Excerpt from, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Atmospheric and Satellite Progran Authorization Act, relating to the Smithsonian Institution.

100TH

^CoNGRESS

1st Session HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 100-406

^REPORT

NATIONAL OCEANIC AND ATMOSPHERIC ADMINISTRA- TION ATMOSPHERIC AND SATELLITE PROGRAM AU- THORIZATION ACT OF 1987

OcTOBER 27, 1987.-Committed to the Committee of the Whole House on the State of the Union and ordered to be printed

Mr. RoE, from the Committee on Science, Space, and Technology, submitted the following

REPORT

[To accompany S. 1667]

[Including cost estimate of the Congressional Budget Office]

~

The Committee on Science, Space, and Technology, to which was referred the bill (S. 1667) to authorize appropriations for the atmos- pheric and satellite programs of the National Oceanic and Atmos- pheric Administration for fiscal years 1988 and 1989, and for other purposes, having considered the same, report favorably thereon with an amendment and recommend that the bill, as amended, do pass.

CONTENTS

Page

I. Purpose of the Bill . . . 6

IT. Committee Actions... 6

Ill. Background and Need for the Legislation... 8

IV. Section by Section Analysis... 11

Section 101. Operations and Research... 11

Section 102. System Acquisition ... ... ... ... ... ... ... 11

Section 201. Modernization Plans... 12

Section 202. Closure, Automation, or Relocation of Field of Offices.... 12

Section 203. Cooperation with Other Agencies... 12

Section 301. Climate and Air Quality Research ... 12

Section 302. National Climate Program Act Amendment... 13

Section 303. Ground-Based Stratospheric Monitoring... 13

Section 304. Atmospheric Programs .. .. . . .. .. .. .. .. . . .. . . .. . . .. . . .. . . .. . . .. 13

Section 401. Satellite Observing Systems... 13

Section 402. Environmental Data Management... 14

Section 403. User Fees... ... 14

V. Committee Views.... . . .. . . .. . . 14 19-006

2

VI. 0 rsigh Findi gs and R comm ndation . . .. . . .. . .. . . .. . . .. . . ... . . .. . . .. 22 V I. o gre ion I Budg . Ac Information ... . . . .. .. . . . .. . . .... ... . .. . . . .. . ... . ... . . .. . .. .. 22

III. ongre iona Budg Offi os E imat ... 2 IX. 0 r igh Finding and R commenda ion , ommi ee on Government

.. ·············- ^.

Op ra ^1. on -. . . 2 4

X. Effec of Legi Ia ion on Inflation . . . .. ... .. . . .. .. . .. .. . . . . . . . .. . . .. .. . . .. . .. .. . . . .. . . .. . . . . . .. . . .. . . . 24 X . ha nge in Ex· ing Law Made by the Bill, As Report d . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . .. 24

XII.

ommi t

R

comm nda ions ... ... ...

2

The amendments are follows:

Strike out all after he enacting clause and insert in lieu thereof the following:

TITLE I-NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE

OPERATI NS AND RESEARCH

EC. 101. There are authorized to be appropriated to he Department of Commerce to enabl the ational Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration to carry out the operation and re earch duties of the National Weather Service under law,

277 , 0 for fiscal year 19 and $2 ,73 000 for fiscal year 19 9. Moneys appro- pria d pur uant to this authorization hall be used to fund those duties relating to

ational Weather Service operations and research specified by the Act entitled, An Act o increase the efficiency and r duce the expenses of the Signal Corps of the Army and to transfer the Weather Service to the Department of Agriculture', approved October 1, 1 0 1 U.S.C 1 et seq. , he Act entitled An Act to define the functions and duties of the Coast and Geodetic Survey and for other purposes' , approved Augu t 6, 1947 3 U.S.C. 3a et seq . . and any other law involving such dutie . Such dutie include m teorological, hydrological, and oceanographic public warnings and forecasts as well ^as applied research ~n support of such warnings and forecas .

SYSTEMS ACQUISITION

E . 1 2. a Ther are authorized to be appropriated to the Department of Com- me c to enable the ational Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration to carry out i public warning and forecast systems duties under law, $84,000,000 for fiscal year

9 and $1 2 0 000 for fi cal year 19 9. Moneys appropriated pursuant to this au- horization hall be used to fund those duties relating to public warning and fore-

cast y t ms pecified by . he Act entitled ' An Act to increase the efficiency and

r duce the expen e of the Signal Corp of the Army, and to transfer the Weather rvic to he Depar ment of Agricultur ', approved October 1 1 90 15 U.S.C. 311

h Act ⁿ itled An Act to define the functions and duties of the Coast and ic Survey, and for other purposes approved August 6 1947 33 U.S.C. 883a . and any o her laws involving such dutie . Such duties include the develop-

... "~t qui · ion, and implementation of major public warning and forecast sys-

m .

b In procuring information process'ng and telecommunications services of the a iona

Oc

anic and Atmo pheric Administration for the Advanced Weather Inter- a ti roce ing ystem the Sec tary of Commerce may provide, in the contract or ont rac for uch ervices for the payment for contingent liability of the Federal ov rnm n which may accrue in the event hat he Government decides to termi ..

na h contrac b fore the expiration of the multiyear contract period. Such con-

tr . or contrac for such rvices sha l limit the payments which the Federal Gov- rnm · i a lowe to make under such contract or contracts to ar~ ounts provided in d nc · in appropria ion Acts

TITL I- WEATH R SERVICES MODERNIZATION

MODERNIZATIO PLANS

• . ( The retar of Commerce hereafter in this Act referred to as the

l h 11 pr pare and ubmit to the Congress not later than 90 days after

n m n h " c a 10 ye r s rategic plan for the comprehensive modern-

.. ~ ion of ·h on a h r v·ce. The s rategic plan shall set forth basic n obj v of the mod rnizat1on as well as the critical new nd he · ociated operational changes necessary to fulfill

· nd flood warning rvice Improvements.

