NATURAL RESOURCES AND TH1 ENVIRONMENT 965 



Committee sponsored one of the regular monthly meetings of the 

 National Advisory Committee on Oceans and Atmosphere in the 

 Science Committee room in 2318 Rayburn. NACOA, consisting of 25 

 Presidential appointees from a broad representation of the public, is 

 responsible for reviewing the progress of marine and atmospheric 

 activities. The special meeting helped the members get an update on 

 oceanic and atmospheric issues, and also assisted in paving the way 

 toward revising the 1972 legislation regulating ocean dumping and 

 waste disposal. 



The subcommittee published its report on "The Environmental 

 Effects of Dumping in the Oceans and Great Lakes" at the end of 1976. 

 The report concluded that there should be a better policy overview of 

 research in the area, since several agencies, each having a different 

 primary mission, were carrying out the research. The need for coordi- 

 nation, setting of priorities, and proper allocation of funding was 

 stressed. 



ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH CENTERS 



Another initiative undertaken by the Brown subcommittee in 

 1975 and 1976 was to hold a series of hearings on H.R. 35, to establish 

 environmental research centers in various States and regions of the 

 country. As Brown explained in opening the hearings in October 1 97 5 '• 



H.R. 35 is not designed to provide financial assistance for the construction of 

 new laboratories. Rather, the bill would make available Federal funds to existing 

 educational institutions designated as environmental research centers by the Gover- 

 nors of the various States. 



Even though this bill did not pass, the hearings proved to be a 

 good sounding board for the subcommittee's encouragement of basic 

 and applied research, as well as environmental education and training. 

 In a report issued in December 1976, the subcommittee summarized 

 the history and current efforts to enact legislation similar to H.R. 35, 

 and recommended that "ongoing Federal university programs be as- 

 signed greater roles in environmental research and development." 



CHRONIC EXPOSURE TO LOW-LEVEL POLLUTANTS 



Another trail-blazing inquiry by the Brown subcommittee got 

 under way in November 1975 when the subcommittee investigated the 

 long-term exposure to low levels of environmental contaminants. 

 Brown notified his fellow committee members: 



The purpose of these hearings is to determine the long range effects of constant 

 exposure to very small concentrations of pollutants present in the environment, to 

 determine whether or not we might exceed the safety threshold and what this thresh- 

 old might be. We wish to know what these effects would be on human and animal 

 health, agriculture and food supply, the weather and climate. 



