[Federal Register Volume 59, Number 248 (Wednesday, December 28, 1994)]
[Unknown Section]
[Page ]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 94-31824]


[Federal Register: December 28, 1994]


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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
[Docket No. 941245-4345]


Schedule of New and Revised Fees for Access to NOAA Environmental 
Data and Information

AGENCY: National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Commerce.

ACTION: Notice.

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SUMMARY: Consistent with Office of Management and Budget (OMB) Circular 
A-130, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) 
announces that it normally will follow a policy of providing 
environmental data and information at the cost of dissemination. NOAA 
will follow this policy except where otherwise permitted by the 
Director of OMB and/or otherwise directed by statute. For example, 
there is a statutory requirement that Landsat imagery be made available 
at the cost of fulfilling user request which includes costs in addition 
to those costs associated with dissemination; NOAA is also directed by 
statute to recover additional costs associated with the creation and 
publication of its nautical and aeronautical products. NOAA will 
continue to participate in international data sharing and may establish 
user fees at less than the cost of dissemination where the agency has 
determined that higher charges would constitute a significant barrier 
to fulfilling its information dissemination responsibilities.

DATES: December 28, 1994.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Section 10201(a) of Pub. L. 101-508 amended 
section 409 of the Act of November 17, 1988 (15 U.S.C. 1534) to 
authorize NOAA to charge the public fees based on fair market value for 
environmental data, data information, and products. In July, 1991, NOAA 
instituted a policy to charge fair market value for certain types of 
environmental data (56 FR 33260, July 19, 1991).
    The Office of Management and Budget (OMB) Circular A-130 (58 FR 
36070, July 2, 1993) establishes information management policies 
relating to information dissemination, records management, and 
cooperation with state and local governments. Section 8(c) of Circular 
A-130 states that government data and information products should be 
priced ``at a level sufficient to recover the cost of dissemination, 
but no higher.''
    NOAA strongly supports the policy directive of Section 8(c) and 
believes it is in the Nation's best interest to maximize the 
distribution of government scientific data at the minimum cost. 
Accordingly, NOAA announces its pricing policy to comply with Circular 
A-130 and will now recover no more than the cost of disseminating its 
data, except where otherwise directed by statute and/or permitted by 
the Director of OMB.
    Individual offices within NOAA will publish appropriate fee 
schedules that implement this revised pricing policy.
December 21, 1994.
Diana H. Josephson,
Deputy Under Secretary for Oceans and Atmosphere, National Oceanic and 
Atmospheric Administration, Department of Commerce.
[FR Doc. 94-31824 Filed 12-27-94; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510-12-M