TO:
Mark Hamilton
THROUGH: Wendy Redman
FROM:
Martha Stewart
RE:
Results of FY06 Federal Initiative Effort
DATE:
February 2, 2006
This memorandum lists the federal appropriations that appear in the FY06 budget
relevant to the University of Alaska. At the end are items that were not funded and
recommendations.
In addition to the following appropriated amounts, two authorizations occurred which
will translate into funding for the University. The first is the addition of the University of
Alaska as one of ten University Transportation Research Centers in the Safe,
Accountable, Flexible and Efficient Transportation Equity Act, otherwise known as the
“Highway Bill”. This should result in approximately $3.5 million to the University in the
years FY06 to FY09. There is a match required. Also authorized was an Arctic
Engineering Research Center in the Energy Policy Act which can mean, if funds are
appropriated, $3 million a year to the University.
This was a particularly difficult year for a number of reasons. The President’s budget
began the cycle with low spending levels, that, eliminated all fossil energy research and
many Department of Agriculture programs that we rely on. Congress followed by setting
very low overall spending levels. Mid-cycle, Congress faced unexpected and expensive
national disasters and avian influenza preparation costs. These came against a backdrop
of continuing war costs. The spending ceilings were so severe in the Departments of
Education, Labor and Health and Social Services that all earmarks, representing over $1
billion, had to be removed. There was an explosion of earmark requests across the
country. The American Association for the Advancement of Science cites an increase of
13 percent from the prior year, and a 63 percent increase from FY03. Senator Stevens,
no longer Chair of the Appropriations Committee, faced difficulty in advancing and
retaining Alaska earmarks. This disadvantage was coupled with a heightened level of
scrutiny for any Alaska projects due to unfavorable attention brought to Alaska for bridge
funding in Central and Southeast Alaska.
It is reasonable to expect that the FY07 funding cycle will again be difficult. Many of the
conditions mentioned above will remain. In addition, recent lobbying scandals in the
national news and linkage between those scandals and earmarking activities such as the
kind listed here, will be even more problematic.
Per your direction, efforts to scrutinize the University’s FY07 requests for necessity and
sustainability need to intensify as well as renewed efforts to shift the University’s federal
dollars to competitively awarded funding.
The following are listed alphabetically by federal budget area. All appropriations will
experience a 1 percent across the board cut as mandated by Congress late in the cycle to
also meet the reduced spending levels.
Agriculture
 Seafood Waste $75,000 (Work done by UAF but at Kodiak. Actual amounts to be
identified but what is reflected here is the minimum amount. Senator Stevens
Office reported $2.45 million. ( On-going project)
 Avian Influenza $298,000 (UAF obtains a share of this for work with the
Agricultural Research Service Laboratory at Athens, Georgia. On-going project
and FY05 funding was $300,000.)
 Arctic Germplasm Research $1.004 million. (This is a cooperative project
between the Agricultural Research Service, the State of Alaska and the University
of Alaska Fairbanks to collect and grow indigenous Arctic plants. Ongoing
project that received level funding.)
 Fruit and Berry Crop Research in Remote Villages $500,000 (New. This was not
requested as part of the UA process.)
 Berry Research $1.3 million. ($1 million of this is available for the research and
development of nutraceuticals and pharmaceutical products derived from Alaska
berries. UAF on-going project and down from $1.79 million in FY05.)
 Alternative Salmon Products $1.099 million. (An on-going project with the State
of Alaska and UAF. Down from 1.1 million in FY05.)
 New Crop Opportunities $443,000 (UAF on-going project and down from
$447,000 in FY05)
 Virus Free Potato Research $600,000 (UAF on-going project and up from
$593,000in FY05.)
 Greenhouse Crop Production $300,000 (UAF ongoing project and down from
$449,000 in FY05.)
 Food Preparation and Marketing $331,000 (UAF-Cooperative Extension. Ongoing project and down from $334,000 in FY05.)
 Food Product Development $350,000 (UAF-Cooperative Extension. On-going
project and down from $476,000 in FY05)
 Rural Development $683,000 (UAF-Cooperative Extension. Ongoing project and
down from $688,000 in FY05.)
 Wood Utilization $6.43 million to be shared with 10 other universities. (UAF
oversees the work which is done in Sitka. Ongoing project and up from $6.28
million in FY05.)
 Alaska Native Serving and Native Hawaiian Serving Education Grants $3.25
million. (These funds are shared between Alaska and Hawaii and used within the
UA System by several campuses within the College of Rural and Community
Development, Prince William Sound Community College and UAS-Sitka. Ongoing and down from $5.64 million in FY05)
Department of Defense
2







