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“INTRODUCING THE NATIONAL OCEANIC AND ATMOSPHERIC ADMINISTRATION ACT” mentioning the U.S. Dept. of Commerce was published in the Extensions of Remarks section on pages E11-E12 on Jan. 4, 2005.
The publication is reproduced in full below:
INTRODUCING THE NATIONAL OCEANIC AND ATMOSPHERIC ADMINISTRATION ACT
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HON. VERNON J. EHLERS
of michigan
in the house of representatives
Tuesday, January 4, 2005
Mr. EHLERS. Mr. Speaker, today I am pleased to introduce the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Act. Better known as NOAA, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration was created by Executive Order in 1970. It is the nation's lead civilian agency for oceans and atmosphere, yet Congress has never passed an overarching organic act describing the mission and functions of the agency. Instead, over the past 34 years Congress has defined the mission of the agency in a piecemeal manner with legislation focused on specific issues. The bill I am introducing today, which passed the Environment, Technology and Standards Subcommittee in the 108th Congress, is a first step toward Congressional passage of comprehensive legislation for NOAA.
Last year, the U.S. Commission on Ocean Policy released its long awaited report with recommendations for a coordinated national ocean policy. One of its key recommendations is that Congress should pass an organic act for NOAA. In his response to the Ocean Commission report, President Bush supported this recommendation. The time is right for Congress to consider, and pass, this organic act for NOAA.
My bill establishes the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) within the Department of Commerce. It defines the mission of NOAA as ``to understand and predict changes in the Earth's oceans and atmosphere and the effects of such changes on the land environment, to conserve and manage coastal, ocean, and Great Lakes ecosystems, and to educate the public about these topics.'' The recent Indian Ocean tsunami is just the latest evidence of the need for NOAA's research and services. My bill maintains the current leadership structure at NOAA, but adds a Deputy Assistant Secretary for Science and Technology to serve as the point person for the agency to coordinate the research and science activities of NOAA across the agency.
This bill also describes the functions of NOAA, which are divided into three broad groups to improve cooperation among NOAA's programs, as recommended by the U.S. Commission on Ocean Policy. First is the National Weather Service, which provides weather, water and climate forecasts and warnings to the nation. The second group is operations and services, which includes all of NOAA's satellites services and its mapping and charting services. The third category of functions is research and education.
The bill focuses on pieces of NOAA under Science Committee jurisdiction, and does not currently include any references to NOAA's fisheries or resource management, which are under the jurisdiction of the Resources Committee here in the House. I am hopeful that we can work with other committees in the House and our colleagues in the Senate to pass a truly comprehensive organic act for NOAA, but for now we must start with this legislation.
I believe it is critical for NOAA's mission to be clearly defined so it can better fulfill its role in observing, managing, and protecting our nation's coastal, ocean and Great Lakes resources. I look forward to working with my colleagues in a bipartisan fashion to pass this bill into law this year. This will not be an easy task, but it is so important to our environment, our economy, and our children's and grandchildren's future, that we must succeed.
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