S. 140 would require the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) to contract with the National Academy of Sciences (NAS) to complete two studies and report the results to the Congress. One study would assess the supply of skilled labor in the federal, private, and nonprofit sectors for oceanic and atmospheric research. The other would assess whether a new advanced oceanic research agency is needed within NOAA.
S. 140 also would direct NOAA to evaluate the benefits of using emerging technology to support oceanic research and monitoring within several programs. The bill would require NOAA, in coordination with the Bureau of Economic Analysis, to periodically study the value and effects of industries related to the Great Lakes and other major bodies of water in the United States and to report those findings biennially to the Congress. Finally, the bill would require NOAA to establish a competition to develop fisheries monitoring equipment and data analysis tools.
The bill states that no appropriations are authorized to implement the requirements. However, using information on similar activities, CBO expects that NOAA would require seven additional full-time-equivalent employees as well as additional equipment and funding to service the NAS contracts and award prizes under the new competition. Using information on the duration of and awards given out for recent prize competitions administered by NOAA, CBO expects prizes would total about $600,000 and would be awarded in 2026.
On that basis, CBO estimates that implementing S. 140 would cost $6 million over the 2022‑2026 period; such spending would be subject to the availability of appropriated amounts.
