Following the Inflation Reduction Act being signed into law, NOAA Administrator Dr. Rick Spinrad released the following statement:
“Communities across the nation are facing hurricanes, drought, wildfires, extreme heat and intense flooding, with ecosystems and wildlife threatened by habitat loss, sea level rise, warming waters and a host of other threats from a changing climate.
Over the next five years, the $3.3 billion for NOAA in the Inflation Reduction Act will support Americans – including vulnerable populations – to prepare, adapt, and build resilience to weather and climate events; improve supercomputing capacity and research on weather, oceans and climate; strengthen NOAA’s hurricane hunter fleet; and replace aging NOAA facilities. This, in combination with funds NOAA received from Congress through the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, will further strengthen NOAA’s efforts to build a Climate-Ready Nation.
As an integral part of the U.S. Department of Commerce, NOAA’s weather and climate data, tools, analyses and predictions are used daily by citizens, community leaders, and businesses to make critical decisions. This Act’s significant investment in NOAA will allow us to address the growing demand for information and facilitate new products and services. This historic funding is thanks to strong leadership from Congress and President Biden, who made climate action a priority on Day 1 of his administration. I am grateful for and energized by the ongoing support of NOAA’s science, service, and stewardship mission.”
— Dr. Rick Spinrad
The Inflation Reduction Act of 2022 includes a $3.3 billion investment in NOAA’s work to build a Climate-Ready Nation
NOAA Science, Service and Stewardship
• $2.6 billion for NOAA to assist coastal states, the District of Columbia, Tribal Governments, local governments, nonprofit organizations, and institutions of higher education to become more prepared and resilient to changes in climate. These investments will also support NOAA’s understanding of marine resource trends in the face of climate change, enabling more targeted conservation, restoration and protection measures for coastal and marine habitats, fisheries, and marine mammals.
• $150 million for NOAA to accelerate advances and improvements in research, observation systems, modeling, forecasting, assessments, and dissemination of climate information to the public. This investment will enhance NOAA’s authoritative climate products and services.
• $50 million for NOAA to administer climate research grants to address climate challenges such as impacts of extreme events; water availability and quality; impacts of changing ocean conditions on marine life; improved greenhouse gas and ocean carbon monitoring; coastal resilience and sea level rise.This research will provide the science that Americans need to understand how, where, and when Earth’s conditions are changing.
• $190 million for high performance computing capacity and research for weather, oceans and climate. This investment will enable NOAA to procure research supercomputing equipment used for weather and climate model development to improve drought, flood, and wildfire prediction, detection, and forecasting.
• $20 million for NOAA to conduct more efficient, accurate, and timely reviews for planning, permitting and approval processes. These investments will allow NOAA to provide more efficient, accurate, and timely permit reviews, through the hiring and training of personnel, development of programmatic documents, procurement of technical or scientific services, development of data and information systems, stakeholder and community engagement, and the development of analysis tools, techniques, and guidance.
NOAA facilities and aircraft
• $150 million to replace aging facilities and construct new ones, including piers, marine operations facilities, and fisheries labs. NOAA’s facilities and infrastructure are vulnerable to a full range of weather and climate impacts. Safe and modern facilities are vital to support NOAA’s mission of science, service, and stewardship.
• $50 million to construct NOAA Office of National Marine Sanctuary facilities that will enhance and expand National Marine Sanctuaries facilities.
• $100 million for NOAA to acquire a new Hurricane Hunter aircraft. This investment will sustain NOAA’s ability to provide life-saving hurricane observations.
Source: Weather Ready Nation