[Congressional Record Volume 150, Number 46 (Monday, April 5, 2004)]
[Senate]
[Pages S3632-S3633]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

      By Mr. STEVENS:
  S. 2280. A bill to establish a coordinated national ocean exploration 
program within the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration; to 
the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation.
  Mr. STEVENS. Mr. President, I rise to introduce today the National 
Ocean Exploration Program Act to expand exploration and knowledge of 
our Nation's oceans. This bill is cosponsored by Senators Hollings and 
Inouye.
  The National Ocean Exploration Program Act will create better 
coordination of ocean exploration and research between the National 
Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, the National Science 
Foundation, and other appropriate Federal agencies.
  The purposes of the program are to expand ocean exploration to 
discover new marine substances that potentially have therapeutic 
benefits; to study unique marine ecosystems, organisms, and the geology 
of the world's oceans; and to maximize ocean research effectiveness by 
integrating multiple scientific disciplines in the ocean science 
community.
  There will be a focus on remote ocean research and exploration, in 
particular, deep marine regions, specifically, hydrothermal vents 
communities and seamounts. More research on these areas, where 
organisms exist in highly toxic environments, may bring significant 
scientific and medical breakthroughs.

[[Page S3633]]

  Decades ago I helped Oscar Dyson, a great Alaska fisherman, secure a 
small grant to explore the North Pacific. With that grant, he 
discovered a significant number of species of marine life we now 
consider to be central to the North Pacific. It is my hope the National 
Ocean Exploration Program Act will provide this type of exploration and 
discovery to our Nation's oceans.

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