[Congressional Record Volume 148, Number 137 (Thursday, October 17, 2002)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E1883-E1884]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




 INTRODUCTION OF THE GLOBAL CHANGE RESEARCH AND DATA MANAGEMENT ACT OF 
                                  2002

                                 ______
                                 

                            HON. MARK UDALL

                              of colorado

                    in the house of representatives

                      Wednesday, October 16, 2002

  Mr. UDALL of Colorado. Mr. Speaker, today I am pleased to introduce 
the Global Change Research and Data Management Act of 2002. This bill 
would replace the current law that formally established the U.S. Global 
Change Research Program (USGCRP) in 1990.
  The USGCRP has significantly advanced our scientific knowledge of 
Earth's atmosphere and climate and has provided us with a wealth of new 
data and information about the functioning of our planet. After a 
decade of research, we have a far better understanding of the Earth's 
natural cycles and how human activities can influence them.
  However, while the USGCRP has produced excellent scientific results, 
it has not produced sufficient information, in terms of both content 
and format, for local, state, regional, and national policymakers 
responsible for managing resources, making residential and economic 
development decisions, and responding to natural disasters. The program 
has focused nearly all of its resources and efforts on scientific 
inquiry. Only one broad assessment of the impact of global change on 
society has ever been attempted by the program, and that assessment was 
completed nearly seven years after its Congressionally mandated 
deadline. In my view, it is critical that Congress re-orient the USGCRP 
toward a user-driven research endeavor.
  The current Administration has reached a conclusion similar to mine 
with respect to climate research. However, their efforts to produce 
more policy-relevant information on climate change have become bogged 
down in reorganization of the federal bureaucracy instead of focusing 
on reaching out to users.
  The Global Change Research and Data Management Act would require the 
Administration to identify and consult with members of the user 
community in developing the USGCRP research plan. The bill would also 
mandate the involvement of the National Governors Association in 
evaluating the program plan from the perspective of the user community. 
These steps would help to ensure that the information needs of the 
policy community will be met as generously as the funding needs of the 
academic community.
  The 1990 law outlined a highly specific organizational structure for 
the USGCRP. My bill would eliminate this detailed organizational 
structure and provide the president with the flexibility to assemble an 
Interagency Committee and organizational structure that will best 
deliver the products Congress is requesting. My bill would, however, 
retain many of the key features of current law--the requirements for a 
ten-year strategic plan, for periodic assessments of the effects of 
global change on the natural, social, and economic systems upon which 
we depend, and for increased international cooperation in global change 
science.
  My bill would establish a new interagency working group to coordinate 
federal policies on data management and archiving. Advances in 
computer, monitoring, and satellite technologies have vastly expanded 
our ability to collect and analyze data. We must do a much better job 
of managing and archiving these important data resources to support the 
work of current and future scientists and policymakers.
  As is clear from the impasse on the climate provisions of the energy 
bill (H.R. 4), the Congress has yet to agree on how much more 
information, if any, is needed before we take actions to slow the 
effects of human activities on global change. These are tough policy 
questions that we will continue to wrestle with in

[[Page E1884]]

the years to come. This bill does not offer specific policy direction, 
but it does affirm the need for the continued strong federal support 
for global change research, and it does map out a new emphasis on 
production of information needed to inform these important policy 
debates. As the world leader in science and technology, it is incumbent 
on us to develop solutions that will protect our planet's resources and 
permit continued economic and social progress for our nation and for 
the world.

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