Washington D.C. – House Science, Space, and Technology Committee Chairman Ralph Hall (R-TX) today praised the passage of H.R. 1, legislation to fund the federal government for the remainder of fiscal year 2011, at significantly reduced levels.
“In November the American people were clear that they wanted less spending in Washington, and this bill is a first step in fulfilling that Republican commitment,” Hall said.
Included in the bill was an amendment offered by Chairman Hall to bar the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) from spending money to create a new Climate Service.
“The release of the President’s FY2012 budget request this week included a significant reorganization of NOAA, the largest since it became an agency in 1970,” Chairman Hall said. “This new line office would take vital resources from the Oceanic and Atmospheric Research Office, essentially gutting fundamental research at NOAA and shifting the main focus of the agency to climate.”
Hall continued, “This shift threatens to harm important NOAA activities, such as helping with the restoration of the Gulf of Mexico to pre-spill conditions, ensuring consistent National Weather Service operations, and preventing a data gap in weather and climate data from polar-orbiting satellites.”
The amendment ensures that NOAA cannot move forward with its reorganization, without Congressional consideration and approval. It does not cut NOAA’s budget and it is not an attempt to hinder the agency from providing useful and authoritative information. The amendment was agreed to by a vote of 233 to 187.
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