[House Report 106-810]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
106th Congress Report
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
2d Session 106-810
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EXPLORATION OF THE SEAS ACT
_______
September 6, 2000.--Committed to the Committee of the Whole House on
the State of the Union and ordered to be printed
_______
Mr. Young of Alaska, from the Committee on Resources, submitted the
following
R E P O R T
[To accompany H.R. 2090]
[Including cost estimate of the Congressional Budget Office]
The Committee on Resources, to whom was referred the bill
(H.R. 2090) to direct the Secretary of Commerce to contract
with the National Academy of Sciences to establish the
Coordinated Oceanographic Program Advisory Panel to report to
the Congress on the feasibility and social value of a
coordinated oceanography program, having considered the same,
report favorably thereon with an amendment and recommend that
the bill as amended do pass.
The amendment is as follows:
Strike all after the enacting clause and insert the
following:
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
This Act may be cited as the ``Exploration of the Seas Act''.
SEC. 2. FINDINGS.
Congress finds the following:
(1) During the past 100 years, scientists working with marine
fossils, both underwater and high in the mountains, have traced
the origins of life on Earth to the sea, beginning
approximately 3 billion years ago. Today, life on our planet
remains dependent on the vitality of the sea.
(2) More than two-thirds of the Earth's surface is covered by
water, with oceans and inland seas accounting for almost 140
million square miles.
(3) The United Nations forecasts a worldwide population of
8.9 billion by the year 2050, a 50 percent increase from 5.9
billion in 1999. As this trend in population growth continues,
increasing demands will be placed on ocean and coastal
resources, not only as a result of population growth in coastal
regions, but also from the need to harvest increasing amounts
of marine life as a source of food to satisfy world protein
requirements, and from the mining of energy-producing materials
from offshore resource deposits.
(4) The ocean remains one of the Earth's last unexplored
frontiers. It has stirred our imaginations over the millennia,
led to the discovery of new lands, immense mineral deposits,
and reservoirs of other resources, and produced startling
scientific findings. Recognizing the importance of the marine
environment, the need for scientific exploration to expand our
knowledge of the world's oceans is crucial if we are to ensure
that the marine environment will be managed sustainably.
(5) The seas possess enormous economic and environmental
importance. Some ocean resources, such as fisheries and
minerals, are well recognized. Oil use has increased
dramatically in recent times, and the sea bed holds large
deposits of largely undiscovered reserves. Other ocean
resources offer promise for the future. In addition to fossil
fuels, the ocean floor contains deposits of gravel, sand,
manganese crusts and nodules, tin, gold, and diamonds. Marine
mineral resources are extensive, yet poorly understood.
(6) The oceans also offer rich untapped potential for
medications. Marine plants and animals possess inestimable
potential in the treatment of human illnesses. Coral reefs,
sometimes described as the rain forests of the sea, contain
uncommon chemicals that may be used to fight diseases for which
scientists have not yet found a cure, such as cancer, acquired
immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS), and diabetes. While the
number of new chemical compounds that can be derived from land
based plants and microbial fermentation is limited, scientists
have only just begun to explore the sea's vast molecular
potential.
(7) In spite of the development of new technologies,
comparatively little of the ocean has been studied. The
leadership role of the United States has been eroded by a
gradual decrease in funding support, even while public opinion
surveys indicate that ocean exploration is at least as
important as space exploration.
(8) The National Academy of Sciences has the means by which
to study and make determinations regarding the adoption and
establishment of a coordinated oceanography program for the
exploration of the seas, in which the National Oceanic and
Atmospheric Administration could participate in a role similar
to that of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration
with regard to the International Space Station.
SEC. 3. COORDINATED OCEANOGRAPHIC PROGRAM ADVISORY PANEL.
(a) In General.--Not later than 60 days after the date of enactment
of this Act and subject to the availability of appropriations, the
Secretary of Commerce shall contract with the National Academy of
Sciences to establish the Coordinated Oceanography Program Advisory
Panel (in this Act referred to as the ``Panel''), comprised of experts
in ocean studies, including individuals with academic experience in
oceanography, marine biology, marine geology, ichthyology, and ocean
related economics.
