Budgets
Choose an organization below, and click the links to view the budget update from a specific year.
FY 2004 Appropriations for the National Oceanic & Atmospheric Administration (NOAA)
(numbers are in millions)
| NOAA | FY 2003 Omnibus (w/ rescission) | President's FY 2004 Request | % change FY 03 vs. FY 04 Request | FY04 House | FY04 Senate | FY04 Conference (w/ rescission) |
| Line Offices: | ||||||
| National Ocean Service (ORF) | 418 | 391 | -6.5% | 363 | 508 | 514 |
| National Marine Fisheries (ORF) | 580 | 621 | 7.0% | 545 | 672 | 640 |
| Oceanic & Atmospheric Research (ORF) | 374 | 366 | -2.1% | 306 | 394 | 401 |
| National Weather Service Operations (ORF) | 698 | 721 | 3.3% | 714 | 697 | 730 |
| NESDIS Operations (ORF) | 151 | 150 | -0.66% | 146 | 149 | 154 |
| Within OAR: | ||||||
| Climate Research: | ||||||
| Labs & Joint Institutes | 48.6 | 54.2 | 10.8% | 49.3 | 48.9 | 47.5 |
| Climate & Global Change Program — Base | 68.2 | 68.9 | 0.44% | 45.9 | 71.0 | 66.2 |
| Accelerating Climate Models | 2.1 | 2.1 | — | 2.1 | 1.5 | 1.5 |
| Climate Observations & Services | 39.3 | 55.4 | 40% | 52.2 | 35.0 | 50.5 |
| Other Partnership Programs | 3.1 | 2.0 | -35.5% | 2.8 | 4.2 | 2.8 |
| Total, Climate Research: | 165.2 | 184.7 | 11.0% | 158.5 | 162.7 | 170.4 |
| Weather & Air Quality Research: | ||||||
| Labs & Joint Institutes | 41.6 | 42.9 | 2.6% | 39.1 | 37.7 | 38.7 |
| NOAA Profiler Network (within FSL) | 4.15 | 0 | -100% | 0 | 4.15 (moved to NWS) | 4.15 (moved to NWS) |
| U.S. Weather Research Program: | ||||||
| U.S. Weather Research Program (base) | 3.8 | 5.3 | 39.5% | 3.8 | 0 | 5.3 |
| Energy Security Program (aka "High Impact Weather Program") | 2.0 | 7.3 | 265% | 0 | 2.0 | 0 |
| Targeted Wind Sensing (New Hampshire) | 2.0 | 0 | -100% | 0 | 2.0 | 2.0 |
| Hurricane & Tropical Storm Research | — | — | — | — | 5.3 | — |
| Total, U.S. Weather Research Program: | 7.8 | 12.6 | 61.5% | 3.8 | 9.3 | 7.3 |
| Phased Array Radar (NSSL) — Tornado/Severe Storm Research | n/a | 1.0 | n/a | 1.0 | 1.5 | 1.0 |
| Total, Weather & Air Quality Research: | 56.4 | 56.5 | -0.35% | 43.8 | 58.5 | 55.8 |
| HPCC | 12.7 | 12.9 | 1.5% | 12.9 | 12.9 | 12.8 |
| Within NWS: | ||||||
| Local Warnings & Forecasts: | 555.1 | 584.6 | 5.3% | 578.5 | 505.7 | 493.5 |
| Advanced Hydrological Prediction Services | 6.1 | 6.1 | no change | 6.1 | 6.1 | 6.1 |
| Aviation Weather | — | 2.5 | — | 2.5 | 2.5 | — |
| Central Forecast Guidance | 43.5 | 45.1 | 3.7% | 44.1 | 45.1 | 39.1 |
| Cooperative Observer Network | 1.9 | 1.9 | no change | 1.9 | 1.9 | — |
| AWIPS (ORF) | 36.5 | 37.5 | 2.7% | 37.5 | 37.5 | 37.6 |
| AWIPS (PAC) | 16.3 | 14.1 | -13.5% | 14.1 | 14.1 | 14.1 |
| NEXRAD (PAC) | 8.3 | 12.0 | 44.6% | 12.0 | 12.0 | 11.5 |
| Radiosonde Replacement | 6.9 | 6.9 | no change | 6.9 | 6.9 | 6.9 |
| Within NESDIS: | ||||||
| Environmental Satellite Observing Systems | 86.1 | 91.2 | 5.9% | 81.7 | 60.6 | — |
| Data Centers & Information Services | 64.5 | 59.0 | -8.5% | 64.6 | 61.7 | — |
| National Polar-orbiting Operational Environmental Satellite System (NPOESS) | 322.5 | 391.0 | 21.2% | 391.1 | 391.1 | 391.1 |
| Total, NOAA | 3,170 | 3,326 | 4.92% | 3,054 | 3,779 | 3,676 |
NOTES on the Conference Report (12/1/03):
A sixth Continuing Resolution (CR) was signed by the President before Thanksgiving, which will keep much of the government running at FY03 levels until January 31, 2004. While the House and Senate debated the Medicare bill over the past two weeks, appropriations Members and staff worked hard negotiating the FY04 Omnibus Bill, which incorporates seven of the 13 annual spending bills, including those that fund NOAA. The House is slated to vote on it Dec. 8. The Senate is not expected to vote on it until January.
