[Senate Report 110-341]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
110th Congress
2d Session SENATE Report
110-341
_______________________________________________________________________
Calendar No. 752
GLOBAL CHANGE RESEARCH IMPROVEMENT ACT OF 2007
__________
R E P O R T
OF THE
COMMITTEE ON COMMERCE, SCIENCE, AND TRANSPORTATION
on
S. 2307
May 22, 2008.--Ordered to be printed
SENATE COMMITTEE ON COMMERCE, SCIENCE, AND TRANSPORTATION
one hundred tenth congress
second session
DANIEL K. INOUYE, Hawaii, Chairman
TED STEVENS, Alaska, Vice-Chairman
JOHN D. ROCKEFELLER IV, West JOHN McCAIN, Arizona
Virginia KAY BAILEY HUTCHISON, Texas
JOHN F. KERRY, Massachusetts OLYMPIA J. SNOWE, Maine
BYRON L. DORGAN, North Dakota GORDON H. SMITH, Oregon
BARBARA BOXER, California JOHN ENSIGN, Nevada
BILL NELSON, Florida JOHN E. SUNUNU, New Hampshire
MARIA CANTWELL, Washington JIM DEMINT, South Carolina
FRANK R. LAUTENBERG, New Jersey DAVID VITTER, Louisiana
MARK PRYOR, Arkansas JOHN THUNE, South Dakota
THOMAS CARPER, Delaware ROGER F. WICKER, Mississippi
CLAIRE McCASKILL, Missouri
AMY KLOBUCHAR, Minnesota
Margaret Cummisky, Staff Director and Chief Counsel
Lila Helms, Deputy Staff Director and Policy Director
Jean Toal Eisen, Senior Advisor and Deputy Policy Director
Christine Kurth, Republican Staff Director and General Counsel
Paul J. Nagle, Republican Chief Counsel
Mimi Braniff, Republican Deputy Chief Counsel
Calendar No. 752
110th Congress Report
SENATE
2d Session 110-341
======================================================================
GLOBAL CHANGE RESEARCH IMPROVEMENT ACT OF 2007
_______
May 22, 2008.--Ordered to be printed
_______
Mr. Inouye, from the Committee on Commerce, Science, and
Transportation, submitted the following
R E P O R T
[To accompany S. 2307]
The Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation, to
which was referred the bill (S. 2307) to amend the Global
Change Research Act of 1990, and for other purposes, having
considered the same, reports favorably thereon with amendments
and recommends that the bill (as amended) do pass.
Purpose of the Bill
The purpose of S. 2307, the Global Change Research
Improvement Act of 2007, is to improve the basic research and
products the Federal government develops to address climate
change and its impacts and to increase the relevance of the
Global Change Research Program (GCRP) to State, local, and non-
governmental decision makers. The legislation also would
establish a new National Climate Service within the National
Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA); reinstate a
Science and Technology Assessment Service within the
legislative branch; authorize the National Institute of
Standards and Technology (NIST) to provide improved
technologies for measuring and reducing greenhouse gas
emissions; establish a scientific research program on abrupt
climate change; and authorize appropriations for fiscal years
(FY) 2009 through 2013.
Background and Needs
Our current understanding of climate change stems largely
from focused scientific research programs that began in the
late 1970s. In 1978, the National Climate Program Act
coordinated the U.S. government's participation in climate
research conducted under international auspices. International
research efforts coalesced in 1988 with the establishment of
the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC). This
international body regularly assesses the worldwide state of
knowledge on climate change and issued its Fourth Assessment
Report over the course of 2007. Following the creation of the
IPCC, Congress enacted the Global Change Research Act of 1990
(GCRA) developed by the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science,
and Transportation to strengthen and coordinate U.S. research
efforts through the establishment of a U.S. GCRP.
The GCRA provides for the development and coordination of a
comprehensive and integrated U.S. research program and regular
scientific assessments to assist decision makers in
understanding, assessing, predicting, and responding to impacts
linked to climate change. The Climate Change Science Program
(CCSP) is the Bush Administration's restructuring of the
research program mandated under the Act. While NOAA is
currently the GCRP's lead agency, several other agencies
participate in the program, including the National Science
Foundation (NSF), the Departments of Energy, Agriculture,
Transportation, and State, the Department of Interior's U.S.
Geological Survey, and the National Institutes of Health. The
National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) is the
largest participating agency, by budget, in the program.
Resource managers require accurate, relevant, timely, and
user-friendly data on climate change in order to plan for the
potential impacts of climate change on natural resources. In
this regard, the existing Federal program has been criticized
on a number of fronts. The program has not produced a
comprehensive, integrated national assessment of the projected
impacts of climate change on key U.S. resources and
infrastructure, as Congress directed in the GCRA, since 2000.
The program has yet to produce information that meets the
expressed needs of decision makers at the local, State, and
regional levels. Improving scientific understanding on local
and regional scales is necessary to develop and strengthen
policies to mitigate and adapt to climate change. Yet
significant decreases in funding for Federal climate science
began in FY 2005, from a high of nearly $2 billion in FY 2004
to $1.54 billion requested in FY 2008. NASA's climate research
budget suffered the largest cuts. However, the President's FY
2009 proposed budget would see funding for climate science
increase to more than $2 billion for the first time since 2003.
This increase is due to boosts in funding for the American
Competitiveness Initiative to NSF and the Department of Energy
Office of Science, as well as budget restructuring in NASA to
increase spending for Earth sciences, especially satellite
programs.
The National Research Council (NRC) has conducted regular
reviews of the Federal government's climate change research
efforts. In September, 2007, an NRC panel completed a review of
the CCSP and identified a number of key concerns -- primarily
that efforts to understand the impact of such changes on
society and to analyze mitigation and adaptation strategies
remain relatively immature. The panel also determined that the
CCSP has made inadequate progress in supporting decision making
and risk analyses, assessing impacts on human well being and
vulnerabilities, studying regional impacts, and communicating
with a wider group of stakeholders. The panel also cited
concerns with the removal of Earth observing climate sensors
from NASA and NOAA satellites under the National Polar-orbiting
Operational Environmental Satellite System.
Regardless of which method policy makers choose to address
the effect climate change has on the Earth, scientists and
experts must develop standards, measurements, and calibration
technologies to enable accurate monitoring and verification.
Sound science is needed to provide a foundation for public
policy. Measurement technologies allow operators and auditors
to determine if climate change technologies are indeed
functioning in the way that they are intended, and whether
goals are being met. NIST plays a critical role in developing
such standards and measurement technologies. NIST provides
products and services that enable researchers to accurately
monitor physical and chemical events, absorption and emission
of greenhouse gases, atmospheric conditions, and other
parameters critical to understanding the complex systems of our
environment. It also played a critical role in developing the
standards, measurements, and calibration technologies that
enable scientists to measure the distribution of chemical
species, chemical data, and reference measurements relevant to
environmental processes and decision making regarding human
health and environmental safety.
Summary of Provisions
S. 2307 would provide five titles to improve the basic
research and information that the Federal government develops
on climate change and its impacts and would reinstate the
Science and Technology Assessment Service.
Title I of S. 2307 would amend, strengthen, and reauthorize
the GCRA. It would refocus the GCRP's emphasis on providing
information and products that are relevant to State, local and
nongovernmental decision makers. It would require a ten-year
strategic plan for the GCRP, which would include a detailed
plan for climate change research, assessment, information
management, public participation, outreach, and budget. It also
would direct the President to submit to Congress, no less
frequently than every four years, a single, integrated,
comprehensive assessment of the impacts of climate change on
the natural environment, agriculture, energy production and
use, land and water resources, and other critical resources.
The bill also would provide for an independent review of the
processes for creating the national assessments and strategic
plans to determine the extent to which scientific findings and
communications are subjected to non-scientific policy
considerations.
Title II of S. 2307 would amend the National Climate Program
Act to establish a new National Climate Service within NOAA to
address the need for a permanent mechanism for dissemination of
the data and information generated by the GCRA. At present,
NOAA's Climate Program Office utilizes eight Regional
Integrated Science and Assessment program offices across the
country to disseminate information at the regional level.
However, these university-based centers are not permanent but
rather funded through a grant program. The National Climate
Service would provide regular climate change information and
predictions to decision makers, resource managers, and other
stakeholders.
Title III would reinstate a Science and Technology Assessment
Service, modeled on the Office of Technology Assessment, within
the legislative branch. With increased attention to climate
change and other scientific and technical developments,
Congress should have access to unbiased scientific and
technical expertise.
Title IV would authorize NIST to develop relevant standards,
measurements, and calibration technologies to enable accurate
measuring, monitoring, and verification of greenhouse gas
emissions, environmental processes, and climate change
technologies.
Finally, title V would require the Secretary of Commerce to
establish a program of scientific research on abrupt climate
change in the Office of Oceanic and Atmospheric Research of
NOAA.
Legislative History
Senator Kerry, Chairman of the Science, Technology, and
Innovation Subcommittee, introduced S. 2307 on November 5,
2007, with Senator Snowe as an original cosponsor. Senators
Klobuchar and Nelson (FL) subsequently signed on as cosponsors.
The bill was referred to the Committee on Commerce, Science,
and Transportation. The Committee held a hearing November 14,
2007, on improving the Federal climate change research and
information program. The science advisor to the President
testified before the Committee, in addition to a diverse group
of scientists, nongovernmental organizations, and other
interested stakeholders.