(b) Chairperson and Vice Chairperson.--The Panel shall elect a
chairperson and a vice-chairperson.
(c) Termination.--The Panel shall cease to exist 30 days after
submitting its final report and recommendations pursuant to section 4.
SEC. 4. REPORT AND RECOMMENDATIONS.
(a) In General.--No later than 18 months after its establishment, the
Panel shall report to the Committee on Resources of the House of
Representatives and the Committee on Commerce, Science, and
Transportation of the Senate on the feasibility and social value of a
coordinated oceanography program. In preparing its report, the Panel
shall examine existing oceanographic efforts and the level of
coordination or cooperation between and among participating countries
and institutions.
(b) International Workshop.--To assist in making its feasibility
determination under subsection (a), the Panel shall convene an
international workshop with participation from interested nations and a
broad range of persons representing scientists, engineers, policy
makers, regulators, industry, and other interested parties.
(c) Final Report.--The Panel shall include in its final report
recommendations for a national oceans exploration strategy, which
will--
(1) define objectives and priorities, and note important
scientific, historic, and cultural sites;
(2) promote collaboration among research organizations;
(3) examine the potential for new ocean exploration
technologies;
(4) describe those areas of study in which national or
international oceanographic cooperation is currently being
undertaken;
(5) identify areas of study in which knowledge of the oceans
is inadequate;
(6) ensure coordination with the National Oceanic and
Atmospheric Administration's Marine Protected Area Center;
(7) ensure that newly discovered organisms with medicinal or
commercial potential are identified for possible research and
development; and
(8) identify countries and organizations that would be likely
to participate in a coordinated oceanography program.
(d) Implementation.--If the Panel determines that a coordinated
oceanography program is feasible and has significant value for
advancing mankind's knowledge of the ocean, the Panel shall include in
its final report recommendations for implementing such program,
including recommendations regarding--
(1) the institutional arrangements, treaties, or laws
necessary to implement a coordinated oceanography program;
(2) the methods and incentives needed to secure cooperation
and commitments from participating nations to ensure that the
benefit that each nation that is a party to any international
agreement establishing a coordinated oceanography program
receives is contingent upon meeting the nation's obligations
(financial and otherwise) under such an agreement;
(3) the costs associated with establishing a coordinated
oceanography program;
(4) the types of undersea vehicles, ships, observing systems,
or other equipment that would be necessary to operate a
coordinated oceanography program; and
(5) how utilization of aboriginal observational data and
other historical information may be best incorporated into a
coordinated oceanography program.
SEC. 5. OBTAINING DATA.
Subject to national security restrictions, the Panel may obtain from
any department or agency of the United States information necessary to
enable it to carry out this Act. Upon request of the chairperson of the
Panel, the head of any department or agency shall furnish that
information at no cost to the Panel.
SEC. 6. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.
There are authorized to be appropriated for the purposes of carrying
out this Act, and to remain available until expended, $1,500,000.
PURPOSE OF THE BILL
The purpose of H.R. 2090 is to direct the Secretary of
Commerce to contract with the National Academy of Sciences to
establish the Coordinated Oceanographic Program Advisory Panel
to report to Congress on the feasibility and social value of a
coordinated oceanographic program.
BACKGROUND AND NEED FOR LEGISLATION
Over the past 15 years, tremendous advances in
oceanographic technology have been made and recent
technological advances have given us the ability to fully
explore the world's oceans. Unfortunately, the United States
does not have a comprehensive plan for determining what data
needs to be collected, or for integrating that data into an
easily usable system. H.R. 2090 establishes a panel to
determine whether the U.S. is making the most productive and
efficient use of the new oceanographic technologies available
to us, and whether the U.S. is making the best investments with
our limited resources.
