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Open Recommendations (18 total)

Climate Change: Improved Data and Performance Management Would Strengthen U.S. Support to the Indo-Pacific

GAO-25-106236
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1 Open Recommendations
Agency Affected Recommendation Status
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration The Administrator of NOAA should ensure that the Director of the CRCP establishes procedures for the officials who manage the performance of climate activities to develop activity plans that identify external or internal factors that could affect achieving results and associated mitigation strategies. (Recommendation 6)
Open
When we confirm what actions the agency has taken in response to this recommendation, we will provide updated information.

Coral Reef Conservation Program: Opportunities Exist to Better Track Expenditures and Share Information

GAO-24-106692
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2 Open Recommendations
Agency Affected Recommendation Status
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration The Administrator of NOAA should ensure that the Director of the CRCP accesses and uses expenditure data in managing the program. (Recommendation 2)
Open
NOAA agreed with this recommendation. In a July 2024 letter, NOAA stated that the CRCP will use the Department of Commerce's new financial system to assess annual project expenditures to monitor progress and to inform future decision-making for the program. For example, the CRCP will use expenditure reports to monitor performance of program investments, including contracts and grants as well as internal investments, and use this information to inform future awards. It will also use expenditure reports to generate projections to inform future development of the CRCP's 3-year spend plans. In addition, the CRCP will use expenditure data for program reporting and evaluation. NOAA has a target implementation date of October 1, 2025, for this recommendation.
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration The Administrator of NOAA should ensure that the Director of the CRCP takes steps to communicate information related to expenditures and performance results to outside entities, as appropriate. (Recommendation 3)
Open
NOAA agreed with this recommendation. In a July 2024 letter, NOAA stated that the CRCP will provide progress updates as appropriate to outside entities regarding expenditure data and performance results for the goals CRCP addresses. Specifically, the letter stated that the CRCP will continue to update indicator contributions from CRCP-funded projects to inform progress towards strategic objectives and will publish that information via the CRCP website. In addition, the CRCP will share selected performance information from activities undertaken to implement the National Coral Reef Resilience Strategy in its congressional reports. NOAA has a target implementation date of January 1, 2025, for this recommendation.

Coral Reef Conservation Program: Opportunities Exist to Better Track Expenditures and Share Information

GAO-24-106692
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1 Open Recommendations
Agency Affected Recommendation Status
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration The Administrator of NOAA should ensure that the Director of the CRCP improves the program's ability to track and report expenditure data for the program as a whole by, for example, regularly assigning specific task codes to CRCP projects. (Recommendation 1)
Open
NOAA agreed with this recommendation. In a July 2024 letter, NOAA stated that to address this recommendation, the CRCP will work with CRCP budget officials to develop processes to improve tracking and reporting of expenditure data for the program as a whole. NOAA also stated that the CRCP will work with the NOAA Budget Office to produce expenditure reports for the program as a whole. As of July 2024, NOAA stated that the CRCP's Budget and Strategic Assessment and Evaluation Team was working on the development of specific task codes for CRCP-funded projects. NOAA estimated that the codes would be effective by January 1, 2025. In addition, the letter stated that the CRCP's Budget Team was working with NOAA's Budget Office to produce expenditure reports for the program, with a target implementation date of October 1, 2024.

Emergency Alerts: NOAA Should Take Additional Actions to Help Ensure Tsunami Alerts Reach Those at Risk

GAO-23-105961
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1 Open Recommendations
Agency Affected Recommendation Status
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration The NOAA Administrator, in collaboration with FCC and FEMA, should clarify and document the agencies' responsibilities and a decision-making process for determining how to use IPAWS to deliver tsunami alerts to EAS. (Recommendation 2)
Open
NOAA agreed with the recommendation. As of March 2024, NOAA officials informed us that the agency was holding monthly meetings with FCC and FEMA to discuss requirements for how to use IPAWS to deliver tsunami alerts to EAS. NOAA expects full implementation of this recommendation by December 2025.

