WaterWired

CRS InFocus Report: 'National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) FY2021 Budget Request and Appropriations'

Eva Lipiec wrote this CRS two-pager (1 September 2020): National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) FY2021 Budget Request and Appropriations

Download CRS_InFocus_NOAA_FY2021_Budget_Req_App_1Sepe2020

Here we go...Click on a graphic to enlarge it.

Summary
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s (NOAA’s) mission is to understand and predict changes in weather, climate, oceans, and coasts; to share that information with others; and to conserve and manage coastal and marine ecosystems and resources. NOAA’s work is divided among six line offices: National Environmental Satellite, Data, and Information Service (NESDIS); National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS); National Ocean Service (NOS); National Weather Service (NWS); Office of Oceanic and Atmospheric Research (OAR); and Office of Marine and Aviation Operations (OMAO). NOAA also has an overall Mission Support (MS) office, which provides planning, administrative, financial, information technology, and other services to NOAA’s line offices.

Congress generally funds NOAA, an agency of the Department of Commerce (DOC), in the annual Commerce, Justice, Science (CJS), and Related Agencies Appropriations Act. Congress provides NOAA with discretionary and mandatory appropriations. Discretionary appropriations support two broad accounts—operations, research, and facilities (ORF) and procurement, acquisition, and construction (PAC)—as well as several relatively small accounts. Mandatory appropriations generally provide a small percentage of total NOAA appropriations and are disbursed to a variety of funds that support programs in NOS, NMFS, and OMAO. This CRS product examines discretionary funding for ORF and PAC for FY2021 and potential issues for Congress, such as NOAA’s proposed changes to certain grant programs, satellite programs, and the agency’s role in space commerce, and the Promote and Develop American Fishery Products & Research Pertaining to American Fisheries Fund (P&D Fund).

Issues for Congress
According to NOAA’s FY2021 budget summary, the requested budget supports priorities to (1) reduce the impacts of extreme weather and water events, (2) expand the “American Blue Economy,” and (3) advance space innovation. 

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“Justice will not be served until those who are unaffected are as outraged as those who are." - Benjamin Franklin

CRS InFocus Report: 'A Brief Overview of FEMA’s Individual Assistance Program' Updated: 26 August 2020

Elizabeth M. Webster crafted this timely CRS InFocus two-pager on: 'A Brief Overview of FEMA’s Individual Assistance Program' (Updated: 26 August 2020).

Download CRS_InFocus_Report_FEMA_IA Pgm_26August2020

Hard to think of a more important domestic agency at this time of year - the North Atlantic Hurricane Season.

Click on the graphics to enlarge them.

Here we go:

Introduction
This In Focus provides an overview of the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s (FEMA’s) Individual Assistance (IA) program, including brief descriptions of some types of IA and the factors considered when determining whether to authorize IA pursuant to a declaration under the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act (Stafford Act; 42 U.S.C. §§5121 et seq.).

IA Programs
Federal assistance is intended to supplement—not supplant—the local, state, territorial, or Indian tribal government’s response and recovery efforts. For this reason, state, territorial, and Indian tribal governments do not automatically receive a presidential declaration of emergency or major disaster, nor do they automatically receive IA. Instead, generally, the governor or chief executive must request that the President declare an emergency or major disaster and that IA be authorized.

When authorized, the forms of IA that may be available to affected individuals and households include

•   Crisis Counseling Assistance and Training Program (CCP) provides grant funding to local, state, territorial, and Indian tribal governments, and nongovernmental organizations following a major disaster, to assist individuals and communities through community-based outreach and the provision of psycho-educational services.

•   Disaster Unemployment Assistance (DUA) may assist individuals ineligible for regular unemployment insurance who were previously employed or self- employed and rendered jobless, or whose employment was interrupted as a direct result of a major disaster.

•   Disaster Legal Services (DLS) may be provided for free to help low-income individuals secure benefits or make claims arising from a major disaster.

•   Disaster Case Management (DCM) partners case managers with disaster survivors to develop and implement disaster recovery plans that address their unmet needs following a major disaster.