H.R. 2090 establishes the Coordinated Oceanographic Program
Advisory Panel composed of individuals with academic experience
in oceanography, marine biology, marine geology, ichthyology,
and ocean-related economics. The Panel will submit a report to
Congress on the feasibility and social value of a coordinated
international oceanographic program. This report will include
recommendations for a national oceans exploration strategy. If
the Panel determines that a coordinated oceanographic program
is feasible and necessary, the report shall include
recommendations for establishing such a program.
COMMITTEE ACTION
H.R. 2090 was introduced on June 9, 1999, by Congressman
Jim Greenwood (R-PA). The bill was referred to the Committee on
Resources, and within the Committee to the Subcommittee on
Fisheries Conservation, Wildlife and Oceans. On October 27,
1999, the Subcommittee held a hearing on the bill. On March 23,
2000, the Subcommittee met to mark up the bill. No amendments
were offered and the bill was then ordered favorably reported
to the Full Committee by voice vote. On July 26, 2000, the Full
Resources Committee met to consider the bill. Congressman Jim
Saxton (R-NJ) offered an amendment to expand the list of
objectives and priorities to be included in the national oceans
exploration strategy, add to the findings the importance of
sustainable management of marine resources and add to the
implementation section a provision to incorporate aboriginal
observational data and historical information. It was adopted
by voice vote. The bill as amended was then ordered favorably
reported to the House of Representatives by voice vote.
SECTION-BY-SECTION ANALYSIS
Section 1. Short title
The short title of the bill is the ``Exploration of the
Seas Act''.
Section 2. Findings
The findings express the importance of, and the need to
better understand, the world's ocean.
Section 3. Coordinated Oceanographic Program Advisory Panel
The Secretary of Commerce will contract with the National
Academy of Sciences to establish the Coordinated Oceanographic
Program Advisory Panel, which will be composed of experts in
ocean studies, including individuals with academic experience
in oceanography, marine biology, marine geology, ichthyology,
and ocean related economics. The Panel will elect a chairperson
and a vice- chairperson. The Panel will cease to exist 30 days
after submitting its final report and recommendations to
Congress under section 4 of the bill.
Section 4. Report and recommendations
No later than 18 months after its establishment, the Panel
will report to the Committee on Resources of the House of
Representatives and the Committee on Commerce, Science, and
Transportation of the Senate on the feasibility and social
value of a coordinated oceanographic program. In preparing the
report, the Panel will examine existing oceanographic efforts
and the level of coordination or cooperation between and among
participating countries and institutions. To aid in determining
whether a coordinated oceanographic program is feasible, the
Panel will convene an international workshop with participation
from interested nations and a broad range of persons
representing scientists, engineers, policy makers, regulators,
industry, and other interested parties.
The Panel will include in its final report recommendations
for a national oceans exploration strategy, which will: define
objectives and priorities, and note important scientific,
historic and cultural sites; promote collaboration among
research organizations; examine the potential for new ocean
exploration technologies; describe those areas of study in
which national or international oceanographic cooperation is
currently being undertaken; identify areas of study in which
knowledge of the oceans is inadequate; ensure coordination with
the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's Marine
Protected Area Center; ensure that newly-discovered organisms
with medicinal or commercial potential are identified for
possible research and development; and identify countries and
organizations that would be likely to participate in a
coordinated program.
If the Panel determines that a coordinated oceanographic
program is feasible and necessary, the report shall include
recommendations for establishing such a program, including the
institutional arrangements, treaties and laws needed, the
methods and incentives needed to secure cooperation and
commitments from participating nations, the costs of
establishing a coordinated program, the types of capital
equipment necessary to support a coordinated program and how
utilization of aboriginal observational data and other
historical information may be best incorporated into a
coordinated oceanographic program.
Section 5. Obtaining data
Subject to national security restrictions, the Panel may
obtain, at no cost, the information necessary to carry out this
bill from any department or agency of the United States.
Section 6. Authorization of appropriations
There are authorized to be appropriated for the purposes of
carrying out this bill $1.5 million, to remain available until
expended.
