lives and livelihoods, to understand these critical connections, and to ensure sustainable communities, economies, and ecosystems.”

The Honorable Jane Lubchenco, Undersecretary of Commerce for Oceans and Atmosphere, Administrator of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

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