•   Individuals and Households Program (IHP) provides financial and/or direct assistance, in the forms of Housing Assistance and Other Needs Assistance (ONA), to eligible individuals and households who have uninsured or under-insured necessary expenses and serious needs resulting from an emergency or major disaster, which cannot be met through other means or forms of assistance.

Figure 1 depicts the general timing of IA program delivery (see report for extensive notes):

Cutting to the chase...

FEMA also considers other relevant information submitted by the governor or chief executive. Figure 2 depicts the declaration request process.

Stay safe!

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"You do have a plan for when Zoom goes down, correct?" - @ass_deans

CRS Wildfire Report Twofer: 1) '2020 Wildfire Season: Brief Overview of FEMA Programs and Resources'; 2) 'Wildfire Statistics'

Timely and updated CRS reports devoted to wildfires and the 2020 season. All graphics are from the second report. Click on a graphic to enlarge it.

1) 2020 Wildfire Season: Brief Overview of FEMA Programs and Resources

This brief (3 pages) CRS report by Diane P. Horn et al. contains a number of hot links that may not be active in the PDF copy below. Click on the title above to view online  

Download CRS_Insight_2020_Wildfire_FEMA_Pgms_21August2020

Introduction
This Insight provides a brief overview of Fire Management Assistance Grant (FMAG) declarations and federal assistance programs that may be available for wildfires on nonfederal lands.

Wildfire Forecasts and Response Framework
The federal government has the responsibility for wildfires that begin on federal lands; states are responsible for wildfires that begin on nonfederal lands. For comingled land ownership, response efforts may be managed jointly across multiple federal, state, tribal, or local agencies. Information on response efforts (e.g., responding agency, assigned resources, and evacuation warnings, orders, and center locations) for ongoing incidents is available from the Incident Information System website. In addition, some states operate incident information websites (e.g., incident information in California).

The federal government supports state wildfire response efforts in several ways, including mutual aid agreements, which authorize federal and state resource sharing. The agreements allow for a coordinated interagency response that deploys resources to areas of greatest critical need. Response activities are coordinated regionally through 10 Geographic Area Coordination Centers (GACCs) and nationally through the National Interagency Fire Center (NIFC).

In addition to response activities, NIFC and the GACCs coordinate national and regional information regarding wildfire potential through their respective Predictive Services Programs. Daily, weekly, monthly, and seasonal trend forecasts are produced by combining information about fuel (e.g., brush or other ignitable vegetation) conditions, fire danger, and fire weather. Fire weather conditions are derived from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s National Weather Service (NWS). According to NWS, these conditions involve combinations of periods of sustained winds, relative humidity values at or below regional thresholds, and temperatures at or above certain levels occurring in areas that have dry fuels.

2) 'Wildfire Statistics'

Katie Hoover and Laura A. Hanson updated this earlier report.

Download CRS_InFocus_Wildfire_Stats_20August2020

Wildfires are unplanned and unwanted fires, including lightning-caused fires, unauthorized human-caused fires, and escaped prescribed fire projects. States are responsible for responding to wildfires that begin on nonfederal (state, local, and private) lands, except for lands protected by federal agencies under cooperative agreements. The federal government is responsible for responding to wildfires that begin on federal lands. The Forest Service (FS)—within the U.S. Department of Agriculture—carries out wildfire management and response across the 193 million acres of the National Forest System. The Department of the Interior (DOI) manages wildfire response for more than 400 million acres of national parks, wildlife refuges and preserves, other public lands, and Indian reservations.

Wildfire statistics help to illustrate past U.S. wildfire activity. Nationwide data compiled by the National Interagency Fire Center (NIFC) indicate that the number of annual wildfires is variable but has decreased slightly over the last 30 years andthat the number of acres burned annually, while also variable, generally has increased (see Figure 1). Every year since 2000, an average of 71,300 wildfires burned an average of 6.9 million acres. This figure is more than double the average annual acreage burned in the 1990s (3.3 million acres), although a greater number of fires occurred annually in the 1990s (78,600 on average).

Issus for Congress
Issues for Congress include the strategies and resources used for wildfire management and the impact of wildfires on both the quality of life and the economy of communities surrounding wildfire activity. Congress also considers the total federal cost of wildfire management, including the cost of suppression operations, costs that vary annually and are difficult to predict.