3

tb) The Secretary shall prepare and submit to the Congress, by the beginning of the fiscal year following the submission of the strategic plan required by subsection (a) of this section, a National Implementation Plan for modernization of the Nation- al Weather Services. The National Implementation Plan will describe the schedules for necessary actions to accomplish the objectives described in the strategic plan, and the National Implementation Plan shall include-

( 1) detailed requirements for new technologies, facilities, staffing levels, and funding during the following two fiscal years in accordance with the overall schedule for modernization;

(2) special measures to test, evaluate, and demonstrate key elements of the modernized National Weather Service operations prior to national implementa- tion, including a multistation operational demonstration which tests the per- formance of all components of the modernization in an integrated manner for a sustained period; and

(3) detailed plans and funding for meteorological research to be accomplished under title III of this Act to assure that new techniques in forecasting will be developed to utilize the new technologies being implemented in the moderniza- tion.

(c) The Secretary shall submit a revised National Implementation Plan to the Congress at the beginning of each successive fiscal year.

CLOSURE, AUTOMATION, OR RELOCATION OF FIELD OFFICES

SEc. 202. (a ) The Secretary shall not close, consolidate, automate or relocate any Weather Service Office or Weather Service Forecast Office except in accordance

with this section.

(b) The Secretary may not close, consolidate, automate, or relocate any such office unless the Secretary has certified to the House Committee on Science, Space, and Technology and the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation that such action will not result in any degradation of weather services provided to the affected area. Such certification shall include-

(1) a detailed comparison of the services provided to the affected area and the services to be provided after such action;

(2) any recent or expected modernization of National Weather Service oper- ations which will enhance services in the affected area; and

(3) evidence, based upon operational demonstration of modernized National Weather Service operations, which supports the conclusion that no degradation in services will result from such action.

COOPERATION WITH OTHER AGENCIES

SEc. 203. In reviewing and revising the National Implementation Plan, the Secre- tary shall consult, as appropriate, with other Federal and public agencies responsi- ble for providing or utilizing weather services.

TITLE III-ATMOSPHERIC RESEARCH

CLIMATE AND AIR QUAUTY RESEARCH

SEc. 301. (a) There are authorized to be appropriated to the Department of Com- merce to enable the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration to carry out its climate and air quality research duties under law, $40,521,000 for fiscal year

19 and $42,142,00 for fiscal year 19 9. Moneys appropriated pursuant to this au- thorization shall be used to fund those duties relating to climate and air quality re- search specified by the Act entitled "An Act to increase the efficiency and reduce

the expenses of the Signal Corps of the Army, and to transfer the Weather Service to the Department of Agriculture' , approved October 1, 1 90 (U.S.C. 311 et seq.) the Act entitled "An Act to define the functions and duties of the Coast and Geodetic Survey and for other purposes", approved August 6, 1947 (33 U.S.C. 3a et seq.), and any other law involving such duties. Such duties including the interannual and seasonal climate research, long-term climate and air quality research, and the Na-

tional Climate Program.

(b) Of the sums authorized under subsection (a ) of this section $2,424,000 for fiscal year 19 and . 2 521,000 for fiscal year 19 9 are authorized to be appropriated for

the activities under the National Climate Program Act (15 U.S.C. 2901 et seq.).

NATIONAL CLIMATE PROGRAM ACT AMENDMENT

SEc. 302. The National Climate Program Act (15 U.S.C. 3901 et seq.) is amended as follows:

4

1) Se ion (d is am nded-

A by s riking and a he nd of paragraph ( . );

(B) by redesigna 1ng paragraphs ( ' as' (10> ; and

( ) by inserting aft r paragraph ( ) the following new paragraph:

9 studies on policy options for reduc ing th impact of Mans activity on globa climate change. The udies will be made available to Federal agencies,

he Congre , and he public· and .

2 Inser after sec ion 5 he following new · ec ion:

I E . 6. I M T H R p RT.

The ecretar shall submi o the Pre ident and the Hou e Committee on Sci- enc · Space and Technology and he S nate Commi te on Commerce, Science, and Tran portation not later than January 1 0, and each 5 years thereafter, a

report that include -

( 1 an updated historic record of the major parameters that indicate the long-term trends in global climate change and an analysis of these trends·

an analysi of he curren sta u of climate understanding and forecast- ing and the r earch pr1ori ies for reducing the uncertainty in under tanding and for ca ing long-term change·

· ( an anal i of the urrent trends in global climate change and projections

[i man-i duced v r u na ural chang for he next 50 to 100 y ars;

) h re · onal area in he world vulnerable to this climate change· and h · d n ifi a ion and anal i of actions that ar recommended to A reduce human-induced climat change B alleviat regional vulnerability to eli- rna han nd · improve man ability to re pond to change. .

