(August 17, 2022) — The Inflation Reduction Act, signed by President Biden yesterday, contains over $600 million in new funding for the National Weather Service and other units represented by NWSEO. This is “new money” appropriated above and beyond annual appropriations. Funds have been designated to improve NOAA facilities, hiring processes, weather research, observations, forecasting, and dissemination, as well as for new hurricane hunter aircraft crewed by NWSEO members.
The following sections include language pertinent to NWSEO members:
Sec. 40002. Facilities of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and National Marine Sanctuaries.
(a) National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Facilities.— In addition to amounts otherwise available, there is appropriated to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration for fiscal year 2022, out of any money in the Treasury not otherwise appropriated, $150,000,000, to remain available until September 30, 2026, for the construction of new facilities, facilities in need of replacement, piers, marine operations facilities, and fisheries laboratories.
Sec. 40003. NOAA Efficient and Effective Reviews.
In addition to amounts otherwise available, there is appropriated to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration for fiscal year 2022, out of any money in the Treasury not otherwise appropriated, $20,000,000, to remain available until September 30, 2026, to conduct more efficient, accurate, and timely reviews for planning, permitting and approval processes through the hiring and training of personnel, and the purchase of technical and scientific services and new equipment, and to improve agency transparency, accountability, and public engagement.
Sec. 40004. Oceanic and Atmospheric Research and Forecasting for Weather and Climate.
(a) Forecasting and Research.—In addition to amounts otherwise available, there is appropriated to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration for fiscal year 2022, out of any money in the Treasury not otherwise appropriated, $150,000,000, to remain available until September 30, 2026, to accelerate advances and improvements in research, observation systems, modeling, forecasting, assessments, and dissemination of information to the public as it pertains to ocean and atmospheric processes related to weather, coasts, oceans, and climate, and to carry out section 102(a) of the Weather Research and Forecasting Innovation Act of 2017 (15 U.S.C. 8512(a)), and for related administrative expenses.
Sec. 40005. Computing Capacity and Research for Weather, Oceans, and Climate.
In addition to amounts otherwise available, there is appropriated to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration for fiscal year 2022, out of any money in the Treasury not otherwise appropriated, $190,000,000, to remain available until September 30, 2026, for the procurement of additional high-performance computing, data processing capacity, data management, and storage assets, to carry out section 204(a)(2) of the High-Performance Computing Act of 1991 (15 U.S.C. 5524(a)(2)), and for transaction agreements authorized under section 301(d)(1)(A) of the Weather Research and Forecasting Innovation Act of 2017 (15 U.S.C. 8531(d)(1)(A)), and for related administrative expenses.
Sec. 40006. Acquisition of Hurricane Forecasting Aircraft.
In addition to amounts otherwise available, there is appropriated to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration for fiscal year 2022, out of any money in the Treasury not otherwise appropriated, $100,000,000, to remain available until September 30, 2026, for the acquisition of hurricane hunter aircraft under section 413(a) of the Weather Research and Forecasting Innovation Act of 2017 (15 U.S.C. 8549(a)).
Learn more about the Inflation Reduction Act here.
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