Section 40006 of the IRA appropriates $100 million to NOAA for the acquisition of hurricane hunter aircraft under Section 413(a) of the Weather Research and Forecasting Innovation Act of 2017, 15 U.S.C. 8549(a).
Section 413 (a) of the Weather Research and Forecasting Innovation Act of 2017 requires NOAA to acquire backup for the capabilities of the WP–3D Orion and G–IV hurricane aircraft that is sufficient to prevent a single point of failure.
The funds appropriated under section 40006 shall remain available until September 30, 2026
Current Status:
Trump Administration Actions:
Implementation Status at End of Biden Administration:
According to publicly available information, it is not clear whether NOAA used any IRA funds in its recent contract to purchase two new hurricane hunter aircraft. If IRA funds were not used, $100 million remains available to be spent by September 30, 2026.