. . Th ecretary of omm rce 1n consultation with the Secretary of State th dmini tor of th a ion 1 Aeronautic and Space Administration and ap- proprl non- d r I organiza ion hall ubmit to he House Committee on Sei-

ne pac nd T chnol gy and th enate ommitt e on Commerce Science and Tran por ion plan o on true a d op ra e a worldv.·ide system of ground-based

r mot n o to moni r h rato ph ric l vel of chemical which can affect th 1 v 1 of ozon i ra o ph r and to us the e results to improve our under-

t din of h po ibl chang in ra o pheric ozone due to man ac ivitie . The pl n ---h ll · nclud im 1· n for on ruction and op ra ion of th sys em a de crip-

ion f h rol of he i nal Oc anic and mo ph ric Administration and the _Ion 1 nd Admin· r tion non-F deral organizafon other n ¹ 1 o niz ion · n con ructing and op rating th ystem

n o con rue and op rat h sy t m . Th report hall be

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Department of Agriculture", approved October 1, 1980 (15 U.S.C. 311 et seq.), and by any other law involving duties. Such duties include spacecraft procurement, launch, and associated ground station system changes involving polar orbiting and geosta- tionary environmental satellites and land remote-sensing satellites, as well as the operation of such satellites.

{b) This authorization provided for under subsection (a) of this section shall be in addition to moneys authorized under the Land Remote-Sensing Commercialization Act of 1984 (15 U.S.C. 4201 et seq.) for the purpose of carrying out such duties relat- ing to satellite observing systems.

ENVIRONMENTAL DATA MANAGEMENT

SEc. 402. There are authorized to be appropriated to the Department of Commerce

to

enable the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration to carry out its data and information services duties under law, $24,887,000 for fiscal year 1988 and

$25,883,000 for fiscal year 1989. Moneys appropriated pursuant to this authorization shall be used to fund those duties relating to data and information services specified by the Act entitled "An Act to increase the efficiency and reduce the expenses of the Signal Corps of the Army, and to transfer the Weather Service to the Depart- ment of Agriculture", approved October 1, 1890 (15 U.S.C. 311 et seq.), and by any other law involving such duties. Such duties include climate data services, ocean data services, geophysical data services, and environmental assessment and informa- tion services.

USER FEES

SEc. 403. (a) Except as otherwise provided in this section, the Secretary is author- ized to assess fees, based on fair market value, for access to environmental data ar- chived by the National Environmental Satellite, Data, and Information Service of

the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

(b)(1) The Secretary shall provide data described in subsection (a) to Federal, State, and local government agencies, to universities, and tcr other nonprofit institu-

tions at the cost of reproduction and transmission, if such data is to be used for re- search and not for commercial purposes. ,

(2) The Secretary shall waive the assessment of fees under subsection (a) as neces- sary to continue to provide data to foreign governments and international organiza- tions on a data exchange basis or as otherwise provided by international agreement.

(c) The Secretary shall, before September 1, 1988, before each subsequent amend- ment to such schedule, and at least annually thereafter, publish in the Federal Reg- ister a schedule of fees to be assessed under this section.

(d) Fees shall be assessed under this section as follows:

(1) No fees shall be assessed until after September 30, 1988.

(2) With respect to the period beginning October 1, 1988, and ending Septem- ber 30, 1989, fees shall ^be assessed at one-third of the full amount indicated in

the fee schedule.

(3) With respect to the period beginning October 1, 1989, and ending Septem- ber 30, 1990, fees shall be assessed at two-thirds of the full amount indicated in the fee schedule.

(4) With respect to the period beginning October 1, 1990, fees shall be assessed at the full amount indicated in the fee schedule.

(e) Fees collected under this section shall be available to the National Environ- mental Satellite, Data, and Information Service for expenses incurred in the oper- ation of its data archive centers.

CO

The Secretary shall, before July 1, 1988, submit to the House Committee on Science, Space, and Technology and the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation a report which-

(1) sets forth the Secretary's plan for assessing fees under this section, in- cluding the methodology and bases by which the amount of such fees shall be deterrnined, and the estimated revenues therefrom; and

(2) sets forth the Secretary's plan for using revenues generated from such fees as well as other resources, to improve the capability of the National Envi-

ronmental Satellite, Data, and Information Service to collect, manage, process, archive and disseminate the increasing amounts of data generated from satel-

lites, radars, and other technologies.

(g) The authority of the Secretary to assess fees under this section shall expire on September 30 1993.

I p

^{0 OF TH BILL}

Th purpose of the b ·11 are: to r authoriz appropriations for fi years 1 and 1 9 for a mospheric, satellite, and environ-

mental data program of the Nat·onal Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration NOAA; to reauthorize the National Climate Pro- gram Act; to requ·re hat NOAA develop and present to Congress an implementation plan for the modernization of the weather serv- ice; to require that NOAA prepare and present to Congress an analysis of t ends in climate change and identify actions that could reduce man-induced climate change; and to develop a plan for a g ound-based, g obal atmospheric monitoring network.

A ummary of the appropriations authorized in the bill by pro- gram is as follows:

NOM ATMOSPHERIC AND SATELLITE PROGRAM FOR FISCAL YEAR 1988 AND 1989

Program.

National Weather Services Operations and Research ....... . at10nal Weather Services Systems ... . Climate and Air Quality Research ... ..

Atmosphenc Research . . . . .. . . .. . .. . ... . Satellite Operations and Systems . . ... .

Fiscal year

1988 1989

$277,628,000 841000 000 40,521,000 44,404 000

Envtromental Data. . ... .

298,326,000 24,887,000

$288,733,000 132,800,000

42,142,000

46 180,000

334 685,000 25,883 000

Totals ... 1 • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • 769,766 000 870,423,000

II.

