Many of the long cards in the 1ac (including ones that have tags that start with ) are useful to answer the counterplan in the packet
Download 1.24 Mb.
|
- Navigate this page:
- ( ) Budget pressures put weather satellites on chopping block --- triggers longer data coverage gaps
- ( ) Increased funding for weather satellites requires cuts or continued constraints on other programs
2nc Link BlockCostly NOAA satellite programs have required reductions in other ocean policiesRepresentative Smith, 14 (4/30/2014, Rep. Smith, Lamar - (R-TX), Congressional Documents and Publications. House Science, Space, and Technology Subcommittee on Environment Hearing - "An Overview of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Budget Request for FY2015," Factiva, JMP) Meanwhile the chronic cost over-runs of NOAA's satellites have forced significant reductions in funding for important activities in areas such as oceans, fisheries, and weather. ( ) Cuts to ocean and fishing programs have been critical to fund weather satellites --- full funding is key to keep the program on trackMorello, 12 (3/21/2012, Lauren, “Soaring Satellite Costs Spur U.S. Government to Seek Budget Cuts; NOAA's ambitious plans for new satellites are consuming more of the agency's budget, prompting questions from lawmakers,” http://www.scientificamerican.com/article/soaring-satellite-costs-spur-us-government-to-seek-budget-cuts/, JMP) The spiraling cost of satellite programs at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration has lawmakers from both parties sniffing around for a strategy to trim the agency's budget. But there are no easy options to cut satellite spending and ensure the quality of weather forecasts and warnings to which Americans are accustomed, Obama administration officials said yesterday. The White House's fiscal 2013 budget request seeks $5.1 billion for NOAA -- a request that amounts to a slight increase over current spending, but one that balances growing satellite costs with cuts to weather, oceans, fisheries and research programs. It's a necessary evil, Commerce Secretary John Bryson told members of the House Appropriations subcommittee that handles NOAA's budget. "I believe we have to put full priority in the satellite programs," he said. "National security is absolutely at stake." NOAA Administrator Jane Lubchenco sounded a similar line during her subsequent appearance before the Commerce, Justice and Science appropriations panel. "Satellites are expensive," she said. "We have tried to make a lot of tough choices, but in light of the importance of these satellites to provide weather warnings, disaster warnings, we believe they are vitally important." An unwelcome message That was an unwelcome message for lawmakers like Rep. Norm Dicks (D-Wash.), the ranking member of the full House Appropriations Committee. "Just a few years ago, in [fiscal] 2010, satellite procurement represented just over 25 percent of the NOAA budget. In this [fiscal] 2013 proposal, that jumps to 36.6 percent," he said. "This situation seems unsustainable." Pennsylvania Democrat Chaka Fattah suggested that NOAA's satellites were "eating at other needed services." Subcommittee Chairman Frank Wolf (R-Va.) repeatedly compared NOAA's Joint Polar Satellite System, which accounts for a hefty percentage of the agency's current satellite budget, to NASA's troubled James Webb Space Telescope, years behind schedule and well over its original budget. But Lubchenco told lawmakers that the data that will be collected by JPSS is crucial for accurate weather forecasts and warnings -- and it is not available from any other source.
NOAA has committed to cap JPSS's overall cost at $12.9 billion, she said, but keeping the program on track would require Congress to award the agency the full $916 million it is seeking for the satellite effort in fiscal 2013. ( ) Budget pressures put weather satellites on chopping block --- triggers longer data coverage gapsGillis, 11 (4/14/2011, Justin, “Weather Satellites on the Chopping Block,” http://green.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/04/14/weather-satellites-on-the-chopping-block/?_php=true&_type=blogs&_php=true&_type=blogs&_r=1, JMP) As my colleagues Eric Lichtblau, Ron Nixon and I report in summary form in Thursday morning’s paper, the budget deal moving through Capitol Hill slashes funds that the Obama administration requested for a satellite program considered vital for the nation’s weather forecasting. That raises the prospect of less accurate forecasts and other problems, some of them potentially life-threatening, starting in 2016. Jane Lubchenco, head of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, warned at a Senate hearing on Wednesday that the cutbacks would probably lead to a serious gap in satellite data, undermining National Weather Service forecasts. Research by her agency suggests that without the type of capability that the proposed satellites were expected to provide, the weather service might fumble forecasts of future events similar to the huge snowstorms that hit Washington and New York the last two winters. “It’s a big risk,” said Daniel Sobien, head of the union that represents government weather forecasters. Forecasters would still have access to data from satellites not affected by the cutbacks, but those would offer less detailed coverage of the country, which is why the weather forecasts would become less accurate.
