NYMSC Responds to Draft Ecosystem Based Management Plan for New York State

HOUSE GOP CONTINUES TO CHAMPION LARGE SPENDING CUTS
The House of Representatives are considering legislation this week which include deep cuts to programs at the Interior Department and the EPA. The spending bill also includes policy riders targeting EPA’s greenhouse gas regulations and prohibits the Fish and Wildlife Service from listing any new plants or animals under the Endangered Species Act. The appropriations measure proposes to cut spending at the Interior Department and the EPA by $715 million and $1.5 billion, respectively. The bill is expected to pass the House, but the Senate will most likely oppose the policy riders and deep cuts in spending for environmental programs.

Recently, the House Appropriations Committee approved by voice vote the FY12 Commerce, Justice, Science appropriation bill which includes funding for NSF, NOAA and NASA. The bill would flat-fund NSF and cut NOAA and NASA by $100 million and $1.6 billion, respectively. The bill increases funding for research and education activities but does so while providing less than half of what the President requested for major research, equipment and facilities programs (where initiatives such as OOI [NSF’s Ocean Observatories Initiative] are funded). During the markup, the Committee approved an amendment by Rep. Sam Farr (D-CA) to increase NOAA operations and research programs by $47 million, including increased funding for IOOS (NOAA’s Integrated Ocean Observing Systems program) The Senate has yet to unveil its spending bill, which will mostly likely include higher spending allocations for many discretionary spending programs.

Congress has yet to approve agency FY11 spend plans, which is why the specifics for FY11 are not included in the chart below. Also note that since the House is not proposing to fund the NOAA Climate Service, the funding deltas may appear skewed.