People Power United joins coalition efforts to oppose cuts to NOAA

🗽A well informed citizenry is the best defense against tyranny.

Jul 29, 2025

People Power United joins coalition efforts to oppose cuts to NOAA. Shout out to American Rivers Action Fund for leading this effort.

📄 Here is a copy of the letter sent on behalf of our People Power United members:

July 23, 2025

RE: Oppose Proposed NOAA Cuts

Dear Chair Cole, Ranking Member DeLauro, Chair Rogers, Ranking Member Meng, and Distinguished Members of the House Committee on Appropriations:

On behalf of our millions of supporters, members, and volunteers, we write to urge you to oppose proposed cuts to programs within the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). As you prepare to finalize the Fiscal Year 2026 Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related Agencies Appropriations bill, we strongly support full funding for essential operations, research, and initiatives including NOAA’s Habitat Conservation and Restoration line, the Community-Based Restoration Program, the National Oceans and Coastal Security Fund, the Pacific Coastal Salmon Recovery Fund, the Atlantic Salmon Habitat Restoration Partnership Grants, and the National Sea Grant College Program. We offer additional comments below on funding for specific activities to minimize the risks of sidelining key NOAA partnerships and economic contributions.

Habitat Conservation and Restoration: The Office of Habitat Conservation, under this activity, is responsible for promoting thriving economies and ecosystems. Dedicated funding is needed to support coastal development while balancing conservation objectives such as restoring fish habitat for salmon and river herring as well as improving fish passage at hydropower facilities. With the number of hydropower facilities facing relicensing being set to double by 2030¹, Congress must ensure efficient and predictable permitting timelines prevent disruptions to energy services. Any attempt to eviscerate these essential activities would have devastating effects on fisheries and the energy sector.²

Community Based Restoration Program: Coastal economies depend on healthy habitats to rebuild sustainable fisheries. Congress needs to ensure NOAA prioritizes the three Rs approach: retrofits, rehabilitation, and removal (where necessary) to modify many outdated dams, levees, weirs, and other flood control infrastructure in a state of disrepair and decommission them when no longer in use or serving an intended purpose. Since its start in 1996, this program has contributed well over $600 million to more than 2,800 restoration projects. These projects have reconnected more than 130,000 acres of habitat and opened more than 6,100 stream miles for fish migration. The program ensures sportfishing industry contributions continue to grow which now generate more than $230.5 billion annually for the U.S. economy.³Anglers across America count on these critical NOAA services focused on resilience.

National Oceans and Coastal Security Fund: Coastal states and territories are at a considerable risk of experiencing property damage, loss of life, and infrastructure failure due to flooding. Funding from this activity supports innovative natural infrastructure projects to help local governments prepare for and respond to a variety of extreme weather events. A recent study by Joint Economic Committee estimates flooding costs the U.S. between $179.8 billion and $496 billion each year.⁴ Congress must do more to strengthen state-federal partnerships and help communities and businesses, go beyond being “storm ready” by responding to new threats to vulnerable infrastructure. To accelerate resilience projects outside installations and ranges, the partnership with the Department of Defense proves more vital than ever – promoting conservation while enhancing realistic training conditions to increase military readiness.⁵

Pacific Coastal Salmon Recovery Fund: Once home to the world’s largest salmon runs, the Columbia River Basin today hosts only a fraction of its historic populations. Since 2000, the PCSRF has awarded nearly $80 million on average every year to 16,000 state and tribal salmon recovery projects – targeting local economies reliant on Pacific anadromous salmonids (i.e., Chinook, coho, chum, sockeye, pink salmon, and steelhead). Projects include instream habitat, fish passage, and hatchery fish enhancement. The importance of NOAA funding for the West Coast salmon cannot be overstated. Tribes leverage funding to increase capacity for the development and implementation of restoration efforts – enabling salmon to reach spawning grounds with success.

Atlantic Salmon Habitat Restoration Partnership Grants: Federal, state, Tribal, and nonprofit partners have made important strides restoring habitat for endangered Atlantic salmon. Despite this progress, thousands of miles of rivers and streams across the Northeast remain fragmented by outdated dams and culverts. Many also require habitat restoration due to historic land use. On-the-ground work remains essential to prevent extinction of the Gulf of Maine Atlantic salmon population, the last wild population in the U.S. Congress should restore dedicated funding for the restoration grants and staff capacity critical to species recovery and healthy river systems.

National Sea Grant College Program: Across the country, Sea Grant plays a key role in sustaining working waterfronts, preparing for extreme weather, and fostering sustainable aquaculture. But its impact is truly national—supporting thousands of jobs, students, and projects from Alaska to Florida. All 33 state-based programs would severely impact coastal resilience, marine research, aquaculture development, and workforce training nationwide. Sea Grant is a trusted partner to communities, universities, and industry, supporting science-based solutions for fisheries, habitat restoration, and climate adaptation. Congress has rightly recognized the value of Sea Grant in the past and has the opportunity to do so again to ensure its continued success.

NOAA touches the lives of every day Americans and affects every cornerstone of our economy. Its mission is vast, yet an important one that cannot be taken for granted. We are increasingly concerned that the agency’s institutional knowledge, staff capacity, and resources remain constrained with the recent layoff announcements. We implore you to reject any current or proposed plans to reduce NOAA’s federal workforce, which appear aimed at privatizing essential functions rather than at strengthening the agency’s ability to serve the American people effectively.

We respectfully request that your committee support these vital programs and appreciate your consideration of these recommendations as you finalize the Fiscal Year 2026 Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related Agencies Appropriations bill.

