1. SECOORA Annual Meeting June 2007 Josie Quintrell, Executive Director

2. 11 Regional Associations All at various stages of maturity PacIOOS CaRA

3. The 11 Regions came together to form National Federation of Regional Associations (NFRA) Founded in February, 2005 A non-profit association dedicated to: –Representing the needs of the 11 Regional Association to IOOS partners and others –Developing “one voice” for the regional perspective –Education through communication of lessons learned, success stories

4. The Critical Issue: Funding FY07 -- “The Valley of Death” –CR ~ $15-16 m for Regions ($11.5m for IOOS BAA; $4.5m for PG and $2 m for NOAA BAA) FY 08 -- $11.5 in President’s Budget –IOOS Coalition asking for $50m for competitive funds for region –2 BAAs for 08 (PG and RCOOS) – Announce in June/July 07 Proposal due ~ Nov 07 Awards expected ~ April 08 FY10 ~ Transition to contracts

5. Legislation S 950 and HR 2337 (Energy Policy and Reform Act of 2007) House marked up bill last week – IOOS was the only none controversial section Senate expected to mark up the bill by end of June Legislation key for 1) RA liability 2) Program Office 3) Certification 4) Federal participation on RAs and 5) Transferring funds between federal agencies

6. Comparison of IOOS Bills S 950HR 2337 OversightNORLC IWGNot requiredYes IPOYesIn NOAA NOAA LeadYes RegionsRAs and RCOOSRICEs Adv PanelNoYes LiabilityYes Fed Participation on RA Yes Interagency Fin.Yes Authorization amountUp to $150,000No

7. Comparison, con’t. S 950HR 2337 IPO develop standards NOAA certifies through rule making To be certified: RA must meet standards and: Have organizational structure Have an business and strategic operations plans Work with gov. programs at all levels IPO develop standards NOAA can certify or establish through contract the RICEs RICEs are responsible for: Gathering data Identifying gaps Must have an organizational structure Must comply with financial req Work well with gov and non-gov entities

8. What are “Regional Information Coordination Entities”? “an organization that is certified or established by the lead Federal agency and coordinating State, Federal, local and private interests at a regional level with the responsibility of engaging the private and public sectors in designing, operating, and improving regional coastal and ocean observing system in order to ensure the provision of data and information that meet needs of user groups from the respective regions” Such term includes Regional Association as described by the System Plan”

9. Future Activities Continue to be voice for regions with NOAA and Ocean US –Funding amounts –Competitive process –Certification issues –Conceptual designs –DMAC Annual Meeting: Oct 23-25, 2007

10. Summary Regions are demonstrating the power of ocean observing for meeting user needs Funding is critical -- regions must act together to support IOOS and in particular, the regional aspect of IOOS.