U.S. Senator Ken Salazar Member: Finance, Agriculture, Energy, Ethics and Aging Committees 2300 15^th Street, Suite 450 Denver, CO 80202 | 702 Hart Senate Building, Washington, D.C. 20510
For Immediate Release Friday, September 19, 2008		CONTACT:Michael Amodeo – 303-249-5286 Matt Lee-Ashley – 202-228-5905
Sen. Salazar Introduces Legislation to Boost Competitiveness of American Commercial Space Industry WASHINGTON, DC – Today, United States Senator Ken Salazar announced legislation to advance America’s strategic position as a global commercial space industry leader. The Space Commerce Act of 2008 (S. 3504) would charge the “Office of Space Commercialization (OSC)” to act as an advocate for a robust and internationally competitive U.S. commercial space sector. The bill would also rename the OSC to the “Office of Space Commerce” to better reflect the office’s lead role in implementing policies conducive to the industry’s advancement and growth. U.S. Congressman Mark Udall (CO-02) has introduced similar legislation, H.R. 6935, in the House of Representatives. “A strong and vibrant commercial space industry is essential to our national security and global economic competitiveness, and Colorado is leading the way,” said Senator Salazar. “The federal government must act as an advocate for, not as an obstacle to, the growth and expansion of this crucial industry, which will lead to the creation of good-paying jobs for Coloradans and contribute to our nation’s strategic posture as a global leader in space.” The OSC is part of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). Its current responsibilities include coordinating space commerce policy within the Department of Commerce and NOAA; representing U.S. space commerce in negotiations with foreign countries; assisting commercial space companies in their efforts to do business with the U.S. government, and promoting increased U.S. private sector participation in the development of U.S. Government space systems. The Space Commerce Act of 2008 would update the OSC’s responsibilities to include the promotion of geospatial technology and expansion of the office’s support for the National Executive Committee for Space-Based Positioning, Navigation, and Timing, which is responsible for advising and coordinating federal departments and agencies on matters concerning the Global Positioning System (GPS) and related systems. Senator Salazar’s legislation enjoys broad support in the commercial space community, including the National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), the Space Enterprise Council of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, the GPS Industry Council, and the Aerospace Industry Association. According to the Denver Metro Chamber of Commerce: Approximately 90 percent of Colorado’s space revenues are generated by eight major industry employers: Ball Aerospace, Boeing, Computer Sciences Corp., EchoStar, Hughes Space & Communications, Lockheed Martin, Raytheon and Northrop Grumman. Colorado is a key strategic location for space-related military organizations, including U.S. Space Command, NORAD, Air Force Space Command and the recently acquired Northern Space Command. There are more than 100 companies in the State of Colorado that provide space-related materials, equipment, software and services. Colorado’s space industry currently generates approximately 38,000 jobs, which indirectly create an additional 75,000 jobs statewide; this total of 113,000 jobs can be expected to increase to a total of 232,000 jobs by 2010. In addition to private sector employees, nearly 14,000 government employees in Colorado work in the space industry. At least 14 Colorado universities and colleges currently offer space-related curricula and/or departments. Over $100 billion will be expended on space technology in Colorado over the next several years. The Colorado Aerospace Advocate Office (organized by the Governor’s Office) helps pull together economic, political and educational initiatives involved in retaining and growing Colorado’s space industry. ###