AAS ACTION ALERT 2003-03

Act By: September 1, 2003

SUMMARY

The Space Environment Center operated by
NOAA received a severe cut to its budget
in the Omnibus appropriations bill of FY2003
and this cut has not been restored in the
House Appropriations Bill for FY2004.
Members are asked to contact their Senators
to help address this issue.

BACKGROUND

The Space Environment Center provides a
range of services to the Nation related to
space weather phenomena. Among other
activities, the Center provides real-time
monitoring and forecasting of solar and
geophysical events, conducts research in
solar-terrestrial physics, and develops
techniques for forecasting solar and
geophysical disturbances.

The center also jointly operates the Space
Weather Operations Center with the U.S. Air
Force and serves as the national and world
warning center for disturbances that can
affect people and equipment working in the
space environment.

In the Omnibus appropriations bill for
FY 2003, the SEC received a severe cut to
its budget of about 40% with no explanation
for the reduction.

Although the President requested about
$8.3 million for SEC in his FY 2004 budget
request (an amount consistent with its past
budgetary levels), the House Commerce-Justice
Appropriations subcommittee provided only
$5.2 million, or roughly 40% less than the
amount necessary to maintain the SEC at its
current operational effectiveness.
No explanatory text was included in the bill
to justify this reduction, but it is consistent
with the overall reduction to the Department
of Commerce R&D budget of 21.5%.

The Senate has not yet crafted its
Commerce-Justice appropriations bill and the
House version has not yet made it to the floor
of the House for a vote, leaving AAS members
plenty of time to act on this issue.

ACTION REQUESTED

AAS members are asked to contact both their
Representative and their Senators asking that
the Space Environment Center, which is funded
through the Department of Commerce be supported
at the President's requested level of
$8.291 million for FY 2004. A sample letter is
included below for reference. Please modify the
letter to reflect your personal opinions and
experience.

The Space Environment Center is located deep
within the hierarchy of the Department of
Commerce. It is one of the National Centers
for Environmental Prediction, which are all
operated by the Office of Oceanic and Atmospheric
Research within the National Oceanic and
Atmospheric Administration.

It is due, in part, to this very deep location
in the Department of Commerce structure that
its budgetary cuts have not been widely noticed.

Caty Pilachowski, AAS President

and

Kevin B. Marvel, Deputy Executive Officer

SAMPLE LETTER

Dear Senator,

I am writing to you to ask that you contact the
appropriations committee and request that the
Space Environment Center (SEC) be funded for
FY2004 at the President's requested level of
$8,291,000.

The SEC is one of the National Centers for
Environmental Prediction, which are operated
by the Office of Oceanic and Atmospheric Research
of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric
Administration. The SEC was strongly endorsed
by the National Research Council in the recently
released decadal strategy report for solar and
space physics. Additionally, the SEC provides a
number of services that are important for our
Nation and our Nation's security. For example,
GPS satellites are sensitive to space weather
and have broad relevance for both civilian
safety and national security. With early
alerts, the satellites can be made secure
against the worst impacts of severe space
weather.

The center, in cooperation with the US Air
Force, operates the Space Weather Operations
Center, which serves as the national early
warning center for space disturbances that
can affect people and equipment working in
the space environment. This includes research
satellites such as the Hubble Space Telescope
as well as communications satellites and the
astronauts on the Space Station. The center
also performs research in solar-terrestrial
physics, develops techniques for forecasting
solar and geophysical disturbances and
provided real-time monitoring and forecasting
of solar and geophysical events. I encourage
you to visit their website
http://www.sec.noaa.gov/ to fully appreciate
their importance to our Nation's space endeavors.

If I can be of any assistance to you in the
future, please do not hesitate to contact me
directly. I am happy to provide further expert
advice on any issue related to science or arrange
for a tour of our facility for you or your staff.

Sincerely,

Stahrs R. Twinklin, Ph.D.

_______________________________________

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