8 



with the Marine Board that it is good management practice to re- 

 view all components of our operations, and certainly the NOAA 

 Corps is no exception. If a study is appropriate at this time, we be- 

 lieve that senior civilians within NOif^A are the best people to con- 

 duct such a study. We believe that this group has a clear under- 

 standing of the strengths and weaknesses of the NOAA Corps, as 

 well as now the corps may better serve NOA/V. 



With regard to aircraft, NOAA's high-altitude aircraft is expected 

 to improve the accuracy of hurricane prediction by about 20 per- 

 cent. In 1994, we began an aggressive procurement schedule for the 

 new aircraft, and in April we provided industry with a draft state- 

 ment of work and specification. The response received from indus- 

 try representatives will be used to finalize the request for propos- 

 als, which will be disseminated in mid-July. We anticipate award- 

 ing the contract in 1995. The first operational flight of the new air- 

 craft is scheduled for the 1996 hurricane season. 



In conclusion, I would like again to stress the NOAA mission to 

 promote global environmental stewardship and describe and pre- 

 dict changes in the Earth's environment. I share your view that we 

 have a gloomy future if we do not address the problems that NOAA 

 works on, and I thank the chairman and the members of this com- 

 mittee for the opportunity to testify, and look forward to working 

 with you as we shape an authorization plan for the future of 

 NOAA. 



Thank you. 



[The prepared statement of Dr. Baker follows:] 



Prepared Statement of Dr. D. James Baker 



Mr. Chairman and Members of the Committee, I am pleased to appear before you 

 today as we work together to build an authorization plan for the future of the Na- 

 tional Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. NOAA has a budget of $1.9 billion 

 and almost 15,000 employees nationwide. In Massachusetts alone, NOAA employs 

 663 people and added almost $48 million to the economy in the last fiscal year while 

 working to protect the environmental resources needed for long-term sustainable de- 

 velopment. 



Twenty-four years ago, NOAA was established as a science-based agency with the 

 responsibility of predicting changes in the oceanic and atmospheric environments 

 and living marine resources and providing related data, information and services to 

 the public, industry, the research community and other government agencies. 



Many changes have taken place since 1970, and just recently NOAA developed an 

 aggressive strategic plan to serve as our guide for the present and our map to the 

 future. This is the first comprehensive attempt to unify NOAA pro-ams toward 

 agency-wide goals and objectives and allows us to address the public s needs more 

 emciently. Our vision for the year 2005, as contained in the Strategic Plan, is a 

 world in which societal and economic decisions will be strongly coupled with an in- 

 creasingly comprehensive understanding of the environment. To achieve this vision, 

 NOAA's base program capabilities and our proposed future efforts are now struc- 

 tured around two major areas — Environmental Stewardship and Environmental As- 

 sessment and Prediction — as well as the supporting cross-cut and infrastructure 

 programs. 



We have restructured NOAA's budget — from the previous, organization-based 

 structure — to the current structure which mirrors the Strategic Plan. This new 

 structure allows us for the first time to directly link NOAA's programs with agency- 

 wide goals and objectives. It is revitalizing our agency by giving us the fiexibility 

 to apply our resources across traditional NOAA program elements, allowing us to 

 implement more cost-effective techniques and to become more responsive to users. 



The Department of Commerce has organized its FY 1995 budget request into five 

 themes. NOAA programs are included in two of these themes, one on Environmental 

 Stewardship and Assessment and the other on Civilian Technology. The formulation 

 process for NOAA's budget was both highly interactive and positive. NOAA was en- 

 gaged fully with the Department of Commerce and the Office of Management and 