^COMMITTEE

A

^TIONS

The Subcom · ttee o ational Resources Agricul ure Research nd Envi onm nt held a total of nine days of hearings on the at- mo p er·c cl·m e and atellite activitie of the National Oceanic a d o p ·c Adm.ni tra ·on.

c obe . 7 h Subcommi tee held hearings on the fiscal OAA bud e qu t for a mo pheric and atellite pro-

g . 0 A officia nd pub · ic wi ne ses t st1fied concerning d qua o · h dm·n· ra io FY 1 budget request in en-

•

0 o f fill it o gre ·on ally manda ed m · ssions· the i rol nd v l of uppo for OAA re earch and devel-

. he a u and plan fo he mod rnization of

· · and h probl m budget shor falls, and

1

0 . I ddit·on h Subcommittee

h n r i g o ific a pect of NOAA activi- ubcommi e on atura h a d Env·ronmen toge her with

· n I ci nt.fic oop ra ·on exam- of omm c . comm rcializa ion of land

rog m. h h ar·ng xamin d the

nd level of chnology

o o i ·n he ·nt · nat onal

· r of ec ology dev lopm nt

7

resource development, and national security if commercialization of Landsat fails; and the opportunities of increased international cooperation in remote sensing. Testimony was received from the Deputy Director of the Office of Management and Budget, the Deputy Secretary of Commerce, and the Administrator of NOAA;

representatives of the Departments of Ag·riculture , Defense , Interi- or , and State , and NASA. In addition , the Subcommittees heard from a wide range of private-sector users of the Landsat system;

representatives of the corporate entity designated to commercialize Landsat; and its principal international competitor, the French SPOT system.

On March 10 and 12, 19 87, the Subcommittee held hearings on stratospheric ozone depletion and the Antarctic ozone hole. Wit-

nesses at the hearings included NOAA and university scientists, and NOAA policy makers involved in the stratospheric ozone sci- ence and policy development. The Antarctic ozone hole is a phe-

nomena observed during the last few years that may indicate the first evidence of man ' s ability to destroy stratospheric ozone that

protects humans and biological species from destructive radiation from the sun. NOAA is responsible for the ground-based and satel-

lite monitoring of stratospheric ozone. These measurements have indicated the spatial and time variability of stratospheric ozone, and NOAA was a major contributor to the 1987 and 19 88 Antarctic experiment to determine the cause and extent of the ozone hole.

On July 22 and 23, and September 30 ( the September 30 hearing was held jointly with the Subcommittee on International Scientific Cooperation ), the Subcommittee held hearings on Global Change and reauthorization of the National Climate Program Act. Wit- nesses included NOAA and university scientists, experts from public interest groups, and NOAA science managers. The Global Change hearings included testimony on the natural changes in global climate; the potential impact of man ' s activities on global climate change and the effect of this change on other global physi- cal, chemical , and biological systems; possible changes in the next fifty to one hundred years because of man ' s actions; and the impact of this change on agricultural , economic, and governmental sys- tems. Testimony on the National Climate Program Act included

the current status, strengths and deficiencies in the program, and recommended changes.

NOAA is a major contributor to the National Climate Program , houses the National Climate Program Office , and is expected to have a large role in the Global Change program. It has developed a monitoring system to observe tropical ocean warming that indi- cates the onset of anomalies in U.S . winter weather, and prepares forecasts of yearly climate. NOAA monitors the growth in green-

house gases around the world , develops long-range predictive cli- mate models , and performs studies of regional climate change; and maintains three data centers that provide worldwide date for cli- mate forecasters and researchers.

On September 10 , 1987 , the Senate considered and passed S. 1667

to authorize appropriations for fiscal yea rs 1988 and 1989 for the

atmospheric and satellite programs of NOAA. The bill was referred

to the Committee on Science, Space, and Technology on September

16. On October 8, 1987 , the NRARE Subsommittee considered and

o d d r p d o he full ommittee for fur h consid r ion, S.

7 f · r adop ing an amendment in the n u of a ubstitute

of~

ed by ngre man Valentine. S. 16 7 was considered and or- der d reported, a am nded by th Comm"ttee on Science, Space and Techn logy on October 1 19 7.

Ill.

BACKGROUND A D NEED FOR THE LEGISLATION

Th a ional Ocean· and Atmospheric Adm'nistrat·on was ere- at d by the Reorganizat·on Plan Numb r 4 as par of he Presiden-

·al reo ganizat·on ·n 7 . Since ·t establishment, NOAA has ob- ta·ned os of its funding for its major programs hrough d"rect app opriation with littl o no au horization. Authorization ac-

ion hat did occu were limited to a few spec"fic areas of interest uch as h · a iona Cl'ma . e Program and marine pol ution. Prior effort by the ommi te o au horize hose program and activi ies

i h" he o ·

¹

t e ·urisdict"on namely the atmo pheric, cli-

t and s tellite ystems ave not completed the full legislative pr c o a in the case of S. 10 7 ve o d on October 19, 1 · , by

h r sid nt The n ed to proceed with a comprehens·ve authori- z ·a · b"ll a p icularl · important in view of NOAA plans to a qu · r major ne sy tern o modernize i s wea her services and

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pon ibili y o udy important phenomena including __ e in trato pher·c ozone and the bui d-up of greenhou e

con ribu o global warming.

amended provides au horizat ·on for the ac ivities of A ol l w· hin h om

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ee juri dic · ion, specif·cally, the

· l Wea h r rvice . h Office of Ocean·c and A mosph ·ric n

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· nd h ·anal Env· on ental atellite, Da a and In-

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obtaining surface observations such as temperature, pressure, wind direction and speed, humidity, cloud cover, and precipita- tion, that are taken routinely on an hourly basis across the country. This system will provide a new, cost effective means to automate the current observations and improve the timely reporting of this information to forecasters and as input to forecast models.

