[Congressional Record Volume 148, Number 151 (Wednesday, November 20, 2002)]
[Senate]
[Pages S11797-S11799]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




        HYDROGRAPHIC SERVICES IMPROVEMENT ACT AMENDMENTS OF 2002

  Mr. REID. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Senate 
proceed to the consideration of H.R. 4883, which is at the desk.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The clerk will report the bill by title.
  The legislative clerk read as follows:

       A bill (H.R. 4883) to reauthorize the Hydrographic Services 
     Improvement Act of 1998, and for other purposes.

  There being no objection, the Senate proceeded to consider the bill.
  Mr. HOLLINGS. Mr. President, I rise today to comment on H.R. 4883, a 
bill to reauthorize the Hydrographic Services Improvement Act of 1998. 
This legislation authorizes programs supporting NOAA's strategic 
missions to promote safe navigation and sustain healthy coasts. I am 
especially supportive of this bill because it improves the hydrographic 
services around our Nation and authorizes the activities of the 
Commissioned Corps of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric 
Administration, NOAA Corps.
  Last week Congress approved the conference report on the Maritime 
Transportation Security Act, which will enhance security in our 
Nation's ports. H.R. 4883 authorizes some key provisions to support 
that effort by authorizing and increasing the number of officers in our 
NOAA Corps and supporting establishment of real time hydrographic 
monitoring systems to enhance navigation and safety. NOAA's 
hydrographic programs share data and work closely with the U.S. Coast 
Guard and U.S. Navy, and such collaborations have increased since 
September 11, 2001. Accurate navigation information supports safe and 
efficient military deployment and seaport evacuation. About 90 percent 
of all military equipment and supplies for overseas operations are 
shipped out of U.S. ports.
  Seaports have always been an integral part of our Nation's commerce. 
Today, more than 95 percent of foreign trade by weight moves by sea, 
and trade is projected to double by 2020. Vessels are twice as large as 
they were 50 years ago, testing the capabilities of many ports. 
Increased ferry, cruise line, and recreational boating activities 
contribute a rise in seaport congestion. Each year there are about 
3,500 commercial and 7,000 recreational boating accidents.
  The safe and efficient movement of products depends upon the marine 
transportation system. Advanced, highly accurate hydrographic, 
oceanographic and related data improve mariners' situational, three-
dimensional awareness, which increases efficiency, reduces risk, and 
safeguards the marine environment. Such advanced data and services are 
an integral part of implementing an internationally compliant 
electronic chart display and information system.
  I am especially supportive and pleased that this bill includes 
language to reauthorize the NOAA Corps. The NOAA Corps, the smallest of 
the seven uniformed services of the United States, plays a very 
important role at NOAA and for the Nation. The service, consisting of 
approximately 265 commissioned officers, provides NOAA with 
professionals trained in engineering, earth sciences, oceanography, 
meteorology, fisheries, science, and other related disciplines. The 
officers serve in assignments within the five major line offices of 
NOAA: National Ocean Service, NOS; National Weather Service, NWS; 
National Marine Fisheries Service, NMFS; Oceanic and Atmospheric 
Research OAR; and National Environmental Satellite, Data, and 
Information Service, NESDIS. Officers operate ships, fly aircraft into 
hurricanes, lead mobile field parties, manage research projects, 
conduct diving operations, and serve in staff positions throughout 
NOAA. In addition they conduct hydrographic surveys along our Nation's 
coast in order to make our waters safe for marine commerce.
  The NOAA Corps is essential to NOAA's coverage of our seas and our 
skies; in hours of crisis, NOAA employees have been found issuing the 
tornado warnings that saved hundreds of lives from a deadly storm, 
flying into the eyes of hurricanes to gather information about possible 
landfall, fighting to free three gray whales trapped in the ice, 
fielding a massive scientific operation to guide the recovery from an 
oil spill, and monitoring via satellites the movement of hurricanes and 
other severe storms, volcanic ash and wildfires that threaten 
communities.