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"The greatest challenge to any thinker is stating the problem in a way that will allow a solution." - Bertrand Russell

More Sharon B. Megdal Reflections: On Wicked Water Problems

Dr. Sharon B. Megdal, Director of the University of Arizona's Water Resources Research Center and a friend and colleague, published this piece earlier this month and I am repeating here.

She also asked if the Water Buffalo symbol should be retired and would like your opinion by 24 August. What are we talking about? Go here,  

Download Reflections-wicked-water-problems_August 2020

Hare is Sharon's piece:

Although my spring-summer sabbatical lecture tour did not take place as planned due to COVID-19, I did deliver more than a dozen lectures and participated in several programs and interviews. My topic of wicked water problems was the most requested and one on which I will continue to focus. Not only does this topic afford me an opportunity to explore significant water challenges at varying geographic and geopolitical scales, it enables me to focus on the process for forging pathways to addressing them.

I begin my discussion of wicked water problems by citing Lisa Beutler’s excellent 2016 article, which was based on her keynote lecture at the Water Resource Research Center’s 2016 annual conference. I encourage all to read her concise exposition. These quotations are particularly salient. “Lately, more and more water problems seemingly defy standard solutions. This typically occurs for four reasons: incomplete or contradictory knowledge, the number of people and opinions involved, the large economic burden, and the interconnected nature of these problems with other problems.” Beutler points out that the necessary collaborations must involve more than water managers. She adds that “[i]nterdisciplinary collaboration that captures a broader knowledge of science, economics, statistics, technology, psychology, politics, and more is required…” to mitigate the negative consequences of wicked water problems. A key characteristic of wicked water problems, therefore, is that they are mitigated rather than solved, meaning that finding a pathway is the goal rather than trying to identify an ultimate solution. While partial or short-term solutions are implemented, the work continues.

(Click on the graphic to enlarge it)

Before fleshing out some examples, which I do not have space to do so in this essay, I point out the importance of context to analysis of wicked water problems. I often show a slide listing several of the factors that determine “on-the-ground” water policy and management. Among these are laws, regulations, and policies. The legal and institutional framework, including the degree to which decision-making is centralized, will be region-specific. Thus, maps always help clarify the geographic and geopolitical context for water issues of any kind, especially those that span

shared borders. In recent lectures, I have discussed four examples from the Colorado River Basin: overcommitment of groundwater in the Pinal Active Management Area; shortage of Colorado River flows relative to demands within Arizona and across the basin; limited consideration of water for natural systems; and the Navajo Nation’s inadequate water infrastructure, which has been spotlighted by the COVID-19 pandemic. Additional examples of wicked problems I mention involve water in the Middle East and include Lower Jordan River flows and the Dead Sea, water and wastewater services, and water scarcity, particularly in Jordan. While many more wicked water problems can be identified – and I ask listeners to think about what water problems they would identify as wicked – these examples enable me to discuss factors that contribute to mitigating them.

Process is very important to the search for pathways to solutions, which are often common across the regions I discuss. Solutions include conservation, augmentation, reuse, water transactions, and other actions at individual, community, and regional levels. Partnerships are critical to developing information collaboratively so that the parties can be “on the same page”. Whether within states and regions, across states, or across national boundaries, functioning cooperative mechanisms are critical. I emphasize the word “functioning” because it is not enough to have cooperative mechanisms on paper. Effective partnerships are built on respect and trust. Trust depends on mutually respectful, positive collaborative experiences. Stakeholder involvement is key. We are definitely seeing more inclusive processes, yet there is often room for improvement. Though live streaming of meetings had been increasing before the COVID-19 pandemic, since the demise of in-person meetings, meeting virtually has become the norm. Interestingly, this situation has enhanced participation of stakeholders who may not be officially “at the table” or able to travel long distances to in-person meetings. Good communication of all kinds is imperative to identifying and understanding the potential of alternative actions that contribute to mitigating wicked water problems. Because there are no quick fixes, both patience and persistence are necessary when working on complex matters over long periods of time.

