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6% salary increase ...

... $292,666

$17,559 12.2% increase in building maintenance and administration ........

144,595

17,640 Total requirement ...

437,261

35,199
NOAA's program to restore and enhance the production of Columbia River salmon and steelhead trout is accomplished in concert with
the Corps of Engineers, Department of Interior, state fisheries agencies, public and private power companies, and universities. As part of
this program, NOAA funds for the operation and maintenance of 21 fish hatcheries, 15 of which are operated for NOAA by the state
fishery agencies of Washington, Oregon, and Idaho. An adjustment increase of $288,000 is required for salary increases of the 124
employees of the state agencies, all of whom were granted salary increases from 5% to 12% in FY 1976 by their respective state

legislatures. NOAA also requires an increase of $7,000 to compensate for salary increases of four California State employees working for a · NOAA funded fishery rescarch project.

NOAA units located in facilities throughout the Nation require $281,000 or 15.7% in increases over a base of $1,787,100 for
maintenance service contracts. All increases represent non-GSA services and include security ($39,100), trash removal ($2,800), janitorial
($31,200) and equipment and grounds maintenance services ($207,500).

Cross service agreements between NOAA and other Federal agencies have increased by $331,000 over a submitted base of $1,294,300.
The table below details these agreements:
Agency

Description

Increase

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...................

FAA

Maintenance support at field offices in Alaska ..
USAF

Meal service for NOAA personnel on Wake Island and

Barter Island, Alaska .......
USN

Maintenance and supplies at Barrow, Alaska

weather office ........
State Department Overseas shared administrative costs ....
NASA

Fuel oil support contract, Wallops Island, Virginia ...
NASA

Operation and support costs at Mississippi Test

Facility, Bay St. Louis, Mississippi .........
USN

Messing and billeting at Navy Arctic Research

Laboratory ..
Total requirements .......

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NOAA requires an adjustment increase of $21,800 to compensate for the rise in fees of the tide observer contracts. NOAA contracts with
136 observers to read, calibrate, replace tide record rolls, and maintain the tide gage for continuous operation. Increased fees depend
heavily upon the costs borne by the observer, the prevailing minimum wage and local conditions. The contracts of 52 weather observers in
Alaska have increased by $31,000 and include aviation, hydrologic and evaporation observations. NOAA issues across the board increases
for the observers in Alaska based upon the increased cost of living in the area. NOAA also requires an increase of $4,500 to compensate
for rising cost of weather observations and for temperature readings. The total requirement for contract observers amounts to $57,300.

Maintenance and service contracts relating to NOAA owned and leased Automatic Data Processing Equipment have increased by
$470,000 over a base of $2,099,800.

Procurement costs of NOAA A-G environmental satellites have increased by $800,000. The original estimates were based on a combined
materials buy with the U.S. Air Force. A delay in Air Force plans, and the subsequent withdrawal of the Air Force from the joint
procurement, have increased the unit price for the NOAA satellites.

Ship maintenance costs for all vessels in the NOAA fleet have risen by $1,079,800, representing a 21% increase over the base of
$5,142,000. This increase was based upon information received from the Navy Supervisor of Shipbuilding and the Military Sealift
Command and upon analyses of the costs of recent maintenance for NOAA ships. Ship maintenance includes drydock services,

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underwater wash and sandblast, sea valve services, rudder inspection, cathodic protection and anchor chain inspection and sandblasting. Ship operating costs for the NOAA floet have increased by $27,500. Total increases relative to ship maintenance and operations amount to $1,107,300.

Shuttle and courier services within the Washington, D.C. and Boulder, Colorado metropolitan areas have increased by $15,500 over the base of $132,700. Services include passenger and messenger shuttle between Rockville, Maryland; Suitland, Maryland; Silver Spring Maryland; and Washington, D.C.; and shuttle services for NOAA personnel located in Boulder, Colorado.

NOAA satellite support service contracts have risen by $365,000 and this increase is attributable to the following factors:

RCA has requested an increase of $13,000 for continuance of services provided to the Satellite Operations Control Center. The NOAA pro-rata share of Bendix provided labor support at the Alaska field station will rise $106,000 as a result of an existing union agroement. The continuance of the University of Alaska pilot control project contract will cost an additional $26,000 due to increased costs of labor and material. General Electric has indicated a $220,000 increase in FY 1976 due to inflationary costs of labor and material.

The Major Facilities Projects funding of the National Weather Service is used for relocating weather stations, extensive rehabilitation projects, or replacement of facilities, each project being in excess of $50,000. The projects selected are usually of an emergency nature where circumstances beyond the control of the National Weather Service have dictated the action. Based upon the Engineering News Record's data from June 19, 1975, the Building Cost Index from June 1972 to June 1975 had risen 24%. The funds for Major Facilities Projects were initially appropriated for FY 1973, and no adjustments for cost escalation have been made to date. NOAA requires an increase of $112,800 over the base of $470,000.

Miscellaneous contractual services have risen by $91,700 and include the following cost increases: for interlibrary loans ($2,900); for
Fisheries Research Institute contract ($29,200); for research and development contracts ($41,500); for local and special procurements,
(58,300); for storage of household effects, ($1,800); for shared costs by NOAA of employee health services, ($3,000) and for the Scripps
Institute of Oceanography contract ($5,000).

+$3,545

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..