On December 4, 2007, the Committee considered a manager's
amendment to this bill in an open executive session. The
Committee, by voice vote, ordered S. 2307 to be reported
favorably, as amended. Provisions similar to those included in
this bill were passed by the Senate in 2002 and 2003 as part of
the Energy Policy Act but were rejected by the House.Staff
assigned to this legislation are ann Zulkosky, Demoractic
Professional Staff, Kris Sarri, Democratic Senior Professional
Staff, Floy DesChamps, Republican Senior Advisor, Todd
Bertoson, Republican Senior Counsel, and Mike Conathan,
Republican Professional Staff.
Estimated Costs
In compliance with subsection (a)(3) of paragraph 11 of rule
XXVI of the Standing Rules of the Senate, the Committee states
that, in its opinion, it is necessary to dispense with the
requirements of paragraphs (1) and (2) of that subsection in
order to expedite the business of the Senate.
Regulatory Impact Statement
In accordance with paragraph 11(b) of rule XXVI of the
Standing Rules of the Senate, the Committee provides the
following evaluation of the regulatory impact of the
legislation, as reported:
NUMBER OF PERSONS COVERED
The reported bill would not authorize any new regulations and
therefore will not subject any individuals or businesses to new
regulations. The bill would have little, if any, regulatory
impact.
ECONOMIC IMPACT
The bill, as reported, is not expected to have a significant
impact on the nation's economy.
PRIVACY
The reported bill would not have any adverse impact on the
personal privacy of individuals.
PAPERWORK
The reported bill would not increase paperwork requirements
for the private sector. The bill would require several reports
from the Federal government. The legislation also would
establish a competitive grant program for priority climate
change research areas as identified by the Committee on Global
Change Research. Applicants to this grant program would have to
file documents to apply for this program.
Congressionally Directed Spending
In compliance with paragraph 4(b) of rule XLIV of the
Standing Rules of the Senate, the committee provides that the
bill as reported contains no congressionally directed spending
items.
Section-by-Section Analysis
Section 1. Short Title.
This section would provide that the legislation may be cited
as the ``Global Change Research Improvement Act of 2007.''
Section 2. Table of Contents.
This section would provide the table of contents for the five
titles of the Act.
TITLE I -- AMENDMENT OF THE GLOBAL CHANGE RESEARCH ACT OF 1990
Section 101. Amendment of Global Change Research Act of 1990.
This section would specify that changes in this title are in
reference to the GCRA (15 U.S.C. 2921 et seq.) except as
otherwise expressly provided.
Section 102. Changes to findings and purpose.
This section would update and expand the findings and purpose
to reflect new data, studies, and assessments since the
enactment of the GCRA, including the Fourth Assessment Report
of the IPCC. It also would emphasize the need to provide
information and products that are of relevance to local, State,
and regional resource managers and decision makers.
Section 103. Changes in definitions.
This section would add a definition for ``climate change''
based on usage by the IPCC, and update the definitions of
``Committee,'' ``Council,'' and ``global change.''
Section 104. Change in committee name and structure.
This section would update and change the name of the
Committee carrying out the Act from the Committee on Earth and
Environmental Sciences to the Committee on Global Change
Research. It would add NIST of the Department of Commerce to
the list of Committee members and allow the Committee to
establish subcommittees and working groups, as necessary. It
also would require the Committee to work with appropriate
Federal, State, regional, and local authorities to ensure that
the GCRP is designed to produce information needed to develop
policies to reduce the impacts of global change.
Section 105. Change in National Global Change Research Plan.
This section would amend and expand the existing national
Global Change Research Plan that provides for the
implementation of the GCRP. The Chairman of the Council,
through the Committee on Global Change Research, would develop
and submit a 10-year plan for the GCRP within 1 year after the
date of enactment of this Act. The revised implementation plan
would include new strategic elements such as short and long
term goals and priorities for climate change research,
assessments, information management, public participation,
outreach, and budget. The strategic elements also would focus
on the information needs of Federal, State, regional, and local
decision makers to measure, predict, mitigate, and adapt to
global change; require the development of regional scenarios
and assessments of model predictability; identify capabilities
and address gaps for climate forecasting and prediction, as
well as for observing systems currently used to collect
relevant data; describe activities to facilitate outreach and
data and information exchange with end users; and identify and
describe ecosystems and geographic regions nationwide that are
likely to experience similar global change impacts or
vulnerabilities.
This section would add new research elements to the plan to
better understand the nature of and interaction among physical,
chemical, biological, land use, and social processes
responsible for changes in the Earth system; to develop
indicators and baseline databases, and conduct ongoing
monitoring to document global change; to address emerging
research priorities for climate change science; and, to develop
methods for integrating information for planning and decision
making by end users.
This section would add new information management elements to
the plan to provide recommendations for data products that are
useful to end users attempting to formulate decisions and
strategies for mitigating and adapting to global change, and
for establishing a common assessment and modeling framework to
be used for both research and operations.
This section also would expand the NRC's evaluation of the
research elements of the plan to address both global and
regional climate research and assessment. Finally, this section
would require an additional study to examine coastal and ocean
carbon sequestration technologies and identify regulatory gaps
while producing recommendations to address those gaps.
The entire plan would be updated at least once every five
years and resubmitted to the Congress after each revision.
Section 106. Integrated Program Office.
This section would require the President to establish a
Global Change Research Coordination Office to support the work
of the GCRP. In conjunction with the Committee, the office
would manage interagency coordination and program integration;
ensure that the activities and programs of each Federal agency
participating in the GCRP addresses the goals and objectives
identified in the strategic and implementation plans; ensure
that program and budget recommendations of the Committee are
communicated to the President; coordinate partnership projects
with GCRP goals; review and provide recommendations on all
annual appropriations requests; provide technical and
administrative support to the Committee; serve as the point of
contact for technical and programmatic information on Federal
climate change activities for all interested groups; and
conduct public outreach.
The Director of the Office of Science and Technology Policy
(OSTP) would report to Congress within 90 days after the date
of enactment on the amount of funding and the adequacy of
funding mechanisms of the Global Change Research Coordination
Office.
Section 107. Budget coordination.
This section would require the President to provide the
Committee on Global Change Research and the Global Change
Research Coordination Office the opportunity to review and
comment on the budget estimate of each agency involved in the
GCRP's strategic and implementation plan. It also would require
the President to submit an integrated budget plan, at the time
of the annual budget request to Congress, and a description of
those items in each agency's annual budget that are elements of
the GCRP.
Section 108. Research grants.
This section would require the Committee on Global Change
Research to develop a list of priority research areas on
climate change that are not being adequately addressed by
Federal agencies. The Director of OSTP would then transmit the
list to NSF for funding through the Science and Technology
Policy Institute. The research grants would be authorized for
FY 2008 and each fiscal year thereafter to NSF at not less than
$30,000,000.
Section 109. Evaluation of information.
This section would require the President to submit a single,
integrated, comprehensive assessment to Congress on the
information being developed in this title no less than every 4
years.
Section 110. Repeal of obsolete provision.
This section would repeal an obsolete provision.
Section 111. Reporting.
This section would require a report to Congress from NOAA, in
consultation with NASA and the U.S. Air Force, describing the
strategy for restoring the decommissioned and scaled down
climate sensors scheduled for the National Polar-orbiting
Operational Environmental Satellite System and the
Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellites--R Series.
Section 112. Independent review of GCRP products.
This section would direct NSF to contract with the National
Academy of Public Administration to review the process of the
GCRP and the National Climate Service to determine the extent
to which scientific findings and communications were subjected
to non-scientific policy considerations. The results and
recommendations of the review would be submitted to Congress.
NSF would be authorized to be appropriated $1,000,000 for each
of fiscal years 2009 through 2013 to carry out this section.
Section 113. Scientific communications.
This section would require the President to establish
guidelines and implement a plan requiring NOAA, NASA, NSF, the
Environmental Protection Agency, and other Federal agencies
with scientific research programs to adopt policies that ensure
the integrity of scientific communications.
Section 114. Aging workforce issues program.
This section would direct the Administrator of NOAA to
implement a program to address aging workforce issues in
climate science, global change, and other focuses of NOAA
research.
Section 115. Authorization of appropriations.
This section would authorize annual appropriations of such
sums as may be necessary for FY 2009 through FY 2013. Of the
amounts appropriated for each fiscal year, $4,000,000 would be
available to the Global Change Research Coordination Office
through OSTP for the tasks outlined in section 106, and such
sums as may be necessary for NOAA, NSF, and NASA, and, to the
extent that funds remain available, for other Federal agencies
participating in the GCRP for the purposes of carrying out this
Act.
TITLE II -- NATIONAL CLIMATE SERVICE
Section 201. Amendment of National Climate Program Act.
This section would specify that changes in this title are in
reference to the National Climate Program Act (15 U.S.C. 2901
et seq.).
Section 202. Short Title; Table of Contents.
This section would provide that the legislation may be cited
as the ``National Climate Service Act of 2007'' and the table
of contents for this title.
Section 203. Findings.
This section would provide that climate change and related
hazards affect many elements vital to national security and
human welfare; current progress in research and development is
inadequate; the United States lacks sufficient tools for
adapting to and mitigating the impacts of climate change;
climate change information needs to be widely disseminated; and
international cooperation is essential.
Section 204. Purpose.
This section would state that the purpose of the Act is to
establish a National Climate Service that will advance the
national interest and associated international concerns in
understanding, forecasting, responding, adapting to, and
mitigating the impacts of natural and human-induced climate
change and variability.
Section 205. Definitions.
This section would define: (1) ``Administrator'', (2)
``Advisory Council'', (3) ``Climate Change'', (4) ``Director'',
(5) ``Global Change Research Program'', and (6) ``Service''. It
would clarify the definition of Secretary.
Section 206. National Climate Service.
