In his written statement for a U.S. House Natural Resources Water, Oceans, and Wildlife Subcommittee hearing today on NOAA’s FY 2020 budget request, Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Oceans and Atmosphere and Deputy Administrator Tim Gallaudet emphasized the importance of maximizing economic contributions of ocean and coastal resources, stating that NOAA’s budget request “makes the necessary investments for strong coastal communities and economies.” In doing so, he cited the 2018 Executive Order Regarding the Ocean Policy to Advance the Economic, Security, and Environmental Interests of the United States, which he said focused on making data available “so that states, coastal communities, and industry can make informed decisions to sustainably manage their offshore waters.”
He also noted that the request includes an additional $4 million for regional ocean data portals, “building on innovative tools being developed by NOAA’s National Ocean Service to improve siting for offshore activities such as aquaculture, fishing, and energy development,” as well as $5 million for the National Oceanographic Partnership Program. As to the latter, Gallaudet said that NOAA intends to use appropriated dollars to “leverage other internal NOAA funds as well as leverage investments from other federal agencies, private industry, and philanthropic organizations that have shared interest in advancing the highest priority ocean research,” noting that the funds “can be used for a wide variety of partnerships including ranging from ocean exploration to new technology development to detect and protect marine mammals.”
