10 



coastal flooding. Over the last three years, this program has enhanced NOAA's abil- 

 ity to provide the scientific basis for coastal environmental decisions. In FY 1994, 

 N*OAA will continue to lead Federal interagency coordination of U.S. coastal ocean 

 science activities. 



RECOGNIZING THE IMPORTANCE OF OTHER NOAA PROGRAMS 



I want to emphasize that for the first time in 12 years, funding requests have not 

 been reduced for the Sea Grant Program and the Coastal Zone Management (CZM) 

 Program. The funding request for these two important programs, $39.8 million for 

 Sea Grant and $33.5 million for CZM will assure the continuation of these activities. 

 Also, more states and territories are expected to participate in the CZM Program 

 in FY 1994. 



For the first time, the National Undersea Research Program (NURP) is included 

 in the President's budget request. Funding of $2 million has been proposed to con- 

 tinue core work undertaken with the ALVIN submersible and deep diving facilities, 

 research in diving safety, and technology development. 



FLEET MODERNIZATION STATUS 



Modernization of the NOAA fleet began in FY 1992 and continues through FY 

 1994 with: the performance of critical and routine maintenance; the identification 

 of detailed repair and construction requirements; the preparation of design and 

 technical specifications; the transfer of two nearly new, surplus Navy ships and the 

 conversion of one of those ships to support oceanographic research; and the perform- 

 ance of repairs-to-extend the service life of one NOAA ship. NOAA requests $23 mil- 

 lion for the Fleet Modernization Program, a decrease of $4.5 million from the FY 

 1994 base. Funds appropriated in FY 1993, in addition to the FY 1994 request, will 

 be sufficient to continue the fleet modernization program. The Administration is re- 

 viewing the options for the Fleet Modernization Program. 



CONSTRUCTION 



The Construction account began in FY 1992 and continues through FY 1994 with 

 a net decrease of $12.5 million. NOAA requests a $14.7 million increase to continue 

 the Weather Forecast Office (WFO) facilities modernization program. NWS mod- 

 ernization systems are now being deployed, and it is necessary that the facilities 

 modernization keep pace to support the transition program. More than offsetting 

 this increase are decreases of $27.2 million for eight construction projects that no 

 longer require funding. 



ADMINISTRATIVE SAVINGS AND TERMINATIONS 



NOAA has assumed its share of the responsibility for deficit reduction by propos- 

 ing administrative and personnel savings. As part of the President's commitment to 

 cutting the cost of Federal Government and the size of the workforce, NOAA will 

 achieve savings of $25.6 million in FY 1994. 



In order for NOAA to deliver more focused service, the FY 1994 budget includes 

 a total of $66.9 million in program decreases for programs that benefit only small 

 groups; are not NOAA's statutory responsibilities; are one-time expenditures whose 

 purpose has been achieved; or are lower priority activities. This figure includes the 

 decrease of $27.2 million in the Construction account, as already noted. Support for 

 NOAA's basic program is essential. For instance, in FY 1994, the NMFS budget re- 

 quest contrasts dramatically from previous budget proposals which proposed reduc- 

 tions of up to 60 percent of base NMFS programs. The particular program cuts pro- 

 posed by the Administration in FY 1994 are intended to minimize any adverse ef- 

 fects on our ability to fulfill our responsibilities. 



This is NOAA's package for FY 1994. It reflects our preliminary effort to reevalu- 

 ate the Agency's mission and priorities. In response to President Clinton's goals of 

 a sound economy and exemplary service, as well as increased recognition of the im- 

 portance of science in policy deliberations, we have developed a preliminary strate- 

 gic plan for fulfilling what we perceive as NOAA's role in the 21st century. We be- 

 lieve our focus on NOAA's stewardship responsibilities and environmental assess- 

 ment and prediction capabilities will promote more effective and efficient utilization 

 of Agency resources and enable us to fulfill the increasing demand for science-based 

 policy decisions. Consensus on competing economic and environmental concerns will 

 require the best available scientific information. NOAA is capable of providing much 

 of this critical information and can improve the scientific foundation upon which our 

 sister DOC agencies, as well as other government organizations, can base critical 

 economic and environmental decisions. 



