[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 150 (2004), Part 9]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page 12079]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




INTRODUCTION OF THE NATIONAL OCEANIC AND ATMOSPHERIC ADMINISTRATION ACT

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                         HON. VERNON J. EHLERS

                              of michigan

                    in the house of representatives

                         Monday, June 14, 2004

  Mr. EHLERS. Mr. Speaker, today I am pleased to introduce H.R. 4546, 
the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Act. Better known 
as NOAA, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration was 
created by Executive Order in 1970. As Chairman of the Environment, 
Technology and Standards Subcommittee of the House Science Committee, I 
oversee much of NOAA. It is the Nation's lead civilian agency for 
oceans and atmosphere, yet Congress has never passed an overarching 
organic act describing the mission and functions of the agency. 
Instead, over the past 34 years Congress has defined the mission of the 
agency in a piecemeal manner with legislation focused on specific 
issues. The bill I am introducing today is a first step toward 
Congressional passage of comprehensive legislation for NOAA.
  On April 20, the U.S. Commission on Ocean Policy released its long 
awaited Preliminary Report with recommendations for a coordinated 
national ocean policy. One of its key recommendations is that Congress 
should pass an organic act for NOAA. At a recent Science Committee 
hearing, the chairman of the Commission emphasized the importance of 
this recommendation and I strongly agree with him. The time is right 
for Congress to consider, and pass, this organic act for NOAA, an 
agency that provides vital services to the Nation that range from 
weather forecasts and warnings to cutting-edge marine research.
  My bill contains three major sections. Title I is an organic act for 
NOAA. It establishes the National Oceanic and Atmospheric 
Administration (NOAA) within the Department of Commerce and defines the 
mission of NOAA. This mission is ``to understand and predict changes in 
the Earth's oceans and atmosphere and the effects of such changes on 
the land environment, to conserve and manage coastal, ocean, and Great 
Lakes ecosystems, and to educate the public about these topics.'' My 
bill maintains the current leadership structure at NOAA, but adds a 
Deputy Assistant Secretary for Science and Technology to serve as the 
point person for the agency to coordinate the research and science 
activities of NOAA across the agency.
  Title I of my bill also describes the functions of NOAA, which are 
divided into three broad groups to improve cooperation among NOAA's 
programs, as recommended by the U.S. Commission on Ocean Policy. First 
is the National Weather Service, which provides weather, water and 
climate forecasts and warnings to the Nation. The second group is 
operations and services, which includes all of NOAA's satellites 
services and its mapping and charting services. The third category of 
functions is research and education.
  The bill focuses on pieces of NOAA under Science Committee 
jurisdiction, and does not currently include any references to NOAA's 
fisheries or resource management, which are under the jurisdiction of 
the Resources Committee here in the House. I am hopeful that we can 
work with other committees in the House and our colleagues in the 
Senate to pass a truly comprehensive organic act for NOAA, but for now 
we must start with this piece of legislation.
  The second part of the bill is a three year general authorization for 
NOAA's line offices. The third part of my bill in Titles III-VII is a 
series of NOAA-related legislation from the 108th Congress that I 
believe are important programs to specifically authorize at this time.
  I believe it is critical for NOAA's mission to be clearly defined so 
it can better fulfill its role in observing, managing, and protecting 
our Nation's coastal, ocean and Great Lakes resources. I look forward 
to working with my colleagues in a bipartisan fashion to pass this bill 
into law this year. This will not be an easy task, but it is so 
important to our environment, our economy, and our children's and 
grandchildren's future, that we must succeed.

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