The line offices received the following increases from the FY03 levels:
- National Ocean Service: +23%
- National Marine Fisheries: +10.3%
- Oceanic and Atmospheric Research: +7.2%
- National Weather Service Operations: +4.6%
- NESDIS Operations: +2.0%
Overall, NOAA is up 16 percent over FY2003.
NOTES on the Senate Mark:
The Senate Appropriations Committee approved the bill funding NOAA on September 4; the bill awaits the full Senate vote before it moves to conference. The Senate provided NOAA with a 19.2 percent increase over FY 2003; the Line Offices received the following increases/decreases (in Operations, Research & Facilities):
- National Ocean Service up 21.5 percent
- National Marine Fisheries up 15.8 percent
- Oceanic & Atmospheric Research up 5.3 percent
- National Weather Service down 0.14 percent
- NESDIS Operations down 1.3 percent
Language in the report is strong; it warns NOAA the Committee "intends to enforce congressional direction ruthlessly" regarding the agency's reprogramming and internal taxation activities, it criticizes OAR's budget structure and research programs, and it questions elements of the Phased Array Radar. The Senate funded NOAA's Wind Profiler, but moved it from OAR to the NWS, and commented on the "abrupt decision" to shut it down. NOAA section of the Senate Rpt.108-144 (PDF).
NOTES on the House Mark:
The House Appropriations Committee completed work on the NOAA FY04 funding bill on July 16. NOAA is down 3.6 percent from FY 2003, and the Office of Oceanic and Atmospheric Research is down 18%. Every line office, except the NWS, has been cut.
NOAA Lab Consolidation Report
In the OAR section of the NOAA portion of the committee report is the following language: "In recognition of current resource limitations the Committee is forced [to] operate within, the Committee directs NOAA to review the continued requirements for twelve separate research laboratories, six of which are located in Boulder, Colorado. The Committee directs NOAA to submit a laboratory consolidation plan to the Committee by March 15, 2004."
The House cuts the Climate and Global Change Program $23 million.
The flat mark of the USWRP base would mean that THORPEX would not receive $1.3 million in FY04, as requested.
$4.2 million from OAR will be transferred to NWS Local Warnings and Forecasts heading and is directed for tsunami mitigation efforts. Also within the NWS, $2 million is called out for the development and implementation of a "strong, coherent and united research agenda focusing on hurricane loss reduction with the International Hurricane Research Center. The Committee directs NOAA to work with the Center to forge an integrated multi-year, multi-disciplinary cooperative research effort." Within the NWS PAC account, the House did not fund the President's request ($10.4 million) for construction of the NCEP Science Center.
The wind profiler network, cut in the President's request ($4.2 million), was not funded by the House.
Within Program Support, the House provided the President's request of $15 million for Minority Serving Institutions, flat from FY 2003.
NOAA section of the House Report 108-221 (PDF).
NOTES on President's FY04 Request:
The request for the Climate Change Research Initiative (CCRI) is $41.6 million, coming from CCRI base funding, Climate and Global Change Base, other areas in the NOAA-wide Operations, Research, and Facilities (ORF) account, and a small amount from the Procurement, Acquisition and Construction (PAC) acount.
CCRI research areas include the following:
- Global Observing System: $10.3 million
- Carbon Cycle Atmospheric Observing System: $7.0 million
- Aerosol-Climate Interactions: $3.0 million
- Climate Change Science Program Office: $1.1 million
- GFDL Supercomputing (PAC account): $8.5 million
The increase for USWRP base is directed to THORPEX, for $1.3 million.
The Energy Security Program within USWRP is designed to improve electrical load forecasting and energy operations management.