Mark Udall: “the Space Environment Center is a part of NOAA's National Weather Service, and it is the only civil provider of space…”

“the Space Environment Center is a part of NOAA's National Weather Service, and it is the only civil provider of space weather warnings. These warnings enable government and private sector operators to take actions to minimize disruptions in service and damage to critical infrastructure. Last year, the Space Environment Center received a $4 million cut, a cut of about 44 percent from its $7 million budget. NOAA, in order to prevent degradation of services reprogrammed funds from other programs to continue the operations of the Space Environment Center. But in this cycle, if the Center receives $5 million as proposed in the bill, it will be forced to make substantial cuts in its staffing. As a national critical system, should the capabilities of the center go down, the Air Force currently provides data as a back-up. However, with this proposed budget, the center will not be able to maintain a liaison position with the Air Force, potentially harming its operations and the continuity of its services. So, in that spirit, with that background, Mr. Chairman, I have two questions. Would you agree that the space weather warnings are a vital service to many of our space-based assets and that more funding is needed for the Space Environment Center? And if so, would you be willing to work in conference to increase funding for the center?”