COMMITTEE OVERSIGHT FINDINGS AND RECOMMENDATIONS
Regarding clause 2(b)(1) of rule X and clause 3(c)(1) of
rule XIII of the Rules of the House of Representatives, the
Committee on Resources' oversight findings and recommendations
are reflected in the body of this report.
FEDERAL ADVISORY COMMITTEE STATEMENT
The functions of the proposed advisory committee authorized
in the bill are not currently being nor could they be performed
by one or more agencies, an advisory committee already in
existence or by enlarging the mandate of an existing advisory
committee.
CONSTITUTIONAL AUTHORITY STATEMENT
Article I, section 8 of the Constitution of the United
States grants Congress the authority to enact this bill.
COMPLIANCE WITH HOUSE RULE XIII
1. Cost of Legislation.--Clause 3(d)(2) of rule XIII of the
Rules of the House of Representatives requires an estimate and
a comparison by the Committee of the costs which would be
incurred in carrying out this bill. However, clause 3(d)(3)(B)
of that rule provides that this requirement does not apply when
the Committee has included in its report a timely submitted
cost estimate of the bill prepared by the Director of the
Congressional Budget Office under section 402 of the
Congressional Budget Act of 1974.
2. Congressional Budget Act.--As required by clause 3(c)(2)
of rule XIII of the Rules of the House of Representatives and
section 308(a) of the Congressional Budget Act of 1974, this
bill does not contain any new budget authority, spending
authority, credit authority, or an increase or decrease in
revenues or tax expenditures.
3. Government Reform Oversight Findings.--Under clause
3(c)(4) of rule XIII of the Rules of the House of
Representatives, the Committee has received no report of
oversight findings and recommendations from the Committee on
Government Reform on this bill.
4. Congressional Budget Office Cost Estimate.--Under clause
3(c)(3) of rule XIII of the Rules of the House of
Representatives and section 403 of the Congressional Budget Act
of 1974, the Committee has received the following cost estimate
for this bill from the Director of the Congressional Budget
Office:
U.S. Congress,
Congressional Budget Office,
Washington, DC, August 4, 2000.
Hon. Don Young,
Chairman, Committee on Resources,
House of Representatives, Washington, DC.
Dear Mr. Chairman: The Congressional Budget Office has
prepared the enclosed cost estimate for H.R. 2090, the
Exploration of the Seas Act.
If you wish further details on this estimate, we will be
pleased to provide them. The CBO staff contact is Deborah Reis.
Sincerely,
Barry B. Anderson
(For Dan L. Crippen, Director).
Enclosure.
H.R. 2090--Exploration of the Seas Act
H.R. 2090 would direct the Secretary of Commerce to
establish an advisory panel composed of experts in ocean
studies. The panel would convene an international workshop of
scientists, policymakers, and other interested parties. Within
18 months of its creation, the panel would report to the
Congress on the feasibility and social value of an oceanography
program that would be coordinated with other interested
nations. The report would include recommendations for a
national oceans exploration strategy and suggestions on how to
implement the strategy. For these purposes, the bill would
authorize the appropriation of $1.5 million.
Assuming appropriation of the authorized amount, CBO
estimates that the Department of Commerce would spend $1.5
million over the next two years to create the advisory panel,
convene the international workshop, and complete the panel's
report to the Congress.
The bill would not affect direct spending or receipts;
therefore, pay-as-you-go procedures would not apply. H.R. 2090
contains no intergovernmental or private-sector mandates as
defined in the Unfunded Mandates Reform Act and would have no
impact on the budgets of state, local, or tribal governments.
The CBO staff contact for this estimate is Deborah Reis.
This estimate was approved by Robert A. Sunshine, Assistant
Director for Budget Analysis.
COMPLIANCE WITH PUBLIC LAW 104-4
This bill contains no unfunded mandates.
PREEMPTION OF STATE, LOCAL OR TRIBAL LAW
This bill is not intended to preempt any State, local or
tribal law.
CHANGES IN EXISTING LAW
If enacted, this bill would make no changes in existing
law.