NOAA Acquisitions: Fully Aligning Procedures with Best Practices Could Improve the Reliability of Cost Estimates

GAO-23-105808
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2 Open Recommendations
Agency Affected Recommendation Status
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration The Administrator of NOAA should require each office within NOAA to have documented cost estimating procedures that are fully aligned with the best practices established in its agency-wide policy and guidance. (Recommendation 2)
Open
The Department of Commerce's action plan dated October 10, 2023, states that NOAA agrees with this recommendation and will take the following actions for implementation. Taking a risk-based approach, NOAA will require that its offices utilize Commerce's newly developed cost- estimate guidance and GAO's Cost Estimating and Assessment guide. This effort will be led by NOAA's Office of the Chief Financial Officer and aims to develop and implement NOAA procedures that strengthen Commerce's released cost-estimate procedures. As of September 2024, NOAA has made significant progress in the development of agency-wide cost-estimate guidance and expects to complete and implement its plan by September 30, 2025.
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration The Administrator of NOAA should establish agency-wide policy and guidance that is aligned with best practices in GAO's Cost Guide. (Recommendation 1
Open
The Department of Commerce's action plan dated October 10, 2023, states that NOAA agrees with this recommendation and will take the following actions for implementation. The plan aims to have a NOAA-wide Working Group, led by the Office of the Financial Officer and the Acquisitions and Grants Office, oversee the development and implementation of internal cost-estimate guidance in NOAA offices using a risk-based approach that incorporates GAO's 12-step procedures for specific programs. As of September 2024, NOAA has made progress in the development of agency-wide cost-estimate guidance and expects to complete and implement the guidance by September 30, 2025.

Water Quality: Agencies Should Take More Actions to Manage Risks from Harmful Algal Blooms and Hypoxia

GAO-22-104449
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1 Open Recommendations
1 Priority
Agency Affected Recommendation Status
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
Priority Rec.
The Administrator of NOAA and the Administrator of EPA, in collaboration with the members of the working group, should document and define what a national HAB and hypoxia program would entail, including identifying the program's resource needs. (Recommendation 1)
Open
NOAA officials told us that the agency was working with EPA and other members of the interagency HAB and hypoxia working group to develop a national program, including drafting associated goals and identifying resource needs. As of April 2024, NOAA and EPA officials developed a draft description of the components of a national program. These officials also stated that they plan to include information about the national program structure and resource needs in the next national assessment of HABs and hypoxia mandated by the Harmful Algal Bloom and Hypoxia Research and Control Act of 1998, as amended, which is expected to be completed in December 2024. We will continue to follow up on the agencies' efforts and progress.

Water Quality: Agencies Should Take More Actions to Manage Risks from Harmful Algal Blooms and Hypoxia

GAO-22-104449
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2 Open Recommendations
Agency Affected Recommendation Status
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration The Administrator of NOAA and the Administrator of EPA, in collaboration with the members of the working group, should coordinate the development of a more comprehensive body of information on the costs and benefits of mitigation, control, and prevention actions for use by state, local, and tribal governments. (Recommendation 6)
Open
NOAA and EPA agreed with this recommendation. In March 2024, the agencies stated that information on the costs and benefits of mitigation, control, and prevention actions for use by state, local, and tribal governments would be incorporated into the 2024 HABHRCA National Assessment. We will continue to follow up on this recommendation.
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration The Administrator of NOAA and the Administrator of EPA, in collaboration with the members of the working group, should develop performance measures to assess the working group's efforts, including the extent to which the recommended goals from the Research Plan and Action Strategy have been achieved. (Recommendation 2)
Open
NOAA and EPA agreed with this recommendation and in March 2024 stated that they are working on it together, in collaboration with the working group members. They anticipate the measures will be incorporated into the 2024 HABHRCA National Assessment. We will continue to follow up on the agencies' efforts.
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