Approval to Exceed GSA Lodging for CEDAR and GEM 2019 Meetings

This letter from SARA is to issue a waiver for grantees attending the 2019 Coupling, Energetics and Dynamics of Atmospheric Regions (CEDAR) and Geospace Environment Modeling Summer Workshop (GEM) allowing them to be reimbursed out of their grants for their actual lodging (within limits, see below), although it's expected to be above the approved GSA amount. Note, I have specified grants (including cooperative agreements). This may also apply to those traveling on NASA contracts, but they should communicate with their contracting officers.

The host hotel for CEDAR June 16-21, 2019, and GEM June 22-28, 2019 is the La Fonda, 100 E. San Francisco Street, Santa Fe, NM 87501. Hotel information for this meeting maybe found at https://gemworkshop.org/pages/Accomodations.php.

The GSA allowed daily lodging expense for June 2019 for zip code 87501 (that for the La Fonda hotel) is $123 per night ($4 more than last year!). Almost all of the GSA approved hotels within a reasonable walking distance to the La Fonda are either sold out or higher than the GSA allowed $123, e.g., the official conference hotel (mentioned above) is $169/night plus tax.

Grantee travelers may need a waiver to cover lodging in excess of the GSA value, depending on the travel policy of your organization. This waiver does not supersede the travel policy of your institution if it is more restrictive. This waiver does not apply for travel submissions requesting a rental car.

By the power invested in me by the NSSC to issue approval of the actual lodging costs for a conference in "bulk" instead of individual approvals, I hereby affirm that for the Coupling, Energetics and Dynamics of Atmospheric Regions (CEDAR) and the Geospace Environment Modeling Summer Workshop (GEM) 2019 NASA SMD grants may be charged up to $169/night plus tax, consistent with the average actual cost of the conference hotel, even though this exceeds the $123 allotted for lodging by GSA for the La Fonda for June 2019.