Advanced Weather Interactive Processing System ( A WIPS- 90 ) . The A WIPS system is being designed to provide the fore- caster with all available data ( e.g., satellite, surface observa- tions, radiosondes, radar, pilot reports, etc. ) , and specialized short range numerical forecasts; and to provide special auto-

mated warnings for heavy rain, tornadoes, or other severe weather events. The contractor for the system design will be chosen in the next year; and the system is planned for imple-

mentation in the early 1990's.

B. OCEANIC AND ATMOSPHERIC RESEARCH

Most of the supporting research for NOAA service programs is accomplished in the Office of Oceanic and Atmospheric Research ( OAR). The Committee authorizes the weather, climate, air quality,

and solar terrestrial research and services programs that are car- ried by this Office. Major programmatic responsibilities of OAR in- clude acid rain, climate research and forecasting, tornado and hur- ricane research, forecast model research and development, ozone depletion research, greenhouse effect monitoring and research, and

remote sensing development. ·

During the last 5 years, NOAA has led the scientific effort to in- crease understanding and forecasting of year to year climate fluc- tuations that are caused by ocean warming events, and that great- ly affect Northern Hemisphere winter weather. The TOGA ( Tropi- cal Ocean Global Atmosphere ) program has established a monitor- ing system to observe these anomalies. Forecast models and fore- cast centers have been developed to provide advanced warning for these events, and the types of weather such as severe rains and floods in Western parts of South America, unusually cold Eastern U.S. winters, that are associated with these ocean warming events.

The administration has requested a decrease of $3 million for this program in seasonal climate variability.

NOAA plays an extremely important role in the Global Change program. Its responsibilities in this international program are fo- cused in monitoring, understanding, and forecasting climate change. These responsibilities are beginning to be addressed in the Global Change program plan being developed by the Committee on Earth Sciences ( CES). The CES recently has been established by the Office of Science and Technology Policy to plan, implement, and establish priorities in the multiagency Global Change program.

Another major research area for NOAA involves severe weather

research. Over the last several years, the administration has pro-

posed several hardware programs to improve the ability to observe

severe weather events. For example , in 1984, the administration re-

quested additional funds for a wind profile system that will give

vertical wind profile information at a time and space resolution

10

n ver before available. In 19 6 the administration requested addi- tional fund·ng to develop a thermodynam·c profile that will give continuous Information of the vertical profiler of temperature and of total water content in the atmosphere. However, during the last 6 years, the administration consistently has requested reductions for research to use these new observing systems to understand and to improve forecasts of severe weather. Congressional action re- stored most of these proposed reductions. This year, the adminis- tration again proposed additional reductions in severe storms re- search.

C. NATIONAL SATELLITE, DATA AND INFORMATION SERVICES

The National Satellite, Data and Information Services NESDIS is responsible for providing operational satellite services for NOAA and the Nation. These responsibilities include maintaining geosta- tionary satellites to provide continuous information on clouds, water vapor , and other parameters; maintaining polar orbitors to prov de global soundings of the atmosphere and derived products to

weather forecasters on a near real time basis and to numerical forecast models on a regular schedule; solar radiation, solar parti- cle fluxes, and earth magnetic field measurements for solar terres- trial forecasters and researchers; and earth surface imagery for various Federal and private sector users. NESDIS also is responsi- ble for archiving environmental data, from satellites and from other sources, and making these data archives available to users.

The Landsat commercialization program is within this portion of the NOAA budget. Landsat provides earth images through a cur- rent two satellite system Landsat 4 and 5. Both these satellites are operating beyond their designed lifetime, but continue to pro- vide data to users through EOSAT, the private company that won the competition to provide Landsat services. Testimony at Subcom- mittee hearings indicate that the ability to extract data from Land- sat is · creasing the number of potential uses for these data is ex-

a ding and the continuation of this service will be beneficial to U. · . sers and will assure expansion of the commercial market for

h · p ducts.

OAA a chives oceanic, geophysical, and climatic data at three

a

ional Data Centers. These data include environmental data col- cted by the U S. and other nations, and the largest perce tage is fro atellite sensors. These data are made available to users and

c nt1 ts to tudy various phenomena from individual thunder- to . m to cha · ge in global ocean surface temperatures over the

. year . These data are stored mostly on magnetic tapes al- h om efforts are being made to utilize optical disks to in- r . orage capabilities a d allow random access to the data.

u ing las five ears, the budget for the data processing and r ng ac 1vi ·e at the at·onal Data Centers has decreased by

o/l and he taff has been reduced by 36%. During this same ... ,..,. d quanti y of data, the need for quality control, and the for cal.bra ·ons ave increased exponentially. During h da a

¹

he archives maintained by NOAA are

w· ne es stated that the data management

pr are g owing rapidly and resource demands in

11

other areas coupled with declining NOAA budgets, are leading to a data crises in the next several years. The Committee has addressed these concerns in this legislation through restoration of funds for data management activities and through the additional authority to impose user fees.

IV.

SECTION BY SECTION ANALYSIS '"

The paragraphs that follow provide a section-by-section descrip- tion of the bill, and explanation of the Committee's intent for the section. A summary of the appropriations is as follows:

NWS Operations and Research ...

NWS Systems ..............

Climate and Air Quality .................. Atmospheric Research .......

Satellite Operations and Systems ...

Environmental Data ...

Totals ................

1987 actual

273,178 58,000 37,246 44,294 266,558 22,399 701,675

1988 request

274,315 86,000 34,241 37,704 335,226 24,247 791,733

S. 1667 amended

1988

277,628 84,000 40,521 44,404 298,326 24,887 769,766

Difference 1988 request,

S. 1667, as amended 1988

+ 3,313 - 2,000

+ 6,280

+ 6,700 - 36,900 + 640 - 21,967

S. 1667, amended

1989

288,733 132,800 42,142 46,180 334,685 25,883 870,423

Difference 1989 and 1988 m S.

