§60505 Coordination with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

Summary

The Administrator and the Administrator of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration must set up a Joint Working Group to review and monitor both agencies’ missions. The group must make sure mission design, operation, and any moves from research to operations are well coordinated and must prepare the transition plans described below. By February 15 each year, the two Administrators must send a joint report to the Committee on Science and Technology of the House of Representatives and the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation of the Senate explaining how their Earth science programs will be coordinated for the next fiscal year. The Administrator, working with the NOAA Administrator and consulting other agencies, must check which science missions could become operational and must make transition plans for any existing or future Earth observing systems that could do that. No mission or observing system may be transferred to NOAA until both Administrators approve the plan and the President’s budget request for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration includes money to support the transfer.