[Congressional Record Volume 155, Number 82 (Wednesday, June 3, 2009)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E1304-E1305]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




     INTRODUCTION OF H.R. 2685, THE CLIMATE AND OCEAN RESEARCH AND 
                        COORDINATION ACT OF 2009

                                 ______
                                 

                       HON. MADELEINE Z. BORDALLO

                                of guam

                    in the house of representatives

                        Wednesday, June 3, 2009

  Ms. BORDALLO. Madam Speaker, the risks of climate change and climate 
variability are well-documented and under certain circumstances 
threaten public safety, national security, industry and the economy, 
natural resource management, and our American way of life. As these 
risks increase and become more known, we are all challenged with how to 
strategically respond and adapt to an unpredictable climate. Just as my 
constituents in Guam face uncertainty over how to respond to rising sea 
levels and the increasing frequency and ferocity of cyclonic storms, 
such as typhoons, each state and territory of our great Nation faces 
their own challenges in adapting to climate change. Without reliable 
climate information and tools to project climate impacts, it is 
difficult for any government to make informed and strategic decisions. 
Strong leadership, better coordination, more exchanges of information, 
and a new approach to federal climate services are required to 
strategically and cost-effectively manage public and private resources 
in this dynamic environment.
  H.R. 2685, the Climate and Ocean Research and Coordination Act of 
2009, which I have introduced today, addresses these needs by providing 
specific authority to enhance the leadership role of the National 
Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) in the delivery of 
oceanic, weather, atmospheric, and climate services, and for the first 
time, establishes a cooperative governmental and non-governmental 
partnership to advance the ability of the federal government and the 
public to respond to, adapt to, and plan for climate change and climate 
change impacts.
  Title I of this legislation codifies NOAA, enabling it to better 
execute its diverse responsibilities, and formalizes its role as the 
link between global oceanic and atmospheric research science, and the 
functions, processes, ecosystems, and management of our coastal and 
ocean resources. Title II establishes a public-private National Climate 
Enterprise (NCE), comprised of federal and non-federal partners to 
provide scientifically-based, authoritative, timely, and useful climate 
and climate impacts information, products, and services to meet end-
user needs and guide climate change adaptation and mitigation.
  Coping with the uncertainties raised by climate change will be one of 
our Nation's most serious challenges in the foreseeable future. 
Credible, reliable, and usable climate information will be fundamental 
toward determining our success in confronting this risk to our economy, 
society, and environment. Now is the time for the Congress to both 
codify NOAA and establish a coordinated, public-private National 
Climate Enterprise to ensure that our national efforts to mitigate 
climate impacts will be guided by the best available scientific 
information.
  I look forward to working with my colleagues on both sides of the 
aisle, and especially with my colleagues on the Committee on Science 
and Technology which shares oversight responsibility for NOAA with the 
Committee on Natural Resources, to advance this legislation and to 
strengthen the abilities of the federal government and the public to 
better understand our dynamic climate and respond to, adapt to, and 
plan for climate change impacts.
    

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