John Hickenlooper Questions NOAA Nominee Dr. Neil Jacobs on Funding and Data Collection

NOAA Funding Debate

• 💡 Senator Hickenlooper opened by highlighting that natural disasters cost over $182 billion in damages last year, underscoring NOAA's importance.
• 🎯 When asked if NOAA funding is too much or too little, Dr. Jacobs stated, "I don't know that you could spend too much on the research."

Forecasting and Data Integrity

• 🚀 The discussion shifted to improving natural disaster forecasting, with emphasis on gaining even a few extra hours of warning time.
• ⚠️ Concerns were raised about potential data collection and storage cuts at the National Center for Environmental Information.
• ✅ Dr. Jacobs committed to ensuring that data is archived and accessible if confirmed as NOAA Administrator.

Satellite Data and Program Continuity

• 🛰️ Senator Hickenlooper inquired about concerns regarding efforts to limit costs around data collection from satellites, specifically the Defense Meteorological Satellite Program (DMSP).
• 📊 Dr. Jacobs explained that DMSP funding was terminated in 2015, but its sensors have provided valuable data. He noted that alternative instruments and follow-on programs are in place or planned to backfill the data.
• 🌍 He also mentioned the potential for data sharing with international partners like the European Space Agency.

Cooperative Institutes and Wildfire Research

• 🎓 Senator Hickenlooper highlighted the importance of NOAA's cooperative institutes with universities like Colorado State and the University of Colorado, which involve graduate students in research.
• 🔥 He also mentioned the fire weather test bed in Denver, crucial for wildfire resilience research.