EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
Environmental Assessment and Prediction Mission
Environmental Stewardship Mission
Crosscutting Initiatives
Reducing Costs and Improving Effectiveness
National Performance Review, Streamlining and
Reinvention
Strategic Planning and the Government Performance
and Results Act
Benefits of Partnerships
Budget Request--
Traditional Structure
Budget Request--
Strategic Plan Structure
Supplementary Tables
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National Performance Review, Streamlining and
Reinvention
In an effort to create a government that works better and costs less,
NOAA is reinventing itself and achieving the goals outlined in the National
Performance Review (NPR). Weather service modernization is reinvention in
the making. Owing to the range and effectiveness of new technologies, the
NWS is realigning its field structure to reduce the number of offices from
over 300 to 119. A National Institute of Standards and Technology study
shows that every dollar spent on weather service modernization buys eight
dollars in benefits for the taxpayer. Due to this capital investment in
technology, and the application of advanced scientific understanding --
much of which has been developed in NOAA -- the U.S. now commands the most
modern and efficient weather service in the world.
In addition, NOAA is reinventing the National Undersea Research Program
to focus research priorities on management needs and to provide for the
competitive allocation of funds; and creating a NOAA National Virtual Data
Center to handle the growing demand for environmental data through a logically
centralized and physically distributed system to enable customers to locate,
browse and acquire data without human intervention. A brief status of formal
NOAA NPR initiatives follows:
- Converging satellites. NOAA is working with the Department of
Defense (DOD) and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA)
to merge civilian and defense weather satellites. In FY 1997, NOAA awarded
five instrument development contracts. By FY 1999, NOAA and DOD will have
merged the Command, Control, and Communications operations of the current
series of the NOAA Polar-orbiting Operational Environmental Satellite and
the DOD Defense Meteorological Satellite Program systems at the NOAA Satellite
Operations Control Center. Over the life of the converged program, the
Nation can expect to realize significant savings.
- Streamlining personnel and
processes. By FY 1999, NOAA will reduce its workforce by 13.6% from
FY 1993 levels. This will require the elimination of over 1,950 full-time
equivalents (FTEs) through phased annual reductions in the NOAA Streamlining
Plan (see graph). In FY 1999, NOAA will complete the FY 1998 initiative
to transfer its entire aeronautical chart production program (including
FTEs) to the Department of Transportation. In FY 1999, NOAA will have also
transferred the Seafood Inspection function to the Food and Drug Administration
(see transforming seafood inspection on the next page). NOAA has also simplified
administrative processes, delegated authorities downward, and made progress
toward implementing the Commerce Administrative Management System, which
will greatly improve financial management and accountability.
- Disestablishing the NOAA Corps. The NOAA Commissioned Corps,
which is a uniformed service, has been downsized significantly over the
last few years. NOAA intends to disestablish the Corps, following a transition
to a civilian work force. Legislation has been submitted to effect this
change. The FY 1999 budget includes funding for costs associated with the
proposal to disestablish the NOAA Corps.
- Privatizing specialized weather services. NOAA has completed
the privatization of specialized weather services including agriculture,
fruit frost, fire weather for non-federal non-wildfire land management,
and specialized event forecasts. The on-going NWS modernization, resulting
in new and expanded data sets, will support continuing opportunities for
private companies to provide weather services.
- Expanding private sector ship support. NOAA is expanding the
use of private contractors and cooperative arrangements with universities
for ship support, and collecting information to assess private sector interest,
capability and costs for meeting requirements. NOAA has completed contracts
for hydrographic surveys, and will continue this effort during FY 1998
with $13.9 million in dedicated funding. The NOS plans to award contracts
in FY 1998 for surveys in the Gulf of Mexico, Alaska and the west coast.
Many of these contracts will include a second year option. In FY 1999,
$5.5 million is proposed for contracts to acquire hydrographic data. NOAA
is also continuing to use private sector contractors for the production
of powerful new digital nautical chart products which include both raster
and new standards compliant vector charts. In FY 1997, NOAA signed a Memorandum
of Understanding with the University-National Oceanographic Laboratory
System which will increase NOAA's use of university-managed oceanographic
research capabilities.
- Transforming seafood inspection. NOAA expects to propose legislation
to establish a seafood inspection Performance Based Organization (PBO)
during FY 1998 and transfer the program to the Food and Drug Administration.
- Improving fisheries management. In cooperation with the fishing
industry, NOAA will implement access controls for 25 of 39 Fishery Management
Plans by the end of FY 1997, and 26 of 39 by the end of FY 1998. NOAA will
work with stakeholders to establish user fees based on the ex-vessel value
of landings to offset a portion of the costs of implementing the Magnuson-Stevens
Act.
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