Loss of that phytoplankton will literally have an unbelievable impact.

I think this funding level creates very serious challenges for the program.

This is another area that could benefit from enhanced resources.

We believe very much in the importance of the data that needs to be collected and the missing gap that we think is currently there on climate change.

I personally believe it is hard to get any kind of acquisition program done by committee. That is a very tough challenge.

Would it not be better if we had a specific pool of funding?

Well, I think we should attempt, given this situation being at a crisis level, to get that and get to that point.

this Committee definitely is going to be more focused on elevation of the oceans and waterways and the health of the oceans and waterways

Well, I think the interest that we have from a Northwest perspective is that these collaborative efforts, given the solutions to our problems are more often than not the coordination of theses various entities taking on new roles and…

If the health of the oceans was ranked on a scale of A being the healthiest, F being failing, where would we be right now in your assessment, given the gravity of this situation with acidification?

Would that increase be helpful to the project? Undoubtedly.

I would encourage you to formalize that and to move forward with it as quickly as possible.

the Government must make a greater investment in oceans, coastal management and conservation.

the blue economy faces an uncertain future due to climate change, pollution, and greater demands for marine resources.

Thank you, Dr. Lubchenco. I want to add my thanks to you on the recognition of the Doppler system that is necessary for the West Coast, particularly the Pacific Northwest.

It has been very successful, and we hope that it will get the focused attention from NOAA that it deserves.

So the White House has a coordinated effort, and Dr. Holdren is the lead on that.

Each new detail coming out of the investigation into the crash of the Colgan Air Flight 3407 in Buffalo, New York, turns out to be even more disturbing than the last.

On the FAA's website, under agency values, it says quote 'Safety is our passion. We are the world leaders in aerospace safety.'

Company culture plays a more significant role than many of us like to admit.

I know enough, from having studied this, that there are a lot of recommendations out there that are not yet implemented, and I don't want the next airplane tragedy to be one in which we discussed a recommendation that we knew about, but…

And how would you direct those research dollars? What is the best way to, if we want to accelerate what we have done so far, both in the amount of money, but obviously because these very species and sources that you are talking about…

We must pass climate change legislation to reduce our carbon emissions.

We do not have much time and that there will be calamitous effects if we do not act.

So that sounds to me like maybe a little more than doubling of the budget over 4 years. Is that a yes or a no?