[Congressional Record Volume 147, Number 93 (Friday, June 29, 2001)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1245]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                 REMOTE SENSING APPLICATION ACT OF 2001

                                 ______
                                 

                            HON. MARK UDALL

                              of colorado

                    in the house of representatives

                        Thursday, June 28, 2001

  Mr. UDALL of Colorado. Mr. Speaker, today I am introducing the Remote 
Sensing Applications Act of 2001. This bill would help communities grow 
more smartly by giving them greater access to geospatial data--
information from analysis of data from orbiting satellites and airborne 
platforms--from federal agencies such as NASA and commercial sources.
  I am pleased that my colleague Representative Jim Greenwood is 
joining me as an original cosponsor of this bill.
  Many of our cities, in Colorado and across the country, are 
experiencing problems with unchecked and unplanned growth--otherwise 
known as sprawl. Planning for growth is primarily the job of state and 
local government. But the federal government also has an important role 
to play--whether through funding transportation, infrastructure, 
schools, and the like; establishing federal tax incentives and 
disincentives for private development; or puffing in place federal 
permits and licenses that may contribute to or restrain sprawl.
  The federal government can also help to provide information to help 
towns and cities grow in a smarter and more sustainable way. Wise 
community planning and management cannot happen if communities do not 
have information to make sound decisions. The federal government can 
bring valuable--and powerful informational planning resources to the 
table.
  One new space-age tool is the use of satellites to provide images of 
the Earth's surface. We now have technology using geospatial data from 
satellites--that can produce very accurate maps that show information 
about vegetation, wildlife habitat, flood plains, transportation 
corridors, soil types, and many other things. Satellite imagery and 
remote sensing, when combined with Geographic Information System (GIS) 
and Global Positioning Satellite (GPS) system information, can be 
invaluable tools for use in such areas as land-use planning, 
transportation, emergency response planning, and environmental 
planning. Getting this integrated geospatial data to local communities 
would give planners important information they could use to avoid 
problems and help communities grow more smartly.
  As a member of the House Science Committee and the Space and 
Aeronautics Subcommittee, I have learned about the technological 
opportunities available from federal agency activities and 
capabilities. The bill I am introducing would establish a program that 
will demonstrate the effectiveness of the use of integrated geospatial 
data to other governmental sectors.
  The bill would establish in NASA a program of grants for 
competitively awarded pilot projects to explore the integrated use of 
sources of remote sensing and other geospatial information to address 
state, local, regional, and tribal agency needs. This proposed 
legislation would build on and complement an applications program that 
NASA's Office of Earth Science announced earlier this year. Like NASA's 
program, the Remote Sensing Applications Act would seek to translate 
scientific and technical capabilities in Earth science into practical 
tools to help public and private sector decisionmakers solve practical 
problems at the state and local levels.
  The Remote Sensing Applications Act has the potential to begin to 
bridge the gap between established and emerging technology solutions 
and the problems and challenges that state and local communities face 
regarding growth management and other issues. I look forward to working 
with Rep. Greenwood and other Members of the House to move forward with 
this important initiative.

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