For many years, I personally have had the opportunity to share lessons learned – both good and sometimes not-so-good – across different geographic and sociocultural communities. I have organized sessions for cross-regional learning and sharing, including but not limited to the 2009 Arizona-Israeli-Palestinian Water Management and Policy workshop in Tucson, the 2016 Middle East visit of the International Boundary and Water Commission commissioners, the 2017 Tel Aviv joint American Water Resources Association – Tel Aviv University conference on wicked water problems, and the 2019 Tel Aviv conference panel on implementing technologies across borders. All of these events are chronicled in previous Public Policy Columns and Reflections. During the 2019 panel, I asked panelists: What are the most important variables or factors that contribute to collaborating on implementing technologies across borders? Very high on their lists were functioning relationships. Several noted that being able to get to know your partners through sitting down together for meals fosters the friendships and relationships that can facilitate the work required to forge formal agreements. There can be peaks and lows. Identifying win-win opportunities can be difficult, and when working with neighbors of different cultures and languages, good communication, sincerity, and leadership are essential.

In her article, Lisa Beutler states, “Managing wicked problems is a new kind of work. It requires changing the questions, managing uncertainty, and creating resilience. It does not solve existing problems but instead drives to a desired future state.” Technology and economics are determinants of pathways to solutions, as are processes for working with and through stakeholders. Efforts to educate at all levels will contribute to identifying and evaluating options. Good work is continuing. But my recent webinar lectures on wicked water problems (see, for example, my May 2020 WRRC webinar) ended with this question, which is reflective of the COVID-19 times in which we live: When will we be able to meet and eat with our partners?

Last month Sharon gave an AWRA webinar: Developing Pathways to Solutions to Wicked Water Problems. Click here to access this recording. Here is the PDF of that PPT: 

Download Megdal_AWRA_WIckedWaterProblems_15July2020

Good stuff!

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"It's so much darker when a light goes out than it would have been if it had never shone." - John Steinbeck

CRS InFocus Report: 'Wildfire Statistics'

If you're like many you are wondering "What happened to the 2020 wildfire season?" COVID-19 is what happened, that's what. The pandemic has driven most things from the headlines, except for 'local' fires.

To see what's going on and where, check the National Interagency Fire Center. I just checked and there are 48 active large fires.

Katie Hoover and Laura A. Hanson have updated (3 August 2020) the CRS report 'Wildfore Statistics'.

Download CRS_InFocus_Wildfire_Stats_3August2020

From the report:

Wildfires are unplanned and unwanted fires, including lightning-caused fires, unauthorized human-caused fires, and escaped prescribed fire projects. States are responsible for responding to wildfires that begin on nonfederal (state, local, and private) lands, except for lands protected by federal agencies under cooperative agreements. The federal government is responsible for responding to wildfires that begin on federal lands. The Forest Service (FS)—within the U.S. Department of Agriculture—carries out wildfire management and response across the 193 million acres of the National Forest System. The Department of the Interior (DOI) manages wildfire response for more than 400 million acres of national parks, wildlife refuges and preserves, other public lands, and Indian reservations.

Wildfire statistics help to illustrate past U.S. wildfire activity. Nationwide data compiled by the National Interagency Fire Center (NIFC) indicate that the number of annual wildfires is variable but has decreased slightly over the last 30 years and that the number of acres burned annually, while also variable, generally has increased (see Figure 1). Every year since 2000, an average of 71,300 wildfires burned an average of 6.9 million acres. This figure is more than double the average annual acreage burned in the 1990s (3.3 million acres), although a greater number of fires occurred annually in the 1990s (78,600 on average).

 

Over the past 10 years, there were an average of 64,100 wildfires annually and an average of 6.8 million acres burned annually. In 2019, 50,477 wildfires burned 4.7 million acres nationwide, below the annual average for both statistics. More than half of the acreage burned in 2019 was in Alaska (2.5 million acres), which was the only area that experienced significantly above-average wildfire activity for the year. The 2015 fire season was the largest on record, with 10.1 million acres burned (see Figure 2); more than half of these acres were in Alaska (5.1 million acres). 

As of August 3, 2020, over 32,000 wildfires have burned nearly 2.2 million acres this year. The nationwide preparedness level is a 3 (out of 5). 

More to read and see! 

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“A house you can rebuild; a bridge you can restring; a washed-out road you can fill in. But there is nothing you can do about a tree but mourn.” - Louise Dickinson Rich