EXECUTIVE ORDER PROJECT - FEDERAL WORKFORCE: How Will NOAA, NWS Cuts Affect Our Region?
By Martin Davis
EDITOR-IN-CHIEF
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News this morning from the Washington Post that at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) “hundreds of probationary employees responsible for producing critical weather forecasts, maintaining radar systems, gathering data from satellites and monitoring key commercial fisheries” had been let go has elevated concerns nationwide about how the impacts will affect everything from weather forecasts to coastal viability.
At this point it’s not known how many people in Virginia may be affected by the layoffs.
The Advance reached out to the Greater Atlantic Regional Fisheries Office in Gloucester, Virginia, to ask if it had been affected. The individual reached said they could not speak to the question and directed the Advance to Sarah Bland, deputy regional administrator for the Greater Atlantic Regional Fisheries Office, who did not answer when called. A voice message has not been returned as of publication time.
Statewide, there are a number of NOAA and National Weather Service (NWS) agencies and programs, though none in the 7th Congressional District, according to the publication “NOAA in Your State: Virginia.”
While there appears to be no physical presence in our area, NOAA’s work directly affects our region.
“Many people are not aware that it is actually NOAA that is in charge of protecting all marine species on the Endangered Species List, such as the Atlantic sturgeon, marine mammals (like dolphins), and sea turtles that all spend time in the Bay,” said Dr. Melanie Szulczewski — an associate professor of earth and environmental sciences at the University of Mary Washington — in an email to the Advance.
“We all depend on NOAA and NWS for accurate weather and storm predictions and forecasts,” she continued, “especially in this region, where we must be prepared for tropical storms, hurricanes, derechos, severe thunderstorms, snowstorms, and other weather events.”
“Just this month,” Szulczewski said, “snowstorm predictions allowed the government and schools to close early to allow tens of thousands of people to get home before the roads got treacherous.”
Dr. Pamela R. Grothe, also an associate professor of earth and environmental sciences at Mary Washington, formerly worked at the NOAA building in Boulder, Colorado.
“There are so many functions that NOAA serves to protect our coasts and keep communities and people safe,” she wrote the Advance in an email.
“For example, I was part of a team that contributed to tsunami hazards, and the work I did directly supported the development of tsunami evacuation zones. NOAA oversees the mapping of our coastal regions for navigation. They are also directly working with the State Department on exclusive economic zones, defining who owns the resources of the seabed.”
Asked if there are NOAA-funded projects locally that could potentially be affected, Grothe said she was not aware of specific local projects, but that “the layoffs will have an impact on any local work related to the Chesapeake Bay. They are in partnership with the Chesapeake Bay Program.”
Stay with the Advance as we continue to investigate this story and its ramifications for our area.
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