1667, as amended

+1 1,105 +48,800 + 1,621

+ 1,776 + 36,389 + 996

+ 100,687

The first column in the above Table shows the fiscal year 1987 appropriations, and the second column shows the NOAA request for 1988. Column three is the authorization level in S. 1667, as amended and passed by the House Science, Space, and Technology Committee; column four is the difference between the authorized 1988 and the requested 1988 numbers. Column five is the author- ized 1989, and column six gives the difference between the 1989 and 1988 authorization levels in S . 1667, as amended.

A section-by-section summary of the bill follows:

TITLE

I

NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE

Section 101. Operations and Research

This Section authorizes $277,628,000 for fiscal year 1988 and

$288,733,000 for fiscal year 1989 for meteorological, hydrological, and oceanographic services and for applied research to support these activities. The fiscal year 1988 authorization includes funding for the activities requested by the administration, as well as resto-

ration of $1,718,000 to support fire weather , agriculture and fruit frost services, NWS research and development , and other manage-

ment and weather service reductions proposed by the administra- tion. The fiscal year 1989 authorization has a 4% increase for infla- tion.

Section 102. System Acquisition

Subsection 102( a ) authorizes $84,000,000 for fiscal year 1988 and

$132,000,000 for 1989 for the development , acquisition, and imple- mentation of the up-grading of NWS forecast and warning systems.

This fiscal year 1988 authorization transfers $2,000,000 in request-

ed authorization for NEXRAD from 1988 to 19 89 because of delays

12

in the procurement phase of the program, but the two year author- ization is identical to the administration's request for this budget subactiv"ty· and provides funding for NEXRAD, Automation of Sur-

face Observing Sy terns ASOS), and Advanced Weather Interactive Processing System A WIPS-90 as documented in the NOAA budget document.

Subsection 102(b provides au hority for the multiyear procure- ment of information processing and telecommunications services, and payment of limited liability in the event of Federal early ter-

rr. ination of the Advanced Weather Interactive Processing system.

TITLE

II

WEATHER SERVICES MODERNIZATION

Sect"on 201. Modernization Plans

Subsection 201 a requests that the Secretary of Commerce pre- pare and subm"t a National Implementation Plan, a strategic plan for the modernization of the weather services. This requested plan w"ll allow adequate Congressional notification of the new modern- izat· on technologies, and require NOAA to engage in a holistic ex- amina ion of the anticipated improvements in prediction and the ha dware integration plans of this program.

ub ection 201 describes the ten year plan for the implementa-

·on of he weather

^~

ervice modernization and yearly plans that include the details on new technologies facilities, staffing, and funding for the following two years· evalua ions of key elements to be m de before they are implemented· and plans and funding for

... .... earch to support he modernization.

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ur Au omat"on or Rel cation of Field Offices

ub ct " on _ a provid s tha no closure con olidation automa-

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or lo at · on of a

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we a her se vice offices or functions shall b · mp men d wi hou prior certifica ion by the Secretary of

m r - to the pp opr.ate Comm"ttees of Congress that uch ac- . 1 ot r ul in any deg ada ion of weather erv·ces in the

r a . I addi on c " fication hal include a compari on o b o nd af

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he ac ·on, a

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activi ·e tha will en- h i c ·n he at c d rea and vidence tha upports he c I · o d a ·on in rvice wi 1 re ul .

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a hen r v· ·ng he a ional Implemen- ar · ha co ul w· h oth r fed ral and

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13

ed by the administration for this subactivity, a $3,000,000 restora- tion of the proposed reduction in the Tropical Ocean Global Atmos- phere ( TOGA ) program, a $960,000 restoration for the Climate Cen- ters, a $320,000 increase to fund an additional Center, and

$2,000,000 for an increase in the Radiatively Important Trace Spe- cies ( RITS) program. The program authorization for fiscal year

1989 is a 4% increase for inflation.

Subsection 30l(b) authorizes $2,424,000 for fiscal year 1988 and

$2,521,000 for fiscal year 1989 for the National Climate Program Act (15 U.S.C. 2901) as part of the authorization in Subsection 301(a) .

Section 302. Amendments to National Climate Program Act

Section 302 contains amendments to the National Climate Pro- gram Act (15 U.S.C. 2901).

Section 302(a) amends the Act to require studies on policy op- tions for reducing the impact of man's activities on global climate.

Section 302(b) requires the Secretary of Commerce to prepare and submit every 5 years, a Climate Change Report including the his- toric trends of climate change indicators, an analysis of current cli- mate understanding, an analysis of current trends in global climate change and projections for the next fifty to one hundred years, and recommendations on actions to reduce human-induced climate change.

Section 303. Stratospheric Monitoring Network

Section 303 directs the Secretary of Commerce, in consultation with the National Aeronautics and Space Administration ( NASA) and the State Department, to submit a plan to Congress by July 1,

1988 for the construction and operation of a worldwide system of ground-based remote sensors to monitor chemicals which can affect the stratospheric ozone layer. The Section specifies that the plan contain time lines for construction and operation of the system; a description of the roles of the various Federal, non-Federal, other nations, and international organizations in constructing and oper- ating the system; and the estimates of the costs of construction and operations.

ATMOSPHERIC PROGRAMS

Subsection 304 authorizes $44,404,000 for fiscal year 1988 and

$46,180,000 for fiscal year 19 89 for NOAA's atmospheric research and services in Ocean and Atmospheric Reseach. This authoriza-

tion includes the administration's request, and restoration and ad- ditions in severe storms and mesoscale research to support the modernization of the weather services. Authorization in fiscal year

1989 is increased by 4o/ o for inflation.