This section would establish a National Climate Service (NCS)
within NOAA that would include a national center and a network
of regional and local facilities for operational climate
monitoring and prediction. The NCS would produce and deliver
authoritative, timely, and usable information about climate
change, climate variability, trends, and impacts on local,
State, regional, national, and global scales. This section
would also require that the Secretary of Commerce submit to
Congress a plan of action for the NCS. The NCS would utilize
appropriate research from GCRP activities. This section would
require the Administrator of NOAA to appoint a director of the
NCS to manage the organization and execute the functions and
actions of the NCS. This section also would establish a
National Climate Service Advisory Council with a diverse
membership from relevant Federal, State, and local government,
universities, and non-governmental and private sectors to
advise the Director of the Service on key priorities for
climate-related issues that require the attention of the NCS.
Contract and Grant Authority. This section would provide that
functions vested in any Federal officer or agency by this Act
or under the GCRP may be exercised through the facilities and
personnel of the agency involved or, to the extent provided or
approved in advance in appropriation Acts, by other persons or
entities under contracts or grant arrangements entered into by
such officer or agency.
Annual Report. This section would require the Secretary of
Commerce to prepare and submit to the President and authorizing
committees of Congress a report on the activities conducted
pursuant to this Act during the preceding fiscal year.
Section 207. Reauthorization.
Authorization of Appropriations. This section would authorize
$300,000,000 for FY 2009; $350,000,000 for FY 2010;
$400,000,000 for FY 2011; $450,000,000 for FY 2012; and,
$500,000,000 for FY 2013 to the Secretary of Commerce for the
purposes of carrying out this title.
TITLE III -- TECHNOLOGY ASSESSMENT
Section 301. National Science and Technology Assessment Service.
This section would specify that changes are in reference to
the National Science and Technology Policy, Organization, and
Priorities Act of 1976 (42 U.S.C. 6601 et seq.).
Establishment. This section would reinstate a Science and
Technology Assessment Service (STAS) which would be within and
responsible to the legislative branch of government.
Composition. This section would provide the structure of the
STAS including a Science and Technology Board to formulate and
promulgate the policies of the STAS, and a Director to carry
out such policies and administer the operations of the Service.
Functions and Duties. This section would establish the STAS's
functions, including coordinating and developing information
for Congress relating to the uses and application of technology
to address current national science and technology policy
issues. This section also would direct the service to
coordinate with the National Research Council.
Initiation of Activities. This section would describe who
would initiate assessment activities undertaken by the STAS,
including the Chairman of any standing, special, or select
committee of Congress, the Science and Technology Board, or the
Director of the STAS.
Administration and Support. This section would provide that
the Director of the STAS be appointed by the Board and would
serve for a term of 6 years. The Director would contract for
administrative support from the Library of Congress.
Authority. This section would provide to the STAS the
authority to carry out the provisions of this section.
Board. This section would describe the Board structure,
including 13 members, of which the Director would be a
nonvoting member, along with six from the Senate and six from
the House of Representatives, divided equally between the
majority and minority parties.
Report to Congress. This section would require the STAS to
submit an annual report to Congress that would include an
evaluation of technology assessment techniques and the
identification of technological areas and programs requiring
future analysis.
Authorization of Appropriations. This section would authorize
such sums as may be necessary to the STAS to fulfill the
requirements of this title.
TITLE IV -- CLIMATE CHANGE TECHNOLOGY
Section 401. NIST greenhouse gas functions.
This section would amend the National Institute of Standards
and Technology Act (15 U.S.C. 272(c)) to authorize NIST to
perform research to develop enhanced measurements,
calibrations, standards, and technologies to reduce production
of greenhouse gases associated with global warming.
Section 402. Development of new measurement technologies.
This section would direct the Secretary of Commerce to
initiate a program to develop innovative standards and
measurement technologies to calculate greenhouse gas emissions
and reductions.
Section 403. Enhanced environmental measurements and standards.
This section would amend the National Institute of Standards
and Technology Act (15 U.S.C. 271 et seq.) by requiring the
Director to establish a program to perform and support research
on global climate change standards and processes, with the goal
of providing scientific and technical knowledge applicable to
the reduction of greenhouse gases associated with global
warming, including carbon dioxide, methane, nitrous oxide,
ozone, perfluorocarbons, hydro fluorocarbons, and sulfur
hexafluoride. This section would direct the Director of NIST to
utilize the National Measurement Laboratories at NIST to
improve the accuracy of measurements and control of industrial
chemical processes to reduce or eliminate greenhouse gases. The
Director would also utilize the National Voluntary Laboratory
Accreditation Program to establish a program to address the
unique needs for accreditation in measuring the production of
greenhouse gases.
Section 404. Technology development and diffusion.
This section would provide for the Director of NIST, through
the Hollings Manufacturing Extension Partnership Program, to
develop a program to support the implementation of new
``green'' manufacturing technologies and techniques.
Section 405. Authorization of appropriations.
This section would authorize $15,000,000 for each of fiscal
years 2009 through 2013 to the Director of the NIST for
carrying out the purposes of this title.
TITLE V -- ABRUPT CLIMATE CHANGE
Section 501. Abrupt climate change research program.
This section would require the Secretary of Commerce to
establish a program of scientific research on abrupt climate
change in the Office of Oceanic and Atmospheric Research of
NOAA.
Section 502. Purposes of program.
This section would outline the purposes of the program, which
would to develop a global array of terrestrial and
oceanographic indicators of paleoclimate to sufficiently
identify and describe past instances of abrupt climate change;
improve the understanding of thresholds and nonlinearities in
geophysical systems related to the mechanisms of abrupt climate
change; incorporate such mechanisms into advanced geophysical
models of climate change; and test the output of such models
against an improved global array of records of past abrupt
climate change.
Section 503. Abrupt climate change defined.
This section would define ``abrupt climate change'' as a
change in the climate that occurs so rapidly or unexpectedly
that human or natural systems have difficulty adapting to the
climate as changed.
Section 504. Authorization of appropriations.
This section would authorize to be appropriated to the
Department of Commerce for each of fiscal years 2009 through
2013, to remain available until expended, such sums as
necessary, not to exceed $10,000,000, to carry out the research
program in this title.
Changes in Existing Law
In compliance with paragraph 12 of rule XXVI of the Standing
Rules of the Senate, changes in existing law made by the bill,
as reported, are shown as follows (existing law proposed to be
omitted is enclosed in black brackets, new material is printed
in italic, existing law in which no change is proposed is shown
in roman):
GLOBAL CHANGE RESEARCH ACT OF 1990
SEC. 2. DEFINITIONS.
[15 U.S.C. 2921]
As used in this Act, the term--
(1) ``climate change'' means any change in climate
over time, whether due to natural variability or as a
result of human activity;
[(1)] (2) ``Committee'' means the Committee on [Earth
and Environmental Sciences] Global Change Research
established under section 102;
[(2)] (3) ``Council'' means the [Federal Coordinating
Council on Science, Engineering, and Technology;]
National Science and Technology Council established by
Executive Order 12881, November 23, 1993;
[(3) ``global change'' means changes in the global
environment (including alterations in climate, land
productivity, oceans or other water resources,
atmospheric chemistry, and ecological systems) that may
alter the capacity of the Earth to sustain life;]
(4) ``global change'' means human-induced or natural
changes in the global environment (including climate
change and other phenomena affecting land productivity,
oceans and coastal areas, freshwater resources,
atmospheric chemistry, biodiversity, and ecological
systems) that may alter the capacity of Earth to
sustain life;
[(4)] (5) ``global change research'' means study,
monitoring, assessment, prediction, and information
management activities to describe and understand--
(A) the interactive physical, chemical, and
biological processes that regulate the total
Earth system;
(B) the unique environment that the Earth
provides for life;
(C) changes that are occurring in the Earth
system; and
(D) the manner in which such system,
environment, and changes are influenced by
human actions;
[(5)] (6) ``Plan'' means the National Global Change
Research Plan developed under section 104, or any
revision thereof; and
[(6)] (7) ``Program'' means the United States Global
Change Research Program established under section 103.
[SEC. 101. FINDINGS AND PURPOSE.]
[15 U.S.C. 2931]
[(a) Findings.--The Congress makes the following findings:
[(1) Industrial, agricultural, and other human
activities, coupled with an expanding world population,
are contributing to processes of global change that may
significantly alter the Earth habitat within a few
human generations.
[(2) Such human-induced changes, in conjunction with
natural fluctuations, may lead to significant global
warming and thus alter world climate patterns and
increase global sea levels. Over the next century,
these consequences could adversely affect world
agricultural and marine production, coastal
habitability, biological diversity, human health, and
global economic and social well-being.
[(3) The release of chlorofluorocarbons and other
stratospheric ozone-depleting substances is rapidly
reducing the ability of the atmosphere to screen out
harmful ultraviolet radiation, which could adversely
affect human health and ecological systems.
[(4) Development of effective policies to abate,
mitigate, and cope with global change will rely on
greatly improved scientific understanding of global
environmental processes and on our ability to
distinguish human-induced from natural global change.
[(5) New developments in interdisciplinary Earth
sciences, global observing systems, and computing
technology make possible significant advances in the
scientific understanding and prediction of these global
changes and their effects.
[(6) Although significant Federal global change
research efforts are underway, an effective Federal
research program will require efficient interagency
coordination, and coordination with the research
activities of State, private, and international
entities.
[(b) Purpose.--The purpose of this title is to provide for
development and coordination of a comprehensive and integrated
United States research program which will assist the Nation and
the world to understand, assess, predict, and respond to human-
induced and natural processes of global change.]
SEC. 101. FINDINGS AND PURPOSE.
(a) Findings.--The Congress makes the following findings:
(1) According to the 4th Assessment Report of the
Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, most of the
observed increase in global average temperatures since
the mid-20th century is very likely due to the observed
increase in anthropogenic greenhouse gas
concentrations.
