15 



and the satellites. I think if we can do that we will have a broad 

 constituency and we can begin to get the funding that we need for 

 these important national priorities. 



Senator Kerry. Well, is it your sense that the reorganization is 

 really a reorganization, then, more directed at this strategic goal, 

 and less concerned with trying to find savings where you can? 



Dr. Baker. Well, we are an agency that has had to find savings 

 in a very big way over the past 12 years. During the 4 years of the 

 Reagan administration and the first couple of years of the Bush ad- 

 ministration, NOAA was an agency whose budget barely increased. 

 It only increased because of the additions that Congress put in, but 

 the administration basically level-funded or decreased the budget 

 for the agency. 



Because of that, and because of the fact that our responsibilities 

 did not change over that period, we have had to go in and make 

 major costsavings with regard to the way we do business. 



Senator Kerry. In fact, is it not fair to say your responsibilities 

 increased? 



Dr. Baker. Absolutely. 



Senator Kerry. While simultaneously your funding decreased. 



Dr. Baker. That is right, so we have that problem. 



Senator Kerry. Well, share with the committee specifically how 

 that has affected the NOAA mission. Can you give us concrete ex- 

 amples of impact? 



Dr. Baker. I can give you a couple of examples. We can look at 

 trying to enforce the Coastal Zone Management Act, or enforce- 

 ment of the provisions of the Fisheries Management Act. If we look 

 at the coastal zone, we have one enforcement agent for every 1,300 

 miles of coast. We spend less on fisheries than the State of Texas 

 spends on fisheries, for example. We have entire marine sanc- 

 tuaries where we are trying to manage and operate and enforce the 

 regulations with one or two people. 



We have a continual push for new marine sanctuaries, but we do 

 not have adequate support to really manage the marine sanc- 

 tuaries, and I could go down probably a list of 50 programs and 

 show you how we have a responsibility which we think is impor- 

 tant, but we have not had adequate support to do the job. 



Senator Kerry. Well, I would like you to do that. I would like 

 you to submit that to the committee, if you would. I do not want 

 to burden you with more work, but I think it is important to begin 

 laying the record of what is happening here, and so I would find 

 it extremely helpful for the committee's future work and advocacy 

 efforts with the administration if you would do that. 



Dr. Baker. We will do that. 



[The information referred to follows:] 



Brief Description of Significant NOAA Statutory Authorities 



(The following are not necessarily NOAA identified priorities but are Congressionally 



identip-ed responsibilities.) 



AIRPORT AND AIRWAY IMPROVEMENT ACT 



Authorizes the Secretary of Transportation to reimburse NOAA from the Airport 

 and Airway Trust Fund for the cost of providing the Federal Aviation Administra- 

 tion with aviation weather reporting services. 