Sincerely,

198 methods

350.org

A2/Anthropocene Alliance

Alabama Rivers Alliance

Alaska Wilderness League

American Bird Conservancy

American Coastal Coalition

American Friends Service Committee

American Rivers Action Fund

American Whitewater

Association of State Floodplain Managers Azul

BlueGreen Generation

Born Free USA

Cacapon Institute

California Coastal Protection Network

California Coastkeeper Alliance

California Sportfishing Protection Alliance

Californians for Western Wilderness

Campaign for Environmental Literacy

Cape Fear River Watch

Carnegie Mellon University

CREATE Lab

Carolina Wetlands Association

Catawba Riverkeeper

Center for Biological Diversity

Chesapeake Climate Action Network Action Fund

Climate + Energy Project

Climate Justice Alliance

Coalition on the Environment and Jewish Life

Coastal Carolina Riverwatch

Coastal Plains Institute

Columbia Snake River Campaign

Concerned Health Professionals of Pennsylvania

Coosa River Basin Initiative

Creation Justice Ministries

Earth Ethics, Inc.

EarthEcho International

Endangered Habitats League

Endangered Species Coalition

Environmental Defenders of McHenry County

Environmental Defense Center

Environmental Protection Information Center Fish On

Float Fishermen of Virginia

FoCo Trash Mob

FOUR PAWS USA

Friends Of Blackwater, Inc.

Friends of Merrymeeting Bay

Friends of the River

Friends of the Rivers of Virginia

Futureswell

Georgia Aquatic Connectivity Team (GA ACT)

Georgia Interfaith Power and Light

Great Old Broads for Wilderness

Green Sanctuary Committee

First Unitarian Universalist Society of Marietta

GreenLatinos

Gulf Reach Institute

Hawaii Fishing & Boating Association

Healthy Ocean Coalition

Heartwood

Hydropower Reform Coalition

Interfaith Power & Light (DC.MD.NoVA)

International Marine

Mammal Project of Earth Island Institute

Kettle Range Conservation Group Kids for Saving Earth

Kris Bass Engineering

L9 Center for Sustainable Engagement and Development

Lake Hartwell Partners for Clean Water Levees.org

Los Angeles Audubon Society

Low Impact Hydropower Institute

lowernine.org

Maine Audubon

Mountain Lion Foundation

MountainTrue

Move Past Plastic (MPP)

Natel Energy

National Federation of Federal Employees

NETWORK Lobby for Catholic Social Justice

New Hampshire Audubon

New Mexico & El Paso Interfaith Power and Light

New Mexico Wildlife Federation

Next 100 Coalition

North Clackamas Watersheds Council

Nuestra Tierra Conservation Project

NW Guides and Anglers Association Ocean Conservation Research

Ocean Defense Initiative

Oceana

OneUpAction International

ORLEANS AUDUBON SOCIETY

Parymon Corp

People Power United

Physicians for Social Responsibility Pennsylvania

Pilchuck Audubon Society (WA State)

Plastic Pollution Coalition

Potomac Valley Audubon Society

Prairie Hills Audubon Society (of Western S.D.)

Predator Defense

Project Eleven Hundred

Public Citizen

QUEER SURF

Rachel Carson Council

Repair the Sea - Tikkun HaYam

Resource Renewal Institute

Riverkeeper

Rivers Without Borders

Rockbridge Conservation

Rogue River Watershed Council Salted Roots

Save Our Shores

Save Our Sky Blue Waters

Save Our wild Salmon Coalition Science for Georgia

Sea Turtle Conservancy

Society for Conservation Biology North America

South Yuba River Citizens League

Southwest Wisconsin Area Progressives

Species Unite

Surfrider Foundation

Sustainable Conservation

Sustainable Ocean Alliance

The CLEO Institute

The International Wildlife Coexistence Network

The Last Plastic Straw

The Ocean Project

The Urban Wildlands Group

Together for Brothers

Tuleyome

Tuolumne River Trust

Turtle Island Restoration Network

U.S. Partnership for Education for Sustainable Development

Unitarian Universalists for Social Justice

United Church of Christ

VIISION, Inc.

Western Watersheds Project

Wetlands Watch

WILDCOAST

WildEarth Guardians

Womxn From The Mountain World Ocean Day

Wyoming Untrapped

Yaak Valley Forest Council

¹Oak Ridge National Laboratory. (n.d.). Impacts on hydropower licensing timelines in the U.S. Retrieved July 19, 2025, from https://www.ornl.gov/project/impacts-hydropower-licensing-timelines-us ²National Fisherman. (2025, February 24). NOAA Fisheries facing budget cuts, restrictions. National Fisherman. Retrieved July 19, 2025, from https://www.nationalfisherman.com/noaa-fisheries-facing-budget-cuts-restrictions

³American Sportfishing Association. (2025, March 12). New report highlights sportfishing industry’s expanding economic impact. Retrieved July 19, 2025, from https://www.asafishing.org/industry/sportfishing-economic-impact/

⁴ U.S. Congress Joint Economic Committee. (2024, June). Report on economic cost of flooding (update) [PDF]. Retrieved July 19, 2025, from https://www.jec.senate.gov/public/_cache/files/0b144b39-b127-4033-

bfdf-c1bdffd31ed2/jec-report-on-economic-cost-of-flooding-update.pdf ⁵U.S. Department of Defense, Readiness and Environmental Protection Integration (REPI) Program. (2024, November 25). 2024 National Coastal Resilience Fund fact sheet [PDF]. Retrieved July 19, 2025, from

https://www.repi.mil/Portals/44/REPI_NCRF_FactSheet_112524_v2.pdf

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