(2) Human-induced changes, in conjunction with
natural fluctuations, may lead to significant
alterations of world climate patterns. Over this
century, these changes could adversely affect world
agricultural and marine production, coastal
habitability, biological diversity, human health,
global social and political stability, and global
economic activity.
(3) Developments in interdisciplinary Earth sciences,
global observing systems, and satellite and computing
technologies make possible significant scientific
understanding and prediction of global changes and
their effects, and have resulted in the significant
expansion of environmental data and information.
(4) Development and strengthening of effective
policies to mitigate and adapt to global change will
rely on improvement in scientific understanding of
global environmental and societal processes and on
development of information that is of use to
decisionmakers at the local, regional, and national
levels.
(5) Although significant Federal global change
research efforts are underway, an effective Federal
program will require improvements in interagency
coordination, coordination with the activities of
local, regional, State, private, and international
entities, and increased levels of Federal resources.
(6) Although the United States Global Change Research
Program has made significant contributions to
understanding Earth's climate and the anthropogenic
influences on Earth's climate and its ecosystems, the
Program also needs to produce information that better
meets the expressed needs of decisionmakers.
(7) Better predictions of future climate conditions
at the regional level are desirable to inform
decisions, including those related to land, water, and
resource management.
(8) Improved understanding of global change is needed
to identify risks and vulnerabilities under plausible
climate futures to assist decisionmakers in the
development of policies to help ensure that ecological,
social, and economic systems are resilient.
(9) In order to more effectively meet the needs of
decisionmakers and the public, the research agenda of
the United States Global Change Research Program and
its implementation and products should be informed by
continuous feedback from users of information generated
by the Program.
(b) Purpose.--The purpose of this title is to provide for the
continuation and coordination of a comprehensive and integrated
United States observation, research, assessment, and outreach
program which will assist the Nation and the world to better
understand, assess, predict, mitigate, and adapt to the effects
of human-induced and natural processes of global change.
[SEC. 102. COMMITTEE ON EARTH AND ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES.]
[15 U.S.C. 2932]
SEC. 102. COMMITTEE ON GLOBAL CHANGE RESEARCH.
(a) Establishment.--The President, through the Council, shall
establish a Committee on [Earth and Environmental Sciences.]
Global Change Research. The Committee shall carry out Council
functions under section 401 of the National Science and
Technology Policy, Organization, and Priorities Act of 1976 (42
U.S.C. 6651) relating to global change research, for the
purpose of increasing the overall effectiveness and
productivity of Federal global change research efforts.
(b) Membership. The Committee shall consist of at least one
representative from--
(1) the National Science Foundation;
(2) the National Aeronautics and Space
Administration;
(3) the National Oceanic and Atmospheric
Administration of the Department of Commerce;
(4) the Environmental Protection Agency;
(5) the Department of Energy;
(6) the Department of State;
(7) the Department of Defense;
(8) the Department of the Interior;
(9) the Department of Agriculture;
(10) the Department of Transportation;
(11) the Office of Management and Budget;
(12) the Office of Science and Technology Policy;
(13) the Council on Environmental Quality;
(14) the National Institute of Standards and
Technology of the Department of Commerce;
[(14)] (15) the National Institute of Environmental
Health Sciences of the National Institutes of Health;
and
[(15)] (16) such other agencies and departments of
the United States as the President or the Chairman of
the Council considers appropriate. [Such
representatives shall be high ranking officials of
their agency or department, wherever possible the head
of the portion of that agency or department that is
most revelant to the purpose of the title described in
section 101(b).] The representatives shall be the
Deputy Secretary or the Deputy Secretary's designee
(or, in the case of an agency other than a department,
the deputy head of that agency or the deputy's
designee).
(c) Chairperson.--The Chairman of the Council, in
consultation with the Committee, biennially shall select one of
the Committee members to serve as Chairperson. The Chairperson
shall be knowledgeable and experienced with regard to the
administration of scientific research programs, and shall be a
representative of an agency that contributes substantially, in
terms of scientific research capability and budget, to the
Program.
[(d) Support personnel.--An Executive Secretary shall be
appointed by the Chairperson of the Committee, with the
approval of the Committee. The Executive Secretary shall be a
permanent employee of one of the agencies or departments
represented on the Committee, and shall remain in the employ of
such agency or department. The Chairman of the Council shall
have the authority to make personnel decisions regarding any
employees detailed to the Council for purposes of working on
business of the Committee pursuant to section 401 of the
National Science and Technology Policy, Organization, and
Priorities Act of 1976 (42 U.S.C. 6651).]
(d) Subcommittees and Working Groups.--The Committee may
establish such additional subcommittees and working groups to
carry out its work as it sees fit.
(e) Functions relative to global change.--The Council,
through the Committee, shall be responsible for planning and
coordinating the Program. In carrying out this responsibility,
the Committee shall--
(1) serve as the forum for developing the Plan and
for overseeing its implementation;
(2) improve cooperation among Federal agencies and
departments with respect to global change research
activities;
(3) provide budgetary advice as specified in section
105;
(4) work with academic, State, industry, and other
groups conducting global change research, to provide
for periodic public and peer review of the Program;
(5) cooperate with the Secretary of State in--
(A) providing representation at international
meetings and conferences on global change
research in which the United States
participates; and
(B) coordinating the Federal activities of
the United States with programs of other
nations and with international global change
research activities such as the International
Geosphere- Biosphere Program;
(6) consult with actual and potential users of the
results of the Program to ensure that such results are
useful in developing national and international policy
responses to global change; [and]
(7) work with appropriate Federal, State, regional,
and local authorities to ensure that the Program is
designed to produce information needed to develop
policies to reduce the impacts of global change; and
[(7)] (8) report at least annually to the President
and the Congress, through the Chairman of the Council,
on Federal global change research priorities, policies,
and programs.
[SEC. 104. NATIONAL GLOBAL CHANGE RESEARCH PLAN.]
[15 U.S.C. 2934]
SEC. 104. NATIONAL GLOBAL CHANGE RESEARCH AND ASSESSMENT PLAN.
(a) Strategic Plan; Revised Implementation Plan.--The
Chairman of the Council, through the Committee, shall develop a
strategic plan for the United States Global Climate Change
Research Program for the 10-year period beginning in 2008 and
submit the plan to the Congress within 1 year after the date of
enactment of the Global Change Research Improvement Act of
2007. The strategic plan shall include a detailed plan for
research, assessment, information management, public
participation, outreach, and budget and shall be updated at
least once every 5 years.
[(a)] (b) In general.--The Chairman of the Council, through
the Committee, shall develop a National Global Change Research
and Assessment Plan for implementation of the Program. The Plan
shall contain recommendations for national global change
[research.] research and assessment. The Chairman of the
Council shall submit the Plan to the Congress within one year
after the date of enactment of [this title,] the Global Change
Research Improvement Act of 2007, and a revised Plan shall be
submitted at least once every three years thereafter.
[(b)] (c) Contents of the Plan.--The Plan shall--
(1) establish, for the 10-year period beginning in
the year the Plan is submitted, the short-term and
long-term goals and priorities for Federal global
change research which most effectively advance
scientific understanding of global change and provide
[usable information on which to base policy decisions
relating to] information relevant and readily usable by
local, State, and Federal decisionmakers, as well as
other end-users, for the formulation of effective
decisions and strategies for measuring, predicting,
mitigating, and adapting to global change;
(2) describe specific activities, including research
activities, data collection and data analysis
requirements, predictive modeling, development of
regional scenarios, assessment of model predictability,
assessment of climate change impacts, participation in
international research efforts, and information
management, required to achieve such goals and
[priorities;] priorities and propose measures to
address gaps and growing needs for these activities;
(3) identify and address, as appropriate, relevant
programs and activities of the Federal agencies and
departments represented on the Committee that
contribute to the Program;
(4) set forth the role of each Federal agency and
department in implementing the Plan;
(5) consider and utilize, as appropriate, reports and
studies conducted by Federal agencies and departments,
the National Research Council, or other entities;
[(6) make recommendations for the coordination of the
global change research activities of the United States
with such activities of other nations and international
organizations, including--
[(A) a description of the extent and nature
of necessary international cooperation;
[(B) the development by the Committee, in
consultation when appropriate with the National
Space Council, of proposals for cooperation on
major capital projects;
[(C) bilateral and multilateral proposals for
improving worldwide access to scientific data
and information; and
[(D) methods for improving participation in
international global change research by
developing nations; and
[(7) estimate, to the extent practicable, Federal
funding for global change research activities to be
conducted under the Plan.]
(6) make recommendations for the coordination of the
global change research and assessment activities of the
United States with such activities of other Nations and
international organizations, including--
(A) a description of the extent and nature of
international cooperative activities;
(B) bilateral and multilateral efforts to
provide worldwide access to scientific data and
information, and proposals to improve such
access and build capacity for its use; and
(C) improving participation by developing
Nations in international global change research
and environmental data collection;
(7) detail budget requirements for Federal global
change research and assessment activities to be
conducted under the Plan;
(8) include a process for identifying information
needed by appropriate Federal, State, regional, and
local decisionmakers to develop policies to plan for
and address projected impacts of global change;
(9) identify and sustain the observing systems
currently employed in collecting data relevant to
global and regional climate change research and
prioritize additional observation systems that may be
needed to ensure adequate data collection and
monitoring of global change;
(10) identify existing capabilities and gaps in
national, regional, and local climate prediction and
scenario-based modeling capabilities for forecasting
and projecting climate impacts at local and regional
levels, and propose measures to address such gaps;
(11) describe specific activities designed to
facilitate outreach and data and information exchange
with regional, State, and local governments and other
user communities;
(12) identify and describe ecosystems and geographic
regions of the United States that are likely to
experience similar impacts of global change or are
likely to share similar vulnerabilities to global
change; and
(13) include such additional matter as the Committee
deems appropriate.
