[Congressional Record Volume 151, Number 91 (Friday, July 1, 2005)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1424]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




INTRODUCING A CONCURRENT RESOLUTION SUPPORTING THE GOALS AND IDEALS OF 
                        INTERNATIONAL POLAR YEAR

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                         HON. ALCEE L. HASTINGS

                               of florida

                    in the house of representatives

                        Thursday, June 30, 2005

  Mr. HASTINGS of Florida. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to introduce a 
concurrent resolution in support of the goals and aspirations of the 
International Polar Year. The International Polar Year will allow 
scientist to create a benchmark for the Polar Regions and study this 
remote area of the world through all the seasons.
  The International Polar Year (IPY), co-sponsored by the International 
Council of Science (ICSU) and the World Meteorological Organization 
(WMO), will run from March of 2007 to March 2008. The IPY will afford 
an opportunity to engage the upcoming generation of scientists and 
focus public attention on the importance of the Polar Regions and how 
much the cold ends of the sphere we all live on really do influence us.
  I was recently in Norway and had the opportunity to talk about the 
significance of the IPY. The recognition of this important issue in all 
parts of the world further emphasizes why this resolution and issue is 
so important.
  Mr. Speaker, this concurrent resolution lends Congress' support for 
the International Polar Year. Past worldwide initiatives have yielded 
unprecedented exploration and discoveries in many fields of research 
and fundamentally changed how science was conducted in the Polar 
Regions. Now, decades later, technological developments such as earth 
observation satellites, autonomous vehicles, and molecular biology 
techniques offer enormous opportunities for an unparalleled expansion 
of our understanding of these complex systems.
  Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support this concurrent 
resolution. Encouraging the studying the Polar Regions is crucial as it 
will lead to a greater understanding of how this area of the world 
affects the rest of the earth's ecosystem and in turn, human society. 
This concurrent resolution furthers that goal. That is why I look 
forward to working with my colleagues and moving this resolution 
forward.

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