WRITTEN STATEMENT ON THE
REPORT OF THE
BY THE
UNDER
CONRAD C. LAUTENBACHER, JR.
SENATE COMMITTEE ON COMMERCE, SCIENCE AND
TRANSPORTATION
Good morning Chairman McCain
and members of the Committee. I am Vice
Admiral Conrad C. Lautenbacher, Under Secretary of Commerce for Oceans and
Atmosphere and the Administrator of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric
Administration (NOAA). Thank you for
this opportunity to testify on the report of the U.S. Commission on Ocean
Policy.
It is a privilege to be
testifying here today with the Commission’s Chairman, Admiral Watkins, and
other esteemed colleagues and experts. I
want to take this opportunity to thank the Committee, especially Chairman
McCain and Senator Hollings, for their leadership on the Oceans Act, which made
this all possible. On behalf of the
Administration, I would like to thank Admiral Watkins, the other Commissioners,
and their staff for their hard work and congratulate them on the completion of
their final report.
The Administration is
committed to the sound management and effective conservation of our Nation’s
ocean and coastal resources. The
Commission’s mandate is very important and the Administration has supported its
efforts throughout the process by appointing the Commissioners, providing
witnesses who have testified over fifty times at public hearings, and we have
provided information as requested. We
are taking the Commission’s findings and recommendations very seriously. We have been assessing the Commission’s
efforts throughout the process. The
Administration’s response will provide a thoughtful, coherent, and ongoing
response.
We are pleased that much of
the Commission’s report is in line with existing Administration
priorities. Several issues highlighted
by the Commission have already been identified by the Administration and in
many cases actions are already underway within the existing infrastructure and
with current resources. I will highlight
several examples of these.
Today I will describe the
process for the Administration’s response to the Commission’s report and
actions that the Administration has undertaken that are responsive to the
Commission’s recommendations. I will
also provide comment on actions the Administration is planning to take in the
future. Although I will make every
effort to respond to the Committee’s request to focus on the Commission’s final
recommendations, at this time the Administration has not had time to fully
review the final report. Therefore, I
will focus more on the Administration’s ongoing efforts.
THE ADMINISTRATION’S RESPONSE TO THE REPORT
The Oceans Act of 2000 requires
the President to submit to Congress a statement of proposals to implement or
respond to the Commission’s recommendations within 90 days after receiving and
considering the final report, which was released yesterday. As required and allowed for under the Act,
the Administration has initiated a review of the final report and we will
continue to consider the report’s recommendations as we develop our response.
As mentioned earlier the
Administration has supported the Commissioners’ efforts throughout the
process. In anticipation of the Final
Report, the President designated the Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ)
Chairman, James Connaughton, as the lead for coordinating the Administration’s
Commission-related efforts. In May,
2003, CEQ convened an Interagency
·
Department of
Agriculture
·
Department of
Commerce
·
Department of
Defense
·
Department of
Education
·
Department of
Energy
·
Environmental
Protection Agency
·
Department of
Homeland Security
·
Department of the
Interior
·
Department of
Justice
·
National
Aeronautical and Space Administration
·
National Science
Foundation
·
Department of
State, and
·
Department of
Transportation
An Ocean Policy Task Force composed
of agency representatives is providing staff assistance to the IOPG. A website—http://ocean.ceq.gov—has been
developed to support this effort and to inform the public on the
Administration’s ocean-related initiatives.
ADMINISTRATION
DELIVERABLES TO DATE
In the last three years the Administration has launched
and supported a number of innovative science, management and policy initiatives
that have been endorsed by the Commission and/or are responsive to Commission
recommendations. These include the
following:
The Commission’s preliminary report recommended that
NOAA be provided organic authority by Congress.
On June 10, during Capitol Hill Oceans Week, Secretary Evans announced
the first Administration action responsive to the Commission’s report was the
Administration’s transmission to Congress of a proposed NOAA organic act. That Administration bill has since been
introduced in the House of Representatives (H.R. 4607). That bill provides NOAA with unified
authority to undertake all of its missions, which currently are found in close
to 200 separate legislative authorities.