[(c)] (d) Research elements.--The Plan shall provide for, but
not be limited to, the following research elements:
[(1) Global measurements, establishing worldwide
observations necessary to understand the physical,
chemical, and biological processes responsible for
changes in the Earth system on all relevant spatial and
time scales.
[(2) Documentation of global change, including the
development of mechanisms for recording changes that
will actually occur in the Earth system over the coming
decades.]
(1) Global and regional research and measurements to
understand the nature of and interaction among
physical, chemical, biological, land use, and social
processes responsible for changes in the Earth system
on all relevant spatial and time scales.
(2) Development of indicators, baseline databases,
and ongoing monitoring to document global change,
including changes in species distribution and behavior,
changes in oceanic and atmospheric chemistry, extent of
ice sheets, glaciers, and snow cover, shifts in water
distribution and abundance, and changes in sea level.
(3) Studies of earlier changes in the Earth system,
using evidence from the geological and fossil record.
(4) Predictions, using quantitative models of the
Earth system to identify and simulate global
environmental processes and trends, and the regional
implications of such processes and trends.
(5) Focused research initiatives to understand the
nature of and interaction among physical, chemical,
biological, and social processes related to global
change.
(6) Address emerging priorities for climate change
science, such as ice sheet melt and movement, the
relationship between climate change and hurricane and
typhoon development, including intensity, track, and
frequency, decreasing water levels in the Great Lakes,
and droughts in the western and southeastern United
States.
(7) Methods for integrating information to provide
predictive and other tools for planning and
decisionmaking by governments, communities and the
private sector.
[(d)] (e) Information management.--The Plan shall provide
recommendations for collaboration within the Federal Government
and among nations to--
(1) establish, develop, and maintain information
bases, including necessary management systems which
will promote consistent, efficient, and compatible
transfer and use of data;
(2) create globally accessible formats for data
collected by various international sources; [and]
[(3) combine and interpret data from various sources
to produce information readily usable by policymakers
attempting to formulate effective strategies for
preventing, mitigating, and adapting to the effects of
global change.]
(3) combine and interpret data from various sources
to produce information readily usable by local, State,
and Federal policymakers, and other end-users,
attempting to formulate effective decisions and
strategies for mitigating and adapting to the effects
of global change; and
(4) establish a common assessment and modeling
framework that may be used in both research and
operations to project, predict, and assess the
vulnerability of natural and managed ecosystems and of
human society in the context of other environmental and
social changes.
[(e) National Research Council evaluation.--The Chairman of
the Council shall enter into an agreement with the National
Research Council under which the National Research Council
shall- -
[(1) evaluate the scientific content of the Plan; and
[(2) provide information and advice obtained from
United States and international sources, and
recommended priorities for future global change
research.]
(f) National Research Council Evaluation.--
(1) Review of strategic plan.--The Chairman of the
Council shall enter into an agreement with the National
Research Council under which the National Research
Council shall--
(A) evaluate the scientific content of the
Plan;
(B) provide information and advice obtained
from United States and international sources,
and recommended priorities for future global
and regional climate research and assessment;
and
(C) address such other studies on emerging
priorities as the Chairman determines to be
warranted.
(2) Additional national research council studies.--
The Secretary shall execute an agreement with the
National Research Council--
(A) to examine existing research, potential
risks (including adverse impacts to the marine
environment), and the effectiveness of ocean
iron fertilization or other coastal and ocean
carbon sequestration technologies; and
(B) identify domestic and international
regulatory mechanisms and regulatory gaps for
controlling the deployment of such technologies
and provide recommendations for addressing such
regulatory gaps.
[(f)] (g) Public participation.--In developing the Plan, the
Committee shall consult with academic, State, industry, and
environmental groups and representatives. Not later than 90
days before the Chairman of the Council submits the Plan, or
any revision thereof, to the Congress, a summary of the
proposed Plan shall be published in the Federal Register for a
public comment period of not less than 60 days.
SEC. 105. BUDGET COORDINATION.
[15 U.S.C. 2935]
(a) Global Change Research Coordination Office.--
(1) In general.--The President shall establish a
Global Change Research Coordination Office. The Office
shall have a director, who shall be a senior scientist
or other qualified professional with research expertise
in climate change science, as well as experience in
policymaking, planning, or resource management, and a
fulltime staff. The Office shall--
(A) manage, in conjunction with the
Committee, interagency coordination and program
integration of global change research
activities and budget requests;
(B) ensure that the activities and programs
of each Federal agency or department
participating in the Program address the goals
and objectives identified in the strategic
research plan and interagency implementation
plans;
(C) ensure program and budget recommendations
of the Committee are communicated to the
President and are integrated into the strategic
and implementation plans for the Program;
(D) review, solicit, identify, and arrange
funding for partnership projects that address
critical research objectives or operational
goals of the Program, including projects that
would fill research gaps identified by the
Program, and for which project resources are
shared among at least 2 agencies participating
in the Program;
(E) review and provide recommendations, in
conjunction with the Committee, on all annual
appropriations requests from Federal agencies
or departments participating in the Program;
(F) provide technical and administrative
support to the Committee;
(G) serve as a point of contact on Federal
climate change activities for government
organizations, academia, industry, professional
societies, State climate change programs,
interested citizen groups, and others to
exchange technical and programmatic
information; and
(H) conduct public outreach, including
dissemination of findings and recommendations
of the Committee, as appropriate.
(2) Funding.--The Office may be funded through
interagency funding in accordance with section 631 of
The Treasury and General Government Appropriations Act,
2003 (Pub. L. 108-7; 117 Stat. 471).
(3) Report.--Within 90 days after the date of
enactment of the Global Change Research Improvement Act
of 2007, the Director of the Office of Science and
Technology Policy shall report to the Senate Committee
on Commerce, Science, and Transportation and the House
of Representatives Committee on Science and Technology
on the funding of the Office. The report shall
include--
(A) the amount of funding required to
adequately fund the Office; and
(B) the adequacy of existing mechanisms to
fund the Office.
(b) Research Grants.--
(1) Committee to develop list of priority research
areas.--The Committee shall develop a list of priority
areas for research and development on climate change
that are not being adequately addressed by Federal
agencies. In the list, the Committee shall identify the
appropriate agency to lead the such areas of research
funded under paragraph (3)(A).
(2) Director of ostp to transmit list to nsf.--The
Director of the Office of Science and Technology Policy
shall transmit the list to the National Science
Foundation.
(3) Funding through nsf.--
(A) Budget request.--The National Science
Foundation shall include, as part of the annual
request for appropriations for the Science and
Technology Policy Institute, a request for
appropriations to fund research in the priority
areas on the list developed under paragraph
(1).
(B) Authorization.--For fiscal year 2008 and
each fiscal year thereafter, there are
authorized to be appropriated to the National
Science Foundation not less than $30,000,000,
to be made available through the Science and
Technology Policy Institute, for research in
those priority areas.
[(a)] (c) Committee guidance.--The Committee shall each year
provide general guidance to each Federal agency or department
participating in the Program with respect to the preparation of
requests for appropriations for activities related to the
Program.
[(b)] (d) Submission of reports with agency appropriations
requests.--(1) Working in conjunction with the Committee, each
Federal agency or department involved in global change research
shall include with its annual request for appropriations
submitted to the President under section 1108 of title 31,
United States Code, a report which--
(A) identifies each element of the proposed global
change research activities of the agency or department;
(B) specifies whether each element (i) contributes
directly to the Program or (ii) contributes indirectly
but in important ways to the Program; and
(C) states the portion of its request for
appropriations allocated to each element of the
Program.
(2) Each agency or department that submits a report under
paragraph (1) shall submit such report simultaneously to the
[Committee.] Committee and the Global Change Research
Coordination Office.
[(c) Consideration in President's budget.--(1) The President
shall, in a timely fashion, provide the Committee with an
opportunity to review and comment on the budget estimate of
each agency and department involved in global change research
in the context of the Plan.
[(2) The President shall identify in each annual budget
submitted to the Congress under section 1105 of title 31,
United States Code, those items in each agency's or
department's annual budget which are elements of the Program.]
(e) Consideration in President's Budget.--
(1) In general.--Before each annual budget submitted
to the Congress under section 1105 of title 31, United
States Code, the President shall, in a timely fashion,
provide an opportunity to the Committee and the Global
Change Research Coordination Office to review and
comment on the budget estimate of each agency and
department involved in global change research in the
context of the Plan. The Committee and the Global
Change Research Coordination Office shall transmit a
report containing the results of their reviews to the
Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and
Transportation and the House of Representatives
Committee on Science and Technology no later than the
date on which the President submits the annual budget
to the Congress under section 1105 of title 31, United
States Code.
(2) Program items.--The President shall submit, at
the time of the annual budget request to Congress, an
integrated budget plan that would consolidate and
highlight Program priorities and include a description
of those items in each agency's annual budget which are
elements of the Program.
SEC. 6. [SCIENTIFIC] ASSESSMENT.
[15 U.S.C. 2936]
[On a periodic basis (not less frequently than every 4
years), the Council, through the Committee, shall prepare and
submit to the President and the Congress an assessment] On a
periodic basis (not less frequently than every 4 years), the
President shall submit to Congress a single, integrated,
comprehensive assessment which--
(1) integrates, evaluates, and interprets the
findings of the Program and discusses the scientific
uncertainties associated with such findings;
(2) analyzes the effects of global change on the
natural environment, agriculture, energy production and
use, land and water resources, transportation, human
health and welfare, human social systems, and
biological diversity; [and]
(3) analyzes current trends in global change, both
human-inducted and natural, and projects major trends
for the subsequent 25 to 100 [years.] years; and
(4) evaluates the information being developed under
this title, considering in particular its usefulness to
local, State, and national decisionmakers, as well as
to other stakeholders such as the private sector, after
providing a meaningful opportunity for the
consideration of the views of such stakeholders on the
effectiveness of the Program and the usefulness of the
information.