[[Page S11798]]

  As marine professionals, the NOAA Corps personnel may be transferred 
to the military services in times of national emergency, and this bill 
describes a number of technical areas designed to bring the NOAA Corps 
into line with Department of Defense standards in terms of rank, 
promotion and pay grade. This bill authorizes a gradual increase in the 
number of officers to accommodate the growing needs associated with new 
Navigation Response Teams that will be established and located in ports 
around the country.
  Finally, this legislation amends the Oceans Act of 2000 to ensure 
that the commission remains in existence 90 days after the date of the 
final submission of the report. This will allow the commission to 
provide advice to Congress on its report and on the President's 
implementation plan, but will not affect the due date established in 
the Act for submission of the Commission's report. The amendment would 
also authorize appropriations of $8.5 million; this increase reflects 
the resources necessary to hold nine regional meetings--three more than 
mandated by the Oceans Act. These regional meetings are essential to 
ensuring the views of all citizens are reflected in the work of the 
Commission, and I have fully supported this regional outreach effort, 
and the excellent work of the Ocean Commission and its staff.
  I want to thank my colleagues in the House of Representatives for 
working with me to create a bill that does so much to enhance the 
safety and navigation along our coasts.
  Mr. SARBANES. Mr. President, the legislation before the Senate, H.R. 
4883, the Hydrographic Services Improvement Act Amendments of 2002, 
includes important provisions to reauthorize the NOAA Chesapeake Bay 
Office, NCBO. This office which was first established in 1992 pursuant 
to Public Law 102-567, has been the focal point for all of NOAA's 
activities within the Chesapeake Bay watershed and a vital part of the 
effort to achieve the long-term goal of the Bay Program--restoring the 
Bay's living resources to healthy and balanced levels.
  During the past 10 years, the NCBO has made great strides in 
realizing the objectives of the NOAA Authorization Act of 1992 and the 
overall Bay Program living resource goals. Working with other Bay 
Program partners, important progress has been made in surveying and 
assessing fishery resources in the Bay, developing fishery management 
plans for selected species, undertaking habitat restoration projects, 
removing barriers to fish passage, and undertaking important remote 
sensing and data analysis activities. But NOAA's responsibilities to 
the Bay restoration effort are far from complete. Some populations of 
major species of fish and shellfish in Chesapeake Bay such as shad and 
oysters, remain severely depressed, while others, such as blue crab are 
at risk. Baywide, some 16 of 25 ecologically important species are in 
decline or severe decline, due to disease, habitat loss, overfishing 
and other factors. The underwater grasses that once sustained these 
fisheries are only at a fraction of their historic levels. Research and 
monitoring must be continued and enhanced to track living resource 
trends, evaluate the responses of the estuary's biota to changes in 
their environment and establish clear management goals and progress 
indicators for restoring the productivity, diversity and abundance of 
these species. Likewise, education to improve understanding by 
elementary and secondary students and teachers of the living resources 
in the Chesapeake Bay ecosystem is a top priority.
  In order to ensure NOAA's continued full participation in the Bay's 
restoration and in meeting with goals and objectives of Chesapeake 
2000, in the 106th Congress I introduced legislation, together with 
several of my colleagues, to reauthorize the NOAA Bay Program office 
and provide the office with additional resources and authority. No 
action was taken on that legislation so in the 107th Congress, Senators 
Warner, Mikulski, Allen and I introduced new legislation to reauthorize 
the NCBO. A similar measure was introduced in the House by 
Representative Gilchrest and the entire Maryland House delegation and 
provisions of these bills are included in section 401 of the 
legislation before us. The provisions authorize and direct NOAA to 
undertake a special 5-year study, in cooperation with the scientific 
community of the Chesapeake Bay and appropriate other Federal agencies, 
to develop the knowledge base required for understanding multispecies 
interactions and developing multispecies management plans. NOAA is also 
authorized to carry out a small-scale fishery and habitat restoration 
grant and technical assistance program to help citizens organizations 
and local governments in the Chesapeake Bay watershed undertake 
habitat, fish, and shellfish restoration projects. The legislation 
authorizes $6 million a year specifically to fund the NOAA Chesapeake 
Bay office and carry out these two activities. And I want to emphasize 
that this authorization level is intended to address only NCBO's base 
budget and these two initiatives and that additional funds are provided 
for the work that the NCBO conducts in oyster reef restoration, oyster 
disease research, education and training and blue crab research.
  I am disappointed however that the legislation did not include two 
other provisions which we sought to create an internet-based Coastal 
Predictions Center for the Chesapeake Bay and to formally authorize the 
NOAA Chesapeake Bay Office's Bay Watershed Education and Training, B-
WET, Program that we established last year. Moreover, it is critical 
that the funding levels for the NOAA Bay Program activities continue to 
grow to meet these needs and NOAA's responsibilities in oyster and SAV 
restoration efforts, among other initiatives. If we are to achieve the 
ultimate, long-term goal of the Bay Program--protecting, restoring and 
maintaining the health of the living resources of the Bay--additional 
financial resources must be provided. I plan to introduce new 
legislation in the 108th Congress to address these shortcomings and 
look forward to working with my colleagues on the Commerce Committee in 
this regard.
  Mr. KERRY. Mr. President, I rise today to offer a few comments 
concerning H.R. 4883, a bill to reauthorize the Hydrographic Services 
Improvement Act of 1998. I am especially supportive of this bill's 
inclusion of language to reauthorize the Commissioned Corps of the 
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, NOAA Corps. The NOAA 
Corps plays a very important role in NOAA and to our Nation.
  The NOAA Corps is the smallest of the seven uniformed services of the 
United States. The service, consisting of approximately 299 
commissioned officers, is an integral part of NOAA, an agency under the 
U.S. Department of Commerce.
  The NOAA Corps traces its roots back to the former U.S. Coast and 
Geodetic Survey, which dates back to 1807 and President Thomas 
Jefferson. The NOAA Corps today provides a cadre of professionals 
trained in engineering, earth sciences, oceanography, meteorology, 
fisheries science, and other related disciplines. The officers serve in 
assignments within the five major Line Offices of NOAA: National Ocean 
Service, NOS; National Weather Service, NWS; National Marine Fisheries 
Service, NMFS; Oceanic and Atmospheric Research, OAR; and National 
Environmental Satellite, Data, and Information Service, NESDIS. 
Officers operate ships, fly aircraft into hurricanes, lead mobile field 
parties, manage research projects, conduct diving operations, and serve 
in staff positions throughout NOAA. In addition they conduct 
hydrographic surveys along our nation's coast in order to make our 
waters safe for marine commerce.
  As Chairman of the Oceans, Atmosphere and Fisheries Subcommittee 
allow me to explain a little about NOAA. NOAA provides timely and 
precise weather, water and climate forecasts, to monitoring the 
environment, to managing fisheries and building healthy coastlines, to 
making our nation more competitive through safe navigation and 
examining changes in the oceans, NOAA is on the front lines for 
America.
  In hours of crisis, NOAA employees have been found issuing the 
tornado warnings that saved hundreds of lives from a deadly storm, 
flying into the eyes of hurricanes to gather information about possible 
landfall, fighting to free three grey whales trapped in the ice, 
fielding a massive scientific operation on the shores to guide the 
comeback from an oil spill, and monitoring by satellites the movement 
of hurricanes and other severe storms, volcanic

