There are some in this country who cheer that notion out of 

 knee-jerk reactions that no government is good government and 

 somehow reducing any expenditures is a healthy trend. I could not 

 disagree with them more strongly. And I think we are quickly 

 reaching a point here in Washington where we are going to 

 confront the essence of what we are doing here and why. 



You have to invest in your future. You have to invest in your 

 population. You certainly have to invest in protecting precious re- 

 sources, particularly precious resources about which we know very 

 little. Ecosystems are fragile. We are only on the bottom end of the 

 learning curve in many respects. Notwithstanding that, we are 

 struggling — struggling — to find the wherewithal to meet the mis- 

 sion, so to speak. 



NOAA's mission is really reflective of one of the greatest chal- 

 lenges that we face today, to simultaneously conserve marine re- 

 sources and protect coastal environments and develop coastal 

 economies. And equally important is its mission to describe, mon- 

 itor, and predict changes in the Earth's environment so that we can 

 ensure and enhance sustainable economic opportunities. These are 

 very complex, and I might add essential, tasks, and it is appro- 

 priate that the first Office of Sustainable Development has been es- 

 tablished within NOAA recognizing those priorities. 



We can juxtapose all of those priorities with the realities of what 

 is happening out there. The groundfish fisheries of New England 

 have collapsed, the salmon fishery of the Pacific Northwest has col- 

 lapsed, both have alerted us here in this country to the immediate 

 need to focus on development of sustainable marine resources and 

 management programs. Also, if you spend the time, as too few do, 

 and look at what is happening to bays, estuaries, rivers, and 

 oceans all across the planet, the trend line is extraordinarily dis- 

 turbing. 



Nevertheless, we are cutting or struggling to simply keep up. 

 And today we are going to talk a little bit about that. In order to 

 carry out its missions, NOAA's strategic plan now identifies three 

 broad priorities for fiscal year 1995. No. 1, the continued mod- 

 ernization of the Nation's weather service; No. 2, managing our 

 marine resources, including maintaining critical management of 

 our fisheries, recovering protected species, and maintaining and en- 

 hancing coastal ecosystems health management; and No. 3, invest- 

 ing in global change research. 



I want to applaud NOAA for this strategic plan which makes 

 sense. After years of underfunding I am glad to see that as to these 

 priorities the budget is beginning to reflect the designation of a 

 strategy, which it did not in the past. And there is a focus on cost 