NOAA Helping to Stimulate U.S. Economy and Jobs
Ronald Rhodes, NOAA’s Chief Financial Office
and
Julie Bedford, NOAA Communications and External Affairs
October 23, 2009 — Score another win-win for both the nation and the environment.
Through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009, NOAA received a total of $830 million to be used for a variety of mission-critical projects, from climate modeling and improved weather forecasting to habitat restoration, ship construction and satellite development.
President Obama signed the Recovery Act on Feb. 17 in an effort to jumpstart the economy, create or save millions of jobs, and put a “down payment” on addressing other long-neglected national issues.
“I am pleased to report that NOAA met its goal for Recovery Act spending this fiscal year, having awarded 63 percent of the money ($524 million) in grants and contracts in less than eight months,” said NOAA Chief Financial Officer Maureen Wylie. “The grants and acquisitions office, budget team and many others have been working overtime to make this happen, and I am thankful for all their work.”
Coastal restoration projects, like this one at Staking Eyak Lake in Cordova, Alaska, are being funded by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009. Photo credit: NOAA.
Funded projects initiated in FY09 include:
- Hydrographic surveys to chart eight critical areas of the nation, including the Chesapeake Bay and coastal waters of Alaska, Washington, California, Louisiana, Alabama, Florida and Virginia. Using the latest technologies, surveyors map the sea floor, measure the water depth, search the ocean for storm debris or accident wreckage, and record the natural features of coastal seabeds and fragile aquatic life. This data is used to update navigational charts in busy waterways, thus promoting safe and efficient ocean travel and commerce.
- Fifty habitat restoration projects. NOAA awarded 50 grants to organizations in 22 states and territories, totaling $155 million. These projects will restore more than 8,900 acres of habitat and remove obsolete and unsafe dams to open more than 700 stream miles where fish migrate and spawn. The projects also will remove at least 850 metric tons of debris, rebuild oyster and other shellfish habitats, and reduce threats to 11,750 acres of coral reefs.
- The construction of a new NOAA Satellite Operations Facility in Fairbanks, Alaska. The 20,000-square foot facility, to be completed by September 2010, will replace the deteriorating Command and Data Acquisition Station building, which opened in 1961.
Joint Projects, With a Focus on Climate
NOAA also negotiated six agreements for Recovery Act projects with NASA, Department of Energy, General Services Administration, Air Force, Navy and the Army Corps of Engineers to streamline the acquisition of several Recovery Act projects.
These agreements enable NOAA to accelerate funding for the development of NOAA’s National Polar-orbiting Operational Environmental Satellite System and climate sensors on NOAA’s polar-orbiting satellites that are crucial for monitoring climate change.
Another agreement with the DOE will allow NOAA to utilize their Oakridge, Tenn., facility and gain access to dedicated computing and collaborative services for climate modeling over the next five years. Working together, NOAA and DOE will dramatically increase the resolution and complexity of their computer-driven climate change models. The data and information generated from this effort will be used to inform decision makers about issues of national importance, including future energy use and technology options.
Looking Ahead to 2010
The remaining $306 million in Recovery Act funding will be used in fiscal year 2010. Funding will underwrite the construction of NOAA’s Southwest Fisheries Center, the improvement of NOAA’s climate computing and modeling development capabilities, and building a new NOAA Fisheries Service Vessel.
Interagency agreements with GSA will acquire facilities for high-performance computing and further development of the National Weather Service’s enhanced radar projects.
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You can track of the progress of NOAA’s Recovery Act funded projects by visiting http://www.noaa.gov/recovery. NOAA’s Restoration Atlas is an interactive map that enables users to follow Habitat Restoration Recovery Act projects by state. To learn more about how Recovery Act funds will be allocated, visit the Department of Commerce’s Web site at http://recovery.commerce.gov.
NOAA’s Recovery Act Funding Allocation
_______________________ Total ARRA Funding = $830 million |
Recovery Act project funds are helping to recover and recycle derelict fishing gear. Photo credit: NOAA.
Recovery Act funds are being used to re-flood and restore salt marshes. Photo credit: NOAA.