SEC. 8. RELATION TO OTHER AUTHORITIES.
[15 U.S.C. 2938]
(a) National Climate Program research activities.--The
President, the Chairman of the Council, and the Secretary of
Commerce shall ensure that relevant research activities of the
National Climate Program, established by the National Climate
Program Act (15 U.S.C. 2901 et seq.), are considered in
developing national global change research efforts.
(b) Availability of research findings.--The President, the
Chairman of the Council, and the heads of the agencies and
departments represented on the Committee, shall ensure that the
research findings of the Committee, and of Federal agencies and
departments, are available to--
(1) the Environmental Protection Agency for use in
the formulation of a coordinated national policy on
global climate change pursuant to section 1103 of the
Global Climate Protection Act of 1987 (15 U.S.C. 2901
note); and
(2) all Federal agencies and departments for use in
the formulation of coordinated national policies for
responding to human- induced and natural processes of
global change pursuant to other statutory
responsibilities and obligations.
(c) Effect on Federal response actions.--Nothing in this
title shall be construed, interpreted, or applied to preclude
or delay the planning or implementation of any Federal action
designed, in whole or in part, to address the threats of
[stratospheric ozone depletion or] global climate change.
NATIONAL CLIMATE PROGRAM ACT
[SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
[This Act may be cited as the ``National Climate Program
Act''.
[SEC. 2. FINDINGS.
[15 U.S.C. 2901]
[The Congress finds and declares the following:
[(1) Weather and climate change affect food
production, energy use, land use, water resources and
other factors vital to national security and human
welfare.
[(2) An ability to anticipate natural and man-induced
changes in climate would contribute to the soundness of
policy decisions in the public and private sectors.
[(3) Significant improvements in the ability to
forecast climate on an intermediate and long-term basis
are possible.
[(4) Information regarding climate is not being fully
disseminated or used, and Federal efforts have given
insufficient attention to assessing and applying this
information.
[(5) Climate fluctuation and change occur on a global
basis, and deficiencies exist in the system for
monitoring global climate changes. International
cooperation for the purpose of sharing the benefits and
costs of a global effort to understand climate is
essential.
[(6) The United States lacks a well-defined and
coordinated program in climate-related research,
monitoring, assessment of effects, and information
utilization.]
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE; TABLE OF CONTENTS.
(a) Short Title.--This Act may be cited as the ``National
Climate Service Act of 2007''.
(b) Table of Contents.--The table of contents for this Act is
as follows:
Sec. 1. Short title; table of contents.
Sec. 2. Findings.
Sec. 3. Purpose.
Sec. 4. Definitions.
Sec. 5. National Climate Program.
Sec. 6. National Climate Service.
Sec. 7. Contract and grant authority.
Sec. 8. Annual report.
Sec. 9. Authorization of appropriations.''.
SEC. 2. FINDINGS.
The Congress finds the following:
(1) Climate change and related hazards affect public
safety, environmental services and security, human
health, agriculture, energy use, water resources,
wildlife and other natural resources, and other factors
vital to national security and human welfare.
(2) The present rate of advance of national efforts
in research and development and the application of such
advances is inadequate to meet the challenges posed by
observed and projected rates of climate change and the
increasing demand for information to guide planning and
response across all sectors.
(3) The United States lacks adequate research,
infrastructure, and coordinated outreach and
communication mechanisms to meet national climate
monitoring, prediction, and decision support needs for
adapting to and mitigating the impacts of climate
change.
(4) Information regarding climate change is not being
fully disseminated or used, and Federal efforts have
given insufficient attention to assessing and applying
this information.
(5) Climate change occurs on a global basis making
international cooperation essential for the purpose of
sharing the benefits and costs of a global effort to
understand and communicate these changes.
SEC. 3. PURPOSE.
[15 U.S.C. 2902]
It is the purpose of the Congress in this Act to establish a
national climate program that will assist the Nation and the
world to understand and respond to natural and man-induced
climate processes and their [implications.] implications and to
establish a National Climate Service that will advance the
national interest and associated international concerns in
understanding, forecasting, responding, adapting to, and
mitigating the impacts of natural and human-induced climate
change and climate variability.
SEC. 4. DEFINITIONS.
[15 U.S.C. 2903]
[As used in this Act, unless the context otherwise requires:]
In this Act:
[(1) The term ``Board'' means the Climate Program
Policy Board.
[(2) The term ``Office'' means the National Climate
Program Office.]
(1) Administrator.--The term ``Administrator'' means
the Administrator of the National Oceanic and
Atmospheric Administration.
(2) Advisory Council.--The term ``Advisory Council''
refers to the Climate Services Advisory Council.
(3) Climate change.--The term ``climate change''
means any change in climate over time, whether due to
natural variability or as a result of human activity.
(4) Director.--The term ``Director'' means the
Director of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric
Administration's National Climate Service.
(5) Global change research program.--The term
``Global Change Research Program'' means the United
States Global Change Research Program established under
section 103 of the Global Change Research Act of 1990
(15 U.S.C. 2933).
[(3)] (6) Program._The term ``Program'' means the
National Climate Program.
[(4)] (7) Secretary._The term ``Secretary'' means the
Secretary of [Commerce.] Commerce, acting through the
Administrator of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric
Administration.
(8) Service.--The term ``Service'' means the National
Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's National
Climate Service.
* * * * * * *
[SEC. 7. ANNUAL REPORT.
[15 U.S.C. 2906]
[The Secretary shall prepare and submit to the President and
the authorizing committees of the Congress, not later than
March 31 of each year, a report on the activities conducted
pursuant to this Act during the preceding fiscal year,
including--
[(a) a summary of the achievements of the Program
during the previous fiscal year;
[(b) an analysis of the progress made toward
achieving the goals and objectives of the Program;
[(c) a copy of the 5-year plan and any changes made
in such plan;
[(d) a summary of the multiagency budget request for
the Program of subsection 5(g); and
[(e) any recommendations for additional legislation
which may be required to assist in achieving the
purposes of the Act.
[SEC. 8. CONTRACT AND GRANT AUTHORITY; RECORDS AND AUDITS.
[15 U.S.C. 2907]
[(a) Functions vested in any Federal officer or agency by
this Act or under the Program may be exercised through the
facilities and personnel of the agency involved or, to the
extent provided or approved in advance in appropriation Acts,
by other persons or entities under contracts or grant
arrangements entered into by such officer or agency.
[(b)(1) Each person or entity to which Federal funds are made
available under a contract or grant arrangement as authorized
by this Act shall keep such records as the Director of the
Office shall prescribe, including records which fully disclose
the amount and disposition by such person or entity of such
funds, the total cost of the activities for which such funds
were so made available, the amount of that portion of such cost
supplied from other sources, and such other records as will
facilitate an effective audit.
[(2) The Director of the Office and the Comptroller General
of the United States, or any of their duly authorized
representatives, shall, until the expiration of 3 years after
the completion of the activities (referred to in paragraph (1))
of any person or entity pursuant to any contract or grant
arrangement referred to in subsection (a), have access for the
purpose of audit and examination to any books, documents,
papers, and records of such person or entity which, in the
judgment of the Director or the Comptroller General, may be
related or pertinent to such contract or grant arrangement.]
SEC. 6. NATIONAL CLIMATE SERVICE.
(a) Establishment.--
(1) In general.--The Secretary shall establish within
the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration a
National Climate Service not later than a year after
the date of the enactment of the Global Change Research
Improvement Act of 2007. The Service shall include a
national center and a network of regional and local
facilities for operational climate monitoring and
prediction.
(2) Duties.--The Service shall produce and deliver
authoritative, timely and usable information about
climate change, climate variability, trends, and
impacts on local, State, regional, national, and global
scales.
(3) Specific services.--The Service, at a minimum,
shall--
(A) provide comprehensive and authoritative
information about the state of the climate and its
effects, through observations, monitoring, data,
information, and products that accurately reflect
climate trends and conditions;
(B) provide predictions and projections on the future
state of the climate in support of adaptation,
preparedness, attribution, and mitigation;
(C) utilize appropriate research from the United
States Global Change Research Program activities and
conduct focused research, as needed, to enhance
understanding, information and predictions of the
current and future state of the climate and its impacts
that is relevant to policy, planning, and decision
making;
(D) utilize assessments from the Global Change
Research Program activities and conduct focused
assessments as needed to enhance understanding of the
impacts of climate change and climate variability;
(E) assess and strengthen delivery mechanisms for
providing climate information to end users;
(F) communicate climate data, conditions,
predictions, projections, indicators, and risks on an
ongoing basis to decision- and policy- makers, the
private sector, and to the public;
(G) coordinate and collaborate on climate change,
climate variability, and impacts activities with
municipal, state, regional, national and international
agencies and organizations, as appropriate;
(H) support the Department of State and international
agencies and organizations, as well as domestic
agencies and organizations, involved in assessing and
responding to climate change and climate variability;
(I) establish an atmospheric monitoring and
verification program utilizing aircraft, satellite,
ground sensors, ocean and coastal observing systems,
and modeling capabilities to monitor, measure, and
verify greenhouse gas levels, dates, and emissions
throughout the global oceans and atmosphere; and
(J) issue an annual report that identifies greenhouse
emission and trends on a local, regional, and national
level and identifies emissions or reductions
attributable to individual or multiple sources covered
by the program established under subparagraph (I).
