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WASHINGTON, D.C. – Commerce Committee Chairman Daniel K. Inouye (D-Hawaii) issued the following statement at the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation hearing on the Oversight of the U.S. Department of Commerce:
“President Calvin Coolidge once said, ‘the business of America is business.’ And on the surface, the business of the Commerce Department is business, as well. But now, after more than 2 years on the job, Mr. Secretary, you know that the business of the Commerce Department includes conserving and managing our ocean resources, ensuring accuracy in standards and measurements, counting our citizens, providing economic opportunity, managing spectrum policy, and predicting the weather both for tomorrow and for the long term. The Department’s business is not only promoting commerce, but good stewardship of the very resources that dictate our economic prosperity.
“This Committee has been very active on issues related to the Department of Commerce. We have held hearings on travel and tourism, scientific integrity, climate change research and policy, public safety communications interoperability, trade policies and enforcement, the viability of Earth observing satellites, U.S. economic competitiveness, science policy, the digital television transition, and the safety of Chinese imports. These hearings have highlighted Commerce Department activities and missions that are working, some that need fixing, and others that are simply starved for resources.
“For example, we have read the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change’s conclusions that human activities are influencing our planet’s climate. Scientists agree and have testified that we cannot defer any longer and the time to act is now. Yet, the Department appears unwilling to address the fact that critical weather and climate sensors have been eliminated from the next generation of Polar-orbiting Operational Environmental Satellites. Add this issue to the issue of increased budget constraints on climate research, and members of this Committee cannot help but question the Department’s commitment to supporting its scientists or its understanding of what is at hand.
“On a brighter side, the trade deficit for the month of May increased only to $60 billion, which is the same level announced when Secretary Gutierrez last appeared before us in January 2005 for your confirmation. During that hearing, every member sitting on the dais that day said the same thing, regardless of his or her position on trade agreements in general. Every member said, ‘I’m for fair trade, and we must enforce our trade laws.’ Two and a half years later, while our trade deficit is static, the concern today is safe trade.
“The Department’s largest agency, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, has a direct role to play when it comes to contaminated imports of seafood. In 2005, more than 84 percent of the total fish and shellfish consumed in the United States was imported, compared to 55 percent in 1995. China is the second largest importer of seafood to the United States. NOAA’s seafood inspection program provides services beyond the mandatory Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points requirements including: vessel and plant sanitation, product inspection, grading and certification, label review, laboratory analysis, and training. NOAA’s seafood inspection program is vital to America’s ability to send exports abroad to areas such as the European Union where they require a FDA certification on all seafood products that enter their market.
“In fact NOAA’s program is so successful that a January 2004 GAO report recommended that NOAA provide staff from its seafood inspection program to bolster the FDA’s inspection capabilities.
“Finally, I along with 14 of my colleagues on this committee come from coastal states, so I can assure you, there will be questions about NOAA. Many of us believe that NOAA’s missions are critical to the well being of this nation, whether it is hurricane forecasting, drought forecasting, fisheries management, or scientific research in the area of oceans and human health.
“Similarly, what has become a growing concern for us is the no-growth budget under which NOAA has been operating since you were confirmed as Secretary. There is much focus on and support for promoting science and technology research and education in order to spur economic innovation, and the allure of the oceans attracts and inspires young people to study science in a similar manner as other fields. The America COMPETES Act, which we hope to pass before the August recess, calls for NOAA to be a full partner in efforts to promote competitiveness, and I hope you will take that direction to heart and improve the budget allocation for this agency.”
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