The Administration believes that the timely passage of an organic act is
an important step forward in enhancing NOAA’s ability to carry out its research
and management objectives. NOAA is an
integral part of the Department of Commerce, and the Administration appreciates
the ongoing efforts of Members of Congress to provide organic authority for
NOAA.
The Administration has taken the lead on establishing
a Global Earth Observing System of Systems with international partners, an
effort endorsed by the Commission. On
September 8, the Administration released a draft 10-year Strategic Plan for the
U.S. Integrated Earth Observation System.
This supports the larger international effort we have been spearheading
for a Global Earth Observing System of Systems.
Eighteen federal agencies collaborated in developing the draft plan,
which includes among its benefits efforts to protect and monitor the oceans. This plan includes the associated efforts to
integrate data management and data archives, and provide broad access to the
observations and analysis. The Integrated Ocean Observing System, which
agencies are working closely to plan and develop, is a part of this
effort. We have witnessed first hand the
benefits that coastal observations can provide as emergency managers and many
other federal, state, and local authorities have tapped existing coastal
observing capabilities to help predict, mitigate the impact of, and track three
major hurricanes in the Atlantic and
The Commission’s report noted that upland watersheds affect the nation’s
ocean and coastal resources. In recognition
of this connection, on July 19, the Environmental Protection Agency committed
$15 million from the Targeted Watershed Grant Program for the protection and
restoration of 14 watersheds. Special
consideration was given to watersheds along the
On July 28, the U.S. Coast Guard announced the establishment of a mandatory
ballast water management program. This
program requires that vessels entering from outside the U.S. EEZ manage their
ballast prior to discharging into
The preliminary report of the U.S. Commission on Ocean
Policy points to the importance of research and exploration of the deep sea,
and to the excitement emanating from such missions to the depths of the
ocean. On August 6, the Administration
announced that after 40 years of scientific research that led to the discovery
of new life forms, helped confirm the theory of plate tectonics, and enthralled
schoolchildren around the world about inner space, the human-occupied research
submersible
On August 26, the President
issued an Executive Order outlining a broad policy of cooperative conservation
that emphasizes the appropriate inclusion of State, local, tribal and other
participants in Federal decision-making and conservation activities. In recognizing that national conservation
objectives require more than Federal involvement, this Order is consistent with
the emphasis the Commission has given to regional, State, and local authorities
in implementing many of its policy recommendations.
NOAA, the U.S. Fish and
Wildlife Service, the pet industry and other partners are finalizing plans for a
new public education and outreach effort to prevent the release of non-native
plants and animals. This public-private
initiative directly responds to a recommendation in the Ocean Commission’s
preliminary report relating to aquatic nuisance species control.
NOAA is working cooperatively with other agencies to
provide support to CEQ throughout the review process. We are taking the USCOP Report into
consideration in our planning and budgeting process. We have provided leadership in support of the
earth observing initiative and continue to improve upon our observing and data
management capabilities, including efforts to promote an integrated ocean
observing system in cooperation with other Federal agencies and partners.
We are committed to working closely with Congress, our
Nation’s governors, and the private and non-profit sectors, to advance the next
generation of ocean policy. NOAA will
continue to provide support on the NOAA Organic Act and NOAA program specific
legislation, such as efforts to reauthorize our fisheries, marine mammal,
harmful algal bloom, and related authorities.
We are also interested in pending legislation addressing marine debris,
ocean exploration and research, and other areas. Other agencies will similarly work with
Congress on legislation specific to their programs.
CONCLUSION
In summary, I would like to reiterate the importance
of the Commission’s efforts and stress the Administration is strongly committed
to the continued effective management and long-term improvement of our coastal
and ocean resources. All of the relevant
departments and agencies are poised to work cooperatively with this Committee
and the rest of Congress on building strong ocean programs. Thank you again for your time. I will be happy to take any questions from
the Committee.