Dr. Lubchenco warned that even if Congress restarted the program, the government would probably wind up spending $3 or $4 for every dollar saved by halting it this year. “We have to cancel the contracts — we have to let people go,” she said. “These are very sophisticated, skilled workers. Then you need to bring the programs back up.” ( ) Over-prioritizing immediate needs forces a tradeoff --- NOAA weather investments are key to ensure continued economic growthLubchenco, 12 --- Under Secretary of Commerce for Oceans and Atmosphere and NOAA Administrator (2/13/2012, Dr. Jane Lubchenco, “Statement from Dr. Jane Lubchenco on NOAA’s FY 2013 Budget Request,” http://www.noaanews.noaa.gov/stories2012/20120213_budget_statement.html, JMP) Americans today face challenging economic times. Families are sitting down at their kitchen tables and making tough choices with tighter budgets. Businesses are weighing whether to hire new employees or expand operations. Communities are challenged to determine which essential services to provide to their citizens and businesses. Across the country, we are forced to balance between immediate needs and future investments. Everyone has to share in the collective effort to reduce the deficit. At NOAA, we too are facing the tough choices of how best to balance the national priorities in science, service and stewardship entrusted to NOAA, while at the same time living within our means. We will still strive to deliver on core missions that Americans have come to depend on each and every day by providing the best information for life and safety, ensuring healthy and productive ecosystems in our oceans and coastal areas, and continuing important research and development. And we will redouble our efforts to make disciplined choices and smart investments, and to seek out new partnerships whenever possible. This year’s budget request of approximately $5.1 billion aims to (1) provide immediate life-saving and job-supporting services needed to prepare and protect American communities and infrastructure and (2) invest in science and research that will enhance America’s competitiveness. It reflects a continued commitment to stewardship of coastal and ocean resources, which in turn benefits coastal economies. It includes tough choices and sacrifices made in the face of tightening budgets, with valuable programs reduced or terminated to accommodate critical investments that could not be delayed to ensure we can meet national priorities. Services that save lives and help businesses succeed NOAA’s services save lives and protect livelihoods. Last year (2011) rewrote the record books on extreme events. From crippling snowstorms to the second deadliest tornado year on record, to epic floods, drought and heat and the third busiest hurricane season on record, we’ve witnessed the extreme of nearly every weather category. These events provided a sobering reminder about our vulnerability to the impacts of extreme weather and climate. This budget allows NOAA to improve severe weather warnings by producing and delivering forecasts that Americans have come to trust, provide services in a cost-effective manner, and continue to reduce weather-related fatalities. This budget also provides for continued timely advancement of the nation’s next-generation weather satellites. Healthy environment and a healthy economy NOAA’s stewardship responsibilities support coastal economies and provide tourism opportunities, storm protection, safe energy, and recreational and commercial fishing – integral facets of our economy at large. This budget allows us to maintain some of the core stewardship programs that our nation’s coastal communities have come to rely on, such as sustainable fisheries, marine sanctuaries and coastal management. We will work tirelessly to enhance our partnerships and find innovative solutions to conserve and protect our ocean and coastal resources. Investing in science today for a better tomorrow Science is at the heart of NOAA’s services and stewardship. A more accurate hurricane track forecast today is the result of smart research investments of the past. Putting America’s fishing industry on a sustainable and profitable path depends on investments in the best fisheries science. NOAA’s science enhances our understanding of and ability to predict changes in the Earth’s environment, an increasingly crucial role given the economic and environmental challenges we face. NOAA is making key investments in the next generation of research and informational products to protect our environment, enhance our security, and spur economic recovery. This budget provides necessary investments to improve our understanding of climate processes and support research that will help fuel a clean energy economy.
NOAA is in our communities. Our employees are your colleagues, neighbors and friends. As individuals and as an agency, we are partners in the success of families, businesses and communities. This budget keeps our commitment to deliver the services, the stewardship, and the smart investment in the science that America needs. ( ) Increased funding for weather satellites requires cuts or continued constraints on other programsTracton, 12 (3/29/2012, Steve, “National Weather Service budget cuts misguided, misplaced,” http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/capital-weather-gang/post/national-weather-service-budget-cuts-misguided-misplaced/2012/03/29/gIQAmm6qiS_blog.html, JMP) The NOAA fiscal year 2013 budget request (page 7), included in the Obama Administration’s submission to Congress, calls for more than $2 billion dollars for the agency’s weather satellite programs, an increase $163 million from 2012. Not surprisingly, the increase means other areas within NOAA are slated for decreased funding. Of interest here is that the President’s 2013 budget for the National Weather Service (NWS) reduces funding by $36.4 million in operations and research (page 4-63) Is there something wrong with this picture of enormous investments for satellites at the expense of relatively miniscule costs of valuable components of NWS’s operational mission? In the opinion of many, including myself, the answer is a confident yes. One striking way to look at this is to note that $2 billion for weather satellites is more than twice that of the entire NWS ($972 million)! Moreover, the casualties of the 2013 budget cuts are just the tip of the iceberg of implicit budget constraints (not actual cuts) imposed for years by satellite programs on other promising and much less costly programs within the NWS.
Directory: 2014 2014 -> For want of a nail 2014 -> The Global Warming that Wasn’t 2014 -> Assembly, No. 3901 state of new jersey 216th legislature 2014 -> Stop Militarizing Law Enforcement Act of 2014 2014 -> Ihbb asian Championships 2014 middle school bowl Round 4 First Quarter 2014 -> Unit: Automotive and Auto Body 2014 -> Ihbb european Championships 2014 Bowl Round 4 First Quarter 2014 -> International History Bee and Bowl 2013-14 Asian Division Question Set Bowl Round Six 2014 -> United states patent and trademark office 2014 -> Walnut creek, ca branch executive committee meeting minutes Download 1.24 Mb. Share with your friends:
|