[Congressional Record Volume 143, Number 131 (Friday, September 26, 1997)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E1874-E1875]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




DEPARTMENTS OF COMMERCE, JUSTICE, AND STATE, THE JUDICIARY, AND RELATED 
                   AGENCIES APPROPRIATIONS ACT, 1998

                                 ______
                                 

                               speech of

                        HON. BENJAMIN A. GILMAN

                              of new york

                    in the house of representatives

                      Thursday, September 25, 1997

       The House in Committee of the Whole House on the State of 
     the Union had under consideration the bill (H.R. 2267) making 
     appropriations for the Departments of Commerce, Justice, and 
     State, the Judiciary, and related agencies for the fiscal 
     year ending September 30, 1998, and for other purposes:

  Mr. GILMAN. Mr. Chairman, I rise today in support of restoring $4.9 
million of necessary funding to the Tropical Ocean-Global Atmosphere 
Program [TOGA] which is responsible for researching and predicting the 
effects of el nino.
  El nino is responsible for driving the tradewind system and is 
characterized by long periods of rainfall, which are normally found

[[Page E1875]]

over Indonesia, moving out into the Pacific as the ocean water warms 
there. As el nino fades, the rainfall patterns return to their normal 
positions. These climate fluctuations affect much of the world over 
simply due to a change in the prevailing winds over much of the planet 
as tropical rainfall patterns change their position and intensity. 
Severe storms and flooding along the west coast, droughts in the 
midwest and increased typhoons in Hawaii are a sample of the severe 
weather problems associated with el nino.
  Columbia University's Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory, located in my 
district, is the home of the International Research Institute for 
Climate Research, a National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration 
[NOAA] funded institute. Working in conjunction with the Scripps 
Institute of Oceanography at the University of California at San Diego, 
Columbia University's renowned facility has helped to define the el 
nino effect.
  With this year's prediction that there will be the most active el 
ninos of the century, I believe that we must give full funding of $74.9 
million to the Office of Global Programs at NOAA. This can be achieved 
by adding an additional $4.9 million which will be used by TOGA for 
continuing to research el nino.
  Increasing the funding for the TOGA Program would expand its ability 
to work as a fully operational observation system, thus providing NOAA 
with the opportunity to understand the climate conditions caused by el 
nino. This early warning capability would in turn help business owners, 
farmers, and local government officials better prepare for the damaging 
effects of el nino.
  I appreciate the work done by Chairman Rogers and look forward to 
working with him and Mr. Bilbray of California as we proceed with these 
important programs.

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