[[Page S11799]]

ash and wildfires that threaten communities.
  In 1882 the U.S.S. Albatross, the first government research vessel 
built exclusively for fisheries and oceanographic research, launched 
both a future for NOAA's research programs and a fleet of research 
vessels. Today, NOAA scientists along with their university partners, 
work to better understand the world in which we live. NOAA research is 
where much of the work is done that results in better weather 
forecasts, longer warning lead times for natural disasters, new 
products from the sea, and a greater understanding of our climate, 
atmosphere and oceans. NOAA research is done not only in what many 
would consider traditional laboratories, but also aboard ships, aloft 
in planes, and beneath the sea in the world's only undersea habitat. 
NOAA research tools can be as high-tech as supercomputers or as basic 
as rain gauges. The officers of the NOAA Corps operate NOAA's fleet of 
research vessels and aircraft. Those of us on the Commerce Committee 
like to think of NOAA as the little agency that does a lot. The NOAA 
Corps is an integral part of the NOAA team that brings all of these 
valuable services to the American public.
  Mr. REID. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the bill be 
read three times, passed, and the motion to reconsider be laid upon the 
table; and that any statements relating to this matter be printed in 
the Record, with no intervening action or debate.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Is there objection?
  Without objection, it is so ordered.
  The bill (H.R. 4883) was read the third time and passed.

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