964 HISTORY Ol 1111 COMMITTEl ON SCIENC1 AND TECHNOLOGY 



Brown disagreed. He pointed to a study done for the subcommittee 

 by the Congressional Research Service which concluded that 99 percent 

 of the sulfates m the ambient air were derived from stationary sources, 

 and less than 1 percent generated by catalyst-equipped vehicles. As a 

 Representative ot a southern California district deeply concerned with 

 air pollution. Brown had been involved in most of the air pollution 

 battles of the prior decade. 



During the stickily humid summer of 1975, the Brown subcom- 

 mittee plowed ahead with six days of oversight hearings on the 

 National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), climaxed 

 by a seventh day to receive testimony from the Chairman of the 

 National Advisory Committee on Oceans and Atmosphere. Brown made 

 an oblique reference to the Hechler-Hansen colloquy (see chapter XV) 

 which had established joint jurisdictional responsibility over NOAA 

 between the Science and Merchant Marine Committees. The sub- 

 committee delved into the environmental monitoring elements of 

 NOAA, including the Global Atmospheric Research program, the 

 National Weather Service, and programs on climate, air pollution, 

 weather modification, and severe local storms. The subcommittee 

 also reviewed the marine resources programs of NOAA. These overview 

 hearings laid the basis for additional legislation in subsequent years, 

 as will be seen. 



WASTE DISPOSAL POLLUTING THE OCEANS 



On September 17, 1975, the Brown subcommittee had five days 

 of hearings on "The Environmental Effects of Dumping in the Oceans 

 and Great Lakes." Brown noted at the outset that there was simply 

 not enough information available on the transport of waste materials 

 and their disposal in the ocean. The purpose of the hearings was to 

 build up the data needed concerning environmental effects. He 

 remarked : 



With sufficient information on environmental effects and alternatives to ocean 

 dumping, rational policy choices can be made to assure that the oceans will he pre- 

 served as fisheries and recreational areas. 



Representatives of Federal agencies like the Coast Guard, Corps 

 of Engineers, EPA, and NOAA were joined by environmentalists, 

 biologists, and other members of the scientific community. They 

 discussed such developments as the ocean dumping of municipal sewage- 

 sludge, acid waste disposal by industry, and other pollutants which 

 were having a measurable effect on the nature of the ocean and its 

 marine life. 



In November 1975, Brown's subcommittee in conjunction with 

 the Oceanography Subcommittee of the Merchant Marine and Fisheries 