TITLE

IV

^NATIONAL ENVIRONMENTAL SATELLITE, DATA, AND INFORMATION SERVICE

SATELLITE OBSERVATION SYSTEMS

Subsection 401 ( a ) authorizes 29 326 000 for fiscal year 19 8 and

334,6 5,000 for fiscal year 19 9 for NOAA Satellite Observation

y em This authorizat'on includes he admin·s ration's request e $ ,000,000 for Landsat 6 development and $5,000,000 for polar o bit"ng satell"te sy tern . However, 1t authorizes Landsat 4 and 5 operations and technical stu die for Landsat 7, and includes 3,7 0,000 for NOAA-Por . The FY 89 level provides authorization levels for the polar orbiting and geostations satellites projected by NOA and a 4 % increase for inflation for other programs author-

"zed under this ubsection.

Subsection 4 1 . s ates that the authorization under Subsection 401 a doe no include moneys previously authorized under the Land Remo e-Sens·ng Comme cialization Act of 19 4 15 U.S.C.

42 1 .

E VIRONMENTAL DATA MANAGEMENT

Subsect on 402 authorizes $24, 87,000 for fiscal year 1988 and

$2 3,00 for fiscal year 19 9 for data and information services.

This a horization include the administration's request plus an

additional $640 000 for data management activities. The fiscal year 1 9 authorization is increased by 4% for inflation.

Subsec ion 403 authorizes the Secretary of Commerce to assess fe for access to environmental data archived by the National En-

v·ronmental Satellite, Data, and Information Service. Data is to be provided to universities and nonprofits at the cost of reproduction

a d transmission· but oth · er users are to be charged on fair market alue.

^o

fee under th·s subsection, shall be assessed until after September 0 1 ; fees will be published in the Federal Register;

nd fee will be initiated at a one .. third per year increase over a hree year period. Fees collected shall be available to NESDIS to off: et expenses Incurred in the operation of its data archive activi-

- · . T· he Secretary is required to submit to the Congress before July 1 1 a pan for the assessment of these fees· and the au-

•

o · o a e uch £ e shall exp"re on September 30, 1993.

V.

^{OMMITT E}

V

^EW

ITL I- ATIO AL WEATHER SERVI E

1. tio al W h S rvice Operations

for h a ional W ea her Service Opera ions ee recommend tha 77 , or reque be au horized for

for FY . The FY au- for 1nfla ion. The ommittee

of 1 000 be allocated as o ·n ain Agr cul ur Weather

·ncr as for me eo ological o mai tain t ff and ervice

ion for

r 1 •

•

15

cultural Weather services include observations, forecasts, warnings, and advisories. As part of its agricultural weather services, NWS issues warnings of low temperatures that are especially important in citrus and deciduous fruit-growing areas. These services are cen- tral to the mission of the NWS and have been since the creation of the Weather Bureau in 1890. In setting forth its duties, Congress provided that the NWS " shall have charge of weather, . . . the dis- play of weather and flood signals for the benefit of agriculture, . . . the display of frost and cold-wave signals, the distribution of mete- orological information of agriculture . . . " (15 U.S.C. 313).

The Committee also is concerned that the reductions in weather service staff and management may adversely impact the NWS's ability to provide the warnings and protection expected of it in the face of major natural catastrophes. Accordingly, $1.25 million has been restored to NOAA's budget for this purpose .

The Committee also restored $314,000 for meteorological and hy - drological research. Research in hydrology is the keystone in future efficient use of our valuable water resources. The Committee is concerned that with the expected man-induced climate change, water resources may be a critical issue to this country, especially in the interior section of the Continent. Additional research at this time will allow better water resource decisions in the future .

Section 102. Systems Acquisition

The budget request for NWS Systems Acquisition is $86,000,000 .

The Committee authorization for FY 88 is $84,00 , 0,000 or $2,000,000

below the administration request; and $132 ,800,000 for fiscal 1989.

The reduction in FY 88 reflects delays encountered in the procure- ment schedule for NEXRAD .

The Committee supports NOAA ' s request for the development, acquisition, and implementation of major new public warning and forecast systems. The Committee notes, however, that the first major procurement for the NEXRAD system has been delayed at least ten months as a result of problems apparently encountered in testing of the prototypes. While it is essential that the Agency be satisfied that it is procuring a fully operational system, it is also

important that its acquisition and implementation schedule be re- alistic and every effort should be expended to meeting the an- nounced procurement schedule. The Committee intends to review carefully the NEXRAD procurement.

The section also provides NOAA with authority to provide in multiyear contracts for the Automated Weather Interactive Proc- essing System ( AWIPS ) payment of contingent liability should the contract be terminated before its full term. However , the limit for these termination costs is determined by amounts appropriated.

In a related issue , the Committee shares NOAA ' s concern that AWIPS procurement may be impeded unless the contractor operat- ing the system is granted protection from thi.rd party

liabil~ty. T~is

issue is increasingly important and one which the

Committe~

I n- tends to examine in the months a h ead . H owe ve r the C ommi ttee requ ests t h at N O AA review its authority to provide indemnifica- t ion und e r E xec u tive Ord er 107 8 9 issued p urs u ant to P.L. 8 5- 804,

and report its findings to the Committee .

16

TITLE I WEATHER ERVICES MODERNIZATION

Section 201. Modernization Plans

Section 2 1 was developed in response to oversight hearings during hi and prior sessions of Congress. During recent years, . everal rends have emerged in the operations of the NWS:

1 In roduction of highly sophisticated technology and auto- mated data collection and transmission of data and forecasts;

Decrea ing personnel levels; and

A tempted closure or consolidation of weather service of- fice .

