Ranking Member of the Subcommittee on Oceans, Atmospheres, Fisheries, and Coast Guard Senator Olympia J. Snowe (R-Maine) today in a one-on-one meeting with National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Administrator Jane Lubchenco discussed key funding priorities for the fiscal year 2010 budget and highlighted the critical need for continued strong support to ensure the vitality of the New England groundfishing industry.
"I have long supported increased funding for key NOAA programs, and the fiscal year 2010 budget, which is the largest funding request for NOAA to date, is certainly a vast improvement over previous years," Senator Snowe said. "In particular, I am pleased to see such a significant increase in the budget request for the NMFS – an increase of $33 million is a remarkable achievement in today’s economy."
On May 11, 2009, NOAA released its FY 2010 budget request which includes $4.484 billion in funding for NOAA and increase of 2.5 percent from FY2009. Specifically, NOAA has requested $912 million for the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), an increase of $33 million over the $879 million enacted in FY2009. The request includes $18.6 million to help the New England groundfish industry transition to Amendment 16.
Read the complete story at Sen. Snow’s website.