Center for Supply Chain Management $12.75 million (On-going UAA project.)
Hibernation Genomics
$2.6 million (On-going UAF project)
Ramgen Fuel Cell
$3.5 million (On-going UAF project.)
Automotive Research
$1.7 million (On-going UAF project.)
Office of Electronic Miniaturization $5.1 million (On-going UAF project.)
Arctic Regional Supercomputer
$4.7 million (On-going UAF project.)
DEPSCoR
$13.1 million (UA supported nationwide
request of $25 million.)
Education, Labor and Health and Human Services
 No earmarks were provided nationwide in these departments.
 Congress proposed significant reductions in the Department of Health and Social
Services to Title VII and Title VIII from which we received funds for health
related initiatives. Most funding levels restored except for Geriatric Education.
 IDEA program $230 million (UA supported nationwide request of $250 million)
 Alaska Native/Native Hawaiian Serving Institutions $11.9 million (On-going
program that a number of UA campuses benefit by at all MAUs.)
 Alaska Native Educational Equity Act $34.25 million (UA supported continued
funding for this program that several campuses benefit by through competitive
proposals.)
Energy and Water
 Arctic Energy Office $7 million (On-going project from which the University
receives a substantial portion of funds, primarily UAF but also UAA.)
Interior/Environment and Related Agencies
 Small Public Water System Technology Centers $4 million (On-going UAS-Sitka
program that is shared among eight universities.)
Science/State/Justice/Commerce
 Arctic Research Initiative involving Russian research vessels $2 million (UAF,
second year of funding.)
 Alaska Oceans Observing System $1.7 million (On-going multi-member project
down from $2 million in FY05 funding.)
 Coastal Vulnerability to Climate Change $2.5 million. (UAF new start).
 National Undersea Research Project $4.25 million of which $1 million will go to
Alaska and $3.25 million will go to Hawaii. This is significant in that the East
Coast NURP Offices would receive no funding. For UAF, this represents a cut
from approximately $2.14 million in prior years to $965,000. (On-going project.)
 TWEAK $2 million (On-going UAF tsunami warning project)
 UAF’s Gulf Apex Predator $1 million. (UAF on-going project and down from
$1.5 million in FY05. Not requested by the University, asked for by industry but
will recommend it be included in FY07 request.)
 North Pacific Fisheries Observer Training Program/North Pacific Marine
Resources Observers $1.5 million. This item requires explanation. In the past,
3





these two programs were separately funded. The first, and the University’s at
$750,000 and the second, federal USFW work based in Seattle were funded at
$1.8 million. They were combined in this budget for a total of $1.5 million.
However, Senator Stevens Office agreed to an additional infusion of $2.3 million
which will more than restore the initial/perceived losses. (On-going UAA
program.)
We have been informed by the delegation that the University has $350,000 in
additional undesignated funding for International Polar Year activities via NOAA,
but the acknowledgement by NOAA that this is the case, is still pending.
International Polar Year and Permafrost Conference at UAF $500,000. (UAF
project and new.)
Language supporting the work of the UAA American Russian Center which
translates into $3 million for that program.
NASA EPSCoR $12.5 million (UA supported request for $15 million)
NSF EPSCoR $100 million (Requested support level was $120 million)
Treasury/Transportation/ Housing and Urban Development and Independent
Agencies
 Language, actually corrected in Defense appropriations, that transfers the
remaining $2 million in funds from Treasury Department’s
United States/Canada Rail Commission to the University of Alaska-Fairbanks for
the purpose of the railroad/corridor study.
 In HUD, Alaska Native/Native Hawaiian Serving Institutions $3 million (Ongoing and funding shared with Hawaii and benefits a number of campuses at all
MAUs.)
 Alaska Volcano Observatory $3 million (On-going FAA funds. This represents a
reduction in $1,000,000 from prior year earmarks.)
 Center for Excellence for General Aviation $500,000 (On-going consortium of
which UAA and UAF are members.)
The following are requested items that were not funded and a recommendation regarding
future action. This does not include reductions that are addressed by item in the colloquy
above. It also does not include the requests that would logically have fallen in the
Departments of Labor, Education and Health and Social Services where all earmarks
were eliminated.


We asked, with the University of Hawaii, that $1 million in funds be added to an
existing line in the Department of Agriculture called Agricultural Development in
the American Pacific. There was only interest in funding Alaska’s entry into the
program which was $200,000. Even then, the delegation was unable to access
funds to add. Recommend trying again.
Language was asked for with respect to the evaluation of the need for educational
requirements for participation in the North Pacific Fisheries Observer Program.
This did not occur in large part due to an overall trend to reduce item specific
4









rhetoric in the budgets. Will readdress issue in proposed effort this year for
related program authorization.
A request for funding a tsunami warning pilot project in Dutch Harbor was
rejected due to increased funding available for worldwide warning systems.
$2 million was requested in Energy Efficiency funds to allow the Arctic Energy
office to fund research on rural energy projects. The Department of Energy
vigorously opposed this earmark noting that we should be pursuing competitive
opportunities for this kind of research either alone or with others. This was the
second year this request was declined. Recommend we not advance this further.
Requested language that the Army Corps of Engineers would conduct a study on
the need to upgrade the permafrost tunnel in Fairbanks. There was no interest and
recommend it not be advanced again.
Requested funding for the continuation of the Marine Mining Technology Center
at UAF for $1.5 million. This item was eliminated due to the funding constraints
in the Department of Interior budget. Recommend we not pursue.
We asked for $450,000 for an air traffic control simulator but by March, other
funds had been identified.
Also, there was a request for a variety of aviation educational enhancements for
$2.7 million. This did not occur for unknown reasons and recommend trying
again.
We asked for $700,000 for engineering design of the Alaska pipeline work. This
did not occur. The request has not been resubmitted and I recommend we not
pursue.
There was a request for funds for the Alaska Statehood Celebration for $500,000.
This had been funded in the General Services Administration budget in prior
years. This year there was a decision not to earmark that area and efforts shifted
to obtain funds in the Department of Education, but that area was earmark free at
the end. Given the shift in the Celebration’s administration from the University to
the State of Alaska, recommend we not pursue.
We requested $6 million in funds for unmanned aerial vehicle work which did not
occur. In part this was due to the amount requested and the area where it might
have been funded, NASA, being under tight fiscal constraints. Recommend a
reduced amount, a more specific purpose for the work such as ghost net detection,
express interest in funding from departments other than NASA.
Please let me know if there are questions.
Cc:
Chancellors
Provosts
Deans and Directors
Statewide Executive Staff
5