The Co rnittee is of he view tha NOAA must engage in sys- tematic long term planning if i expects to implement successfully the weather serv·ce modernization. Despite repeated requests,

OAA ha no clearly articulated a multi-y·ear plan for the com- prehen i e mode nization of the National W ea her Service.

The ommi tee believes that an effective, technologically ad- vanced weather service is essential to protec the public and prop- rty. Indeed the · e are few aspects of the Federal governments ac- ivit" hat "mpac the average citizens life as much as the local weath r serv·ce forecasts. Accordingly, the Committee has devel- op d a struc ure to prov·de he Congres with NOAA s long-term

tra eg· c pla on moderniza ion in a timely manner. It is the

· ten of Sec ion 01 that NOAA dev lop a broad based ten-year l e t · ng forth he objective of the modernization including newt chnologie and operational change that would be necessary.

add' ·on he Committee bel'eves tha an annual i -depth imple- ___ en a ·o p an i nece ary hat w'll ensure Congres · ·s fully in- o med of

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chno ogi fac·l· ies taff levels and funding re-

u· ent fo e ode nizat·on ys ern . In add.tion OAA u pro 'd an y · and do ume ta ion hat any new technol-

. full t d a · eva uat d b fore being in grat d into

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· · d tha the mod rn zat1on o dimini h

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17

lion restoration for climate forecast centers, a $.320 million in- crease for an additional climate forecast center, and a $2 million

increase for the Radiatevely Important Trace Species program. The 4% FY 89 increase is for inflation. Within the FY 88 and FY 89 totals is included $2.424 million in FY 88 and $2.521 million in FY 89 for the National Climate Program Act.

The Committee believes that NOAA's monitoring and research programs in documenting, understanding, and forecasting global climate change are critical to agriculture, transportation, and eco- nomic planning. The Committee intends that progress in this area continues; that NOAA maintain its efforts to seek resolution of im- portant climate-related questions such as stratospheric ozone deple- tion, regional drought, and global warming; that uncertainty in cli- mate forecasting be reduced; that the transport, transformation, and deposition of acid deposition be better understood; and that the effects of man-made substances on the natural atmospheric chemi- cal processes that maintain life on this earth be identified and un- derstood.

The continuation of the TOGA program at current levels is im- portant in understanding the role of the tropical oceans in interan- nual climate variability. There is great concern that the man-in- duced climate change could alter the present seasonal weather pat- terns that maintain production of food for the African, Asian, and

American continents. The tropical ocean warming events that sig- nificantly alter these moisture patterns may hold the key to under- standing how the earth's large weather patterns pre generated.

The Committee believes that continued research in this area is crit- ical to the understanding and forecasting of climate variablity so

that adequate steps can be taken to maintain and distribute global food supplies.

The Radiatively Important Trace Species ( RITS ) program is the NOAA program that first determined that trace gases, other than carbon dioxide, were equally important in global warming. The program established and maintains a global monitoring system and funds studies to understand the sources of these gases and their po- tential impact on global warming. Greenhouse warming is the driv- ing force that may be responsible for a significant change in cur- rent global climate conditions. All global warming, and especially greenhouse warming, must be carefully documented and under-

stood; and eventually, predictive models must be developed. Global climate change is one of the most critical environmental issues.

However, the state-of-the-science is not adequate to provide any type of detailed forecast for a particular period of time beyond a season, and the Committee believes that reducing the uncertainty

in forecasting climate change must be a high priority in NOAA.

The climate forecast centers are an important link that bring to- gether Federal, state, and private institutions to produce and dis- seminate climate data and information. In addition, other climate

products are developed and disseminated to various types of

use~s.

The Committee intends that these climate forecast centers contin- ue, and that access to climate data and products be maintained.

The importance of documenting global climate change the impact of this change, the status of climate forecasting, an~ the

policy studies to alleviate the effects of man-induced change 1s re-

fl c ed ·n the mendments to th National Climate Program Act (1 U.S.C . 2 01 et eq .. The hearings held by the Subcomm "ttee in- dicated tha present documenta ion on the character and nature of climate change is no consistent. Witnesses indicated tha the data docum nt"ng increa es ·n global carbon dioxide

^IS

conclusive; how- ever, the record for other parameters considered important in docu- men ing climate change and to separate the greenhouse warming from natural change, is not conclusive. The Committee intends, in Sec. 302, that the National Climate Program Office through inter- actions wi h the various Agenc · es performing climate research, de- termine what parameters best measure global climate change, what these changing parameters imply as to the factors natural or man-made that are caus·ng the change, what regions of the earth are most vulnerable to change, and what actions can be taken to reduc the ikelihood that there will be significant, man-induced, global climate change.

In testimony before the Committee witnesses expressed concern tha broad policy issues are not identified and addressed in the Na- tional Climate Program. Agency missions sometimes preclude the

tudy of · hese policy issues since they are global, not national.

Issues such as the global impact of continued increases in carbon diox"de emissions continued deforestation of tropical rainforests, and con inued emissions of man-made chemicals into the atmos- phere may not be adequately addressed in present programs. The opt· on available to reduce the effect of these human activities on global cl"mate are of concern to the Committee and need attention.

Accord· ngly the Commi tee has amended the Climate Act to re-

q · re hat he a ional Climate Program Office study these global i ue o deve op options for mitiga ing the effect of man's activi-

ie on clima o evaluate the options and to forward any recom- m nda Ion for actions o the Congress.

Th ommi t notes that the Montreal Pr