Approximately 45 percent of the agency’s workforce, or 5,400 NOAA employees, will be forced to remain at home. Photo: NOAA
from News Report and NOAA Websites
With the collapse of negations on federal appropriations between the U.S. House of Representatives and the U.S. Senate, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) will continue to operate with only limited operations, including the Gulf of Mexico.
The Silver Springs, MD-based governmental organization is losing approximately half of its staff during the shutdown. According to a recent Department of Commerce Department document outlining its shutdown plan; roughly 6,600 NOAA employees will remain on the job.
Most of the workers staying are from the National Weather Service, which is required to continue functioning to identify “imminent threats to protect life and property”. In addition, approximately 500 employees from the National Marine Fisheries Service, which regulates and enforces laws related to marine wildlife, will also remain in place.
Approximately 45 percent of the agency’s workforce, or 5,400 NOAA employees, will be forced to remain at home.
“Grants officers will not be available during a lapse in appropriations, said program director Mitchell. J. Ross in an online statement. “The Grants Online System will not be available. As a result of limited federal operations, recipients who are paid on a reimbursable basis will be unable to receive payment during a lapse in appropriations. The Automatic Standard Application for Payment (ASAP) system is anticipated to be operational during a lapse in appropriations. Unless specifically notified to stop work, performance under Grants and Cooperative Agreements may continue during the lapse in appropriations.
NOAA’s Sea Grant – @SeaGrant – will not be Tweeting or responding to @ replies during the shutdown.
The public affairs staff at NOAA has also been furloughed. Emails are returned with “I am currently unavailable to take e-mails due to the lapse in FY14 appropriations. If you leave a message, I will be unable to respond until an appropriations bill has passed and our operations are able to resume. I sincerely regret this inconvenience and look forward to responding ASAP to any message you may leave.”
A few NOAA’s websites will remain functioning, but most carry the warning “This site will remain accessible during the federal government shutdown. However, information on the site may not be up to date and we may not be able to respond to inquiries until appropriations are enacted.”
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