(b) Action Plan.--Within 1 year after the date of enactment
of the Global Change Research Improvement Act of 2007, the
Secretary shall submit to the Senate Committee on Commerce,
Science, and Transportation and the House of Representatives
Committee on Science and Technology a plan of action for the
National Climate Service. The plan, at a minimum, shall--
(1) provide for the interpretation and communication
of climate data, conditions, predictions, projections,
and risks on an on-going basis to decision and policy
makers at the local, regional, and national levels;
(2) design, deploy, and operate an adequate national
climate observing system that closes gaps in existing
coverage;
(3) support infrastructure and ability to archive and
quality ensure climate data, and make federally-funded
model simulations and other relevant climate
information available from the Global Change Research
Program activities and other sources (and related data
from paleoclimate studies).
(4) include a program for long-term stewardship,
quality control, development of relevant climate
products, and efficient access to all relevant climate
data, products, and model simulations;
(5) establish--
(A) a national coordinated computing
strategy, including establishing a new, or
supplementing support for existing, national
climate computing capability to provide
dedicated computing capacity for modeling and
forecasting, scenarios, and planning resources,
and a regular schedule of projections on long-
and short-term time horizons over a range of
scales, including regional scales; and
(B) a mechanism to allow access to such
capacity by the National Oceanic and
Atmospheric Administration, the National
Aeronautics and Space Administration, and
National Science Foundation sponsored
researchers;
(6) improve integrated modeling, assessment, and
predictive capabilities needed to document and predict
climate changes and impacts, and to guide national,
regional, and local planning and decision making;
(7) provide a system of regular consultation and
coordination with Federal agencies, States, Indian
tribes, non-governmental organizations, the private
sector and the academic community to ensure--
(A) that the information requirements of
these groups are well incorporated; and
(B) timely and full sharing, dissemination
and use of climate information and services in
risk preparedness, planning, decision making,
and early warning and natural resources
management, both domestically and
internationally;
(8) develop standards, evaluation criteria and
performance objectives to ensure that the Service meets
the evolving information needs of the public, policy
makers and decision makers in the face of a changing
climate;
(9) develop funding estimates to implement the plan;
and
(10) support competitive research programs that will
improve elements of the Service described in this Act
through the Climate Program Office within the Service
headquarter function.
(c) Coordination With the USGCRP.--The Service shall utilize
appropriate research from Global Change Research Program
activities to enhance understanding, information and
predictions of the current and future state of the climate and
its impacts that is relevant to policy and decisions. The
Service shall provide appropriate information about the current
and future state of the climate and its impacts that are useful
for research purposes to relevant Global Change Research
Program activities. The Director of the Service will serve as a
liaison to the Global Change Research Program and a member of
the Global Change Research Program should serve on the Advisory
Council.
(d) Director.--The Administrator shall appoint a director of
the Service, who shall oversee all processes associated with
managing the organization and executing the functions and
actions described in this Act. The Director will serve as a
liaison to the Global Change Research Program to ensure the
transition of research into services and to provide services to
meet the needs of research.
(e) National Climate Service Advisory Council.--The
Administrator shall, in consultation with the chairmen and
ranking minority party members of the Senate Committee on
Commerce, Science, and Transportation and the House of
Representatives Committee on Science and Technology, and the
National Academy of Sciences, appoint the membership of a
National Climate Service Advisory Council composed of 15
members, with members serving 4-year terms and include a
diverse membership from appropriate Federal, State and local
government, universities, non-government and private sectors
who use climate information and cover a range of sectors, such
as water, drought, fisheries, coasts, agriculture, health,
natural resources, transportation, and insurance. The Council
shall advise the Director of the Service of key priorities in
climate-related issues that require the attention of the
Service. The Council shall be responsible for ensuring
coordination across regional and national concerns and the
assessment of evolving information needs.
SEC. 7. CONTRACT AND GRANT AUTHORITY.
Functions vested in any Federal officer or agency by this Act
or under the Program may be exercised through the facilities
and personnel of the agency involved or, to the extent provided
or approved in advance in appropriation Acts, by other persons
or entities under contracts or grant arrangements entered into
by such officer or agency.
SEC. 8. ANNUAL REPORT.
The Secretary shall prepare and submit to the President and
the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation
and the House of Representatives Committee on Science and
Technology, as part of the annual report to meet the
requirements of section 102(e)(7) of the Global Change Research
Act of 1990 (15 U.S.C. 2932(e)(7)), a report on the activities
conducted pursuant to this Act during the preceding fiscal
year, including--
(1) a summary of the achievements of the National
Climate Service during the previous fiscal year; and
(2) an analysis of the progress made toward achieving
the goals and objectives of the Service.
[SEC. 9. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.
[15 U.S.C. 2908]
[In addition to any other funds otherwise authorized to be
appropriated for the purpose of conducting climate-related
programs, there are authorized to be appropriated to the
Secretary, for the purpose of carrying out the provisions of
this Act, not to exceed $50,000,000 for the fiscal year ending
September 30, 1979, not to exceed $65,000,000 for the fiscal
year ending September 30, 1980, and not to exceed $25,500,000
for the fiscal year ending September 30, 1981, of which amount
not less than $2,653,000 shall be made directly available to
the National Climate Program Office in the form of a budget
item separate from the activities of the National Oceanic and
Atmospheric Administration.]
SEC. 9. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.
There are authorized to be appropriated to the Secretary to
carry out sections 6, 7, and 8 of this Act--
(1) $300,000,000 for fiscal year 2009;
(2) $350,000,000 for fiscal year 2010;
(3) $400,000,000 for fiscal year 2011;
(4) $450,000,000 for fiscal year 2012; and
(5) $500,000,000 for fiscal year 2013.
NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF STANDARDS AND TECHNOLOGY ACT
SEC. 2. ESTABLISHMENT, FUNCTIONS, AND ACTIVITIES.
[15 U.S.C. 272]
(a) Establishment of National Institute of Standards and
Technology.--There is established within the Department of
Commerce a science, engineering, technology, and measurement
laboratory to be known as the National Institute of Standards
and Technology (hereafter in this Act referred to as the
``Institute'').
(b) Functions of Secretary and Institute.--The Secretary of
Commerce (hereafter in this Act referred to as the
``Secretary'') acting through the Director of the Institute
(hereafter in this Act referred to as the ``Director'') is
authorized to take all actions necessary and appropriate to
accomplish the purposes of this Act, including the following
functions of the Institute--
(1) to assist industry in the development of
technology and procedures needed to improve quality, to
modernize manufacturing processes, to ensure product
reliability, manufacturability, functionality, and
cost-effectiveness, and to facilitate the more rapid
commercialization, especially by small- and medium-
sized companies throughout the United States, of
products based on new scientific discoveries in fields
such as automation, electronics, advanced materials,
biotechnology, and optical technologies;
(2) to develop, maintain, and retain custody of the
national standards of measurement, and provide the
means and methods for making measurements consistent
with those standards;
(3) to compare standards used in scientific
investigations, engineering, manufacturing, commerce,
industry, and educational institutions with the
standards adopted or recognized by the Federal
Government and to coordinate the use by Federal
agencies of private sector standards, emphasizing where
possible the use of standards developed by private,
consensus organizations;
(4) to enter into contracts, including cooperative
research and development arrangements, and grants and
cooperative agreements, in furtherance of the purposes
of this Act;
(5) to provide United States industry, Government,
and educational institutions with a national
clearinghouse of current information, techniques, and
advice for the achievement of higher quality and
productivity based on current domestic and
international scientific and technical development;
(6) to assist industry in the development of
measurements, measurement methods, and basic
measurement technology;
(7) to determine, compile, evaluate, and disseminate
physical constants and the properties and performance
of conventional and advanced materials when they are
important to science, engineering, manufacturing,
education, commerce, and industry and are not available
with sufficient accuracy elsewhere;
(8) to develop a fundamental basis and methods for
testing materials, mechanisms, structures, equipment,
and systems, including those used by the Federal
Government;
(9) to assure the compatibility of United States
national measurement standards with those of other
nations;
(10) to cooperate with other departments and agencies
of the Federal Government, with industry, with State
and local governments, with the governments of other
nations and international organizations, and with
private organizations in establishing standard
practices, codes, specifications, and voluntary
consensus standards;
(11) to advise government and industry on scientific
and technical problems;
(12) to invent, develop, and (when appropriate)
promote transfer to the private sector of measurement
devices to serve special national needs; and
(13) to coordinate Federal, State, and local
technical standards activities and conformity
assessment activities, with private sector technical
standards activities and conformity assessment
activities, with the goal of eliminating unnecessary
duplication and complexity in the development and
promulgation of conformity assessment requirements and
measures.
