“[I]t was NOAA, and their partners in the weather enterprise that enabled the delivery of accurate and timely information regarding the impending landfall of Hurricane Katrina in 2005. This one set of weather forecasts alone literally saved tens of thousands of lives. Vaisala strongly supports the funding requested by the Administration for NOAA in FY 2012. The $5.5 billion budget request for NOAA falls short of what is truly needed by NOAA to carry out its important missions but we also appreciate that federal spending must be restrained as part of a broader effort to put this Nation’s fiscal house in order.”

FY12 2011-03-11 Vaisala, FoNOAA Testimony before House CJS re- FY12 Approps

“NOAA’s weather forecasts and warnings alone generate annualized benefits of $31.5 billion, and the agency’s ocean and atmospheric research, fisheries management, and satellite enterprises are essential for the continued prosperity of our nation. For example, recovery of overfished stocks has produced an additional $2.1 billion in income and $5 billion in sales over the past decade. Providing insufficient funding for NOAA will only serve to diminish the economic activity and job creation that is at present successfully revitalizing communities across America.”

FY12 2011-03-11 NMSF, FoNOAA Testimony before House CJS re- FY12 Approps