Supplies and materials ........ Increases in varied supply items used by the ships other than ship repair supplies, rations, and fuel have increased by $89,000 over the FY 1976 base of $889,700. These supplies include stainless steel wire, paper tape, dinnerware, hand and laundry detergent, and lubricating oil.

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NOAA requirements for nitrogen, propane, hydrogen and helium annually cost $465,500. Inflation has increased this base by $85,800 to $551,300. The vast majority of the submitted gas increases relate to National Weather Service activities, namely the use of hydrogen and helium for inflation of balloons. The balloons are released into the atmosphere to measure temperature, pressure, humidity and wind velocity. Propane is used for heating.

Food rations used aboard ships increased by 80 cents per day, based on 270,131 man days and requires an increase of $216,100.

Fish food costs at the Columbia River hatcheries have increased from 26.3 cents per pound to 28 cents per pound. Based on current usage of 4,860,000 pounds per year, the required increase is $82,600.

Diesel fuel and gasoline for the Pribilof Islands have increased by $24,000: diesel fuel has increased by $16,000 (533,333 gallons x three cents/gallon increase) and gasoline has increased by $7,600 (95,000 gallons x eight cents/gallon increase).

NOAA operates a number of facsimile circuits which are the principal methods of dissemination, in graphic form, of the guidance products prepared at the National Meteorological Center at Suitland, Maryland. Over 81,900 rolls of facsimile paper are used annually by the system at a cost of $4.09 per roll. This represents an increase of $1.40 per roll over the prior year cost for a total increase adjustment of $115,000. Other miscellaneous paper supplies, utilized by the National Weather Service for weather maps, charts, and reports, have increased by $50,000. Our total requirements for increased costs of paper products amount to $165,000.

NOAA's Central Logistic Supply Center (CLSC), located in Kansas City, Missouri, is a central distribution center for recurring NQAA supply items, principally meteorological supplies required by the National Weather Service. The CLSC maintains a recurring supply base of $3,126,000, of which $920,600 relates to issues of upper air supplies, notably parachutes, lighting units, balloons, chart paper, and train regulators. The increased cost of these items amounts to $286,000. Against the remaining CLSC base of $2,205,400, a NOAA analysis determined that these supply items increased by 13.8% or $304,300 in the past year. The analysis utilized a random sample of increased prices affecting varied supply items. Total increases for supplies issued at CLSC amounts to $590,300.

The cost of recurring quantities of radiosondes, utilized by the National Weather Service for upper air soundings, has increased by 12.9% or $217,800 over the base of $1,691,200. Over 74,000 units are represented in this increase with an average increase in unit price amounting to $2.94.

The cost of fuel in NOAA has risen in proportion to the general gas price increases. The increase in fuel averages 10.5 cents per gallon on 8,135,635 gallons for a total increase of $858,500. In FY 1975, NOAA effected an agency-wide energy conservation program, reducing all fuel oil consumption by 10%. The number of gallons of fuel quoted by NOAA represents the reduced NOAA fuel base.

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Fuel costs in Alaska have risen dramatically in recent years and this rise is principally attributable to the pipeline construction. An increase of $47,000 is required for 273,630 gallons at an average increase of 17.2 cents per gallon.

Vessel fuel for the NOAA fleet requires an increase of $648,300 for 6,482,800 gallons at an average increase of 10 cents per gallon.

Jet fuel, required for NOAA's C-130 and P-3 aircraft, has risen from 46 cents to 51 cents per gallon, for a total increase of $25,600 based on 512,000 gallons.

Gasoline purchases for NOAA vehicles have risen 19,7 cents per gallon for 450,000 gallons for a total increase of $89,000.

Heating fuel has increased by $42,400, based upon a 13.3 cents per gallon increase for 318,959 gallons.

Diesel fuel has increased by $6,200, based upon a 6.3 cents per gallon increase for 98,246 gallons.

As a scientific and research oriented organization, NOAA employees are involved daily in fishery research, air quality and weather prediction activities. NOAA laboratories, whether mobile or stationary, require recurring quantities of supplies including chemicals, electrical components, solvents, hygristers, thermistors and capacitors. The increased cost of these supplies totals $165,100 over the base of $989,600.

NOAA, through the activities of the National Ocean Survey and the National Weather Service, is the principal Government agency responsible for domestic land surveys and weather prediction and analysis. The geodetic surveys undertaken by NOAA require a considerable quantity of supplies, most notably brass disk markers, but also including cement, steel replacement, fence posts and the usual assortment of nuts and bolts. Our weather analysis activities are undertaken at weather station offices and radar stations scattered throughout the Nation and require supplies such as bearings, mainsprings, wire, circuits, and blueprints. NOAA requires $35,000 to cover the increased cost of electrical, construction, and equipment repair supplies over a base of $227,400.

A NOAA statistical study, analyzing randomly selected supply items from those supply categories most commonly used throughout NOAA, determined that the cost of general supplies in NOAA rose 14.2% between 1974 and 1975. This increase, when applied to the general supply base of $5,821,500, amounts to $826,650. In addition, the rising cost of paper products, including teletype paper, computer paper, bond, and computer cards, amounts to $82,350. The total increase for paper and general supplies amounts to $909,000.

Computer and photographic supplies, including magnetic tape, microfiche, film, toner, and chemicals have increased by $107,000 over a base of $284,700.

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