(c) Implementation activities.--In carrying out the functions
specified in subsection (b), the Secretary, acting through the
Director may, among other things--
(1) construct physical standards;
(2) test, calibrate, and certify standards and
standard measuring apparatus;
(3) study and improve instruments, measurement
methods, and industrial process control and quality
assurance techniques;
(4) cooperate with the States in securing uniformity
in weights and measures laws and methods of inspection;
(5) cooperate with foreign scientific and technical
institutions to understand technological developments
in other countries better;
(6) prepare, certify, and sell standard reference
materials for use in ensuring the accuracy of chemical
analyses and measurements of physical and other
properties of materials;
(7) in furtherance of the purposes of this Act,
accept research associates, cash donations, and donated
equipment from industry, and also engage with industry
in research to develop new basic and generic
technologies for traditional and new products and for
improved production and manufacturing;
(8) study and develop fundamental scientific
understanding and improved measurement, analysis,
synthesis, processing, and fabrication methods for
chemical substances and compounds, ferrous and
nonferrous metals, and all traditional and advanced
materials, including processes of degradation;
(9) investigate ionizing and nonionizing radiation
and radioactive substances, their uses, and ways to
protect people structures, and equipment from their
harmful effects;
(10) determine the atomic and molecular structure of
matter, through analysis of spectra and other methods,
to provide a basis for predicting chemical and physical
structures and reactions and for designing new
materials and chemical substances, including
biologically active macromolecules;
(11) perform research on electromagnetic waves,
including optical waves, and on properties and
performance of electrical, electronic, and
electromagnetic devices and systems and their essential
materials, develop and maintain related standards, and
disseminate standard signals through broadcast and
other means;
(12) develop and test standard interfaces,
communication protocols, and data structures for
computer and related telecommunications systems;
(13) study computer systems (as that term is defined
in section 20(d) of this Act) and their use to control
machinery and processes;
(14) perform research to develop standards and test
methods to advance the effective use of computers and
related systems and to protect the information stored,
processed, and transmitted by such systems and to
provide advice in support of policies affecting Federal
computer and related telecommunications systems;
(15) determine properties of building materials and
structural elements, and encourage their
standardization and most effective use, including
investigation of fire-resisting properties of building
materials and conditions under which they may be most
efficiently used, and the standardization of types of
appliances for fire prevention;
(16) undertake such research in engineering, pure and
applied mathematics, statistics, computer science,
materials science, and the physical sciences as may be
necessary to carry out and support the functions
specified in this section;
(17) compile, evaluate, publish, and otherwise
disseminate general, specific and technical data
resulting from the performance of the functions
specified in this section or from other sources when
such data are important to science, engineering, or
industry, or to the general public, and are not
available elsewhere;
(18) collect, create, analyze, and maintain specimens
of scientific value;
(19) operate national user facilities;
(20) evaluate promising inventions and other novel
technical concepts submitted by inventors and small
companies and work with other Federal agencies, States,
and localities to provide appropriate technical
assistance and support for those inventions which are
found in the evaluation process to have commercial
promise;
(21) demonstrate the results of the Institute's
activities by exhibits or other methods of technology
transfer, including the use of scientific or technical
personnel of the Institute for part-time or
intermittent teaching and training activities at
educational institutions of higher learning as part of
and incidental to their official duties; [and]
(22) perform research to develop enhanced
measurements, calibrations, standards, and technologies
which will enable the reduced production in the United
States of greenhouse gases associated with global
warming, including carbon dioxide, methane, nitrous
oxide, ozone, perfluorocarbons, hydrofluorocarbons, and
sulfur hexafluoride; and
[(22)] (23) undertake such other activities similar
to those specified in this subsection as the Director
determines appropriate.
(d) Management costs. In carrying out the extramural funding
programs of the Institute, including the programs established
under sections 25, 26, and 28 of this Act, the Secretary may
retain reasonable amounts of any funds appropriated pursuant to
authorizations for these programs in order to pay for the
Institute's management of these programs.
* * * * * * *
SEC. 17. CLIMATE CHANGE STANDARDS AND PROCESSES.
(a) In General.--The Director shall establish within the
Institute a program to perform and support research on global
climate change standards and processes, with the goal of
providing scientific and technical knowledge applicable to the
reduction of greenhouse gases (as defined in section 4 of the
Global Climate Change Act of 2002).
(b) Research Program.--
(1) In general.--The Director is authorized to
conduct, directly or through contracts or grants, a
global climate change standards and processes research
program.
(2) Research projects.--The specific contents and
priorities of the research program shall be determined
in consultation with appropriate Federal agencies,
including the Environmental Protection Agency, the
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, and
the National Aeronautics and Space Administration. The
program generally shall include basic and applied
research--
(A) to develop and provide the enhanced
measurements, calibrations, data, models, and
reference material standards which will enable
the monitoring of greenhouse gases;
(B) to develop and provide standards,
measurements, and innovative technologies for
reducing greenhouse gas emissions in existing
industries;
(C) to develop and provide standards,
measurements, measurement tools, and
calibrations that will enhance and promote
remote sensing technologies;
(D) to assist in establishing a baseline
reference point for future trading in
greenhouse gases and the measurement of
progress in emissions reduction;
(E) to develop and provide standards,
measurements, measurement tools, calibrations,
data, models, and other innovative technologies
to support the validation and accreditation of
a greenhouse gas trading industry;
(F) to assist in developing improved
industrial processes designed to reduce or
eliminate greenhouse gases, including the
development of measurement tools and standards
to validate and accredit a carbon offset
industry; and
(G) that will be exchanged internationally as
scientific or technical information which has
the stated purpose of developing mutually
recognized measurements, standards, and
procedures for reducing greenhouse gases.
(c) National Measurement Laboratories.--
(1) In general.--In carrying out this section, the
Director shall utilize the collective skills of the
National Measurement Laboratories of the National
Institute of Standards and Technology to improve the
accuracy of measurements that will permit better
understanding and control of these industrial chemical
processes and result in the reduction or elimination of
greenhouse gases.
(2) Material, process, and building research.--The
National Measurement Laboratories shall conduct
research under this subsection that includes--
(A) developing material and manufacturing
processes which are designed for energy
efficiency and reduced greenhouse gas emissions
into the environment;
(B) developing environmentally-friendly,
`green' chemical processes to be used by
industry; and
(C) enhancing building performance with a
focus in developing standards or tools which
will help incorporate low- or no-emission
technologies into building designs.
(3) Standards and tools.--The National Measurement
Laboratories shall develop standards and tools under
this subsection that include software to assist
designers in selecting alternate building materials,
performance data on materials, artificial intelligence-
aided design procedures for building subsystems and
`smart buildings', and improved test methods and rating
procedures for evaluating the energy performance of
residential and commercial appliances and products.
(d) National Voluntary Laboratory Accreditation Program.--The
Director shall utilize the National Voluntary Laboratory
Accreditation Program under this section to establish a program
to include specific calibration or test standards and related
methods and protocols assembled to satisfy the unique needs for
accreditation in measuring the production of greenhouse gases.
In carrying out this subsection the Director may cooperate with
other departments and agencies of the Federal Government, State
and local governments, and private organizations.
[Sections 17 through 32 (not shown) redesignated as sections
18 through 33, respectively.]
NATIONAL SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY POLICY, ORGANIZATION, AND PRIORITIES
ACT OF 1976
[42 U.S.C. 6601 et seq. ]
* * * * * * *
TITLE VII--NATIONAL SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY ASSESSMENT SERVICE
SEC. 701. ESTABLISHMENT.
There is hereby created a Science and Technology Assessment
Service which shall be within and responsible to the
legislative branch of the Government.
SEC. 702. COMPOSITION.
The Service shall consist of a Science and Technology Board
which shall formulate and promulgate the policies of the
Service, and a Director who shall carry out such policies and
administer the operations of the Service.
SEC. 703. FUNCTIONS AND DUTIES.
The Service shall coordinate and develop information for
Congress relating to the uses and application of technology to
address current national science and technology policy issues.
In developing such technical assessments for Congress, the
Service shall utilize, to the extent practicable, experts
selected in coordination with the National Research Council.
SEC. 704. INITIATION OF ACTIVITIES.
Science and technology assessment activities undertaken by
the Service may be initiated upon the request of--
(1) the Chairman of any standing, special, or select
committee of either House of the Congress, or of any
joint committee of the Congress, acting for himself or
at the request of the ranking minority member or a
majority of the committee members;
(2) the Board; or
(3) the Director.
SEC. 705. ADMINISTRATION AND SUPPORT.
The Director of the Science and Technology Assessment Service
shall be appointed by the Board and shall serve for a term of 6
years unless sooner removed by the Board. The Director shall
receive basic pay at the rate provided for level III of the
Executive Schedule under section 5314 of title 5, United States
Code. The Director shall contract for administrative support
from the Library of Congress.
SEC. 706. AUTHORITY.
The Service shall have the authority, within the limits of
available appropriations, to do all things necessary to carry
out the provisions of this section, including, but without
being limited to, the authority to--
(1) make full use of competent personnel and
organizations outside the Office, public or private,
and form special ad hoc task forces or make other
arrangements when appropriate;
(2) enter into contracts or other arrangements as may
be necessary for the conduct of the work of the Office
with any agency or instrumentality of the United
States, with any State, territory, or possession or any
political subdivision thereof, or with any person,
firm, association, corporation, or educational
institution, with or without reimbursement, without
performance or other bonds, and without regard to
section 3709 of the Revised Statutes (41 U.S.C. 51);
(3) accept and utilize the services of voluntary and
uncompensated personnel necessary for the conduct of
the work of the Service and provide transportation and
subsistence as authorized by section 5703 of title 5,
United States Code, for persons serving without
compensation; and
(4) prescribe such rules and regulations as it deems
necessary governing the operation and organization of
the Service.
SEC. 707. BOARD.
The Board shall consist of 13 members as follows--
(1) 6 Members of the Senate, appointed by the
President pro tempore of the Senate, 3 from the
majority party and 3 from the minority party;
(2) 6 Members of the House of Representatives
appointed by the Speaker of the House of
Representatives, 3 from the majority party and 3 from
the minority party; and
(3) the Director, who shall not be a voting member.
SEC. 708. REPORT TO CONGRESS.
The Service shall submit to the Congress an annual report
which shall include, but not be limited to, an evaluation of
technology assessment techniques and identification, insofar as
may be feasible, of technological areas and programs requiring
future analysis. The annual report shall be submitted not later
than March 15 of each year.
SEC. 709. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.
There are authorized to be appropriated to the Service such
sums as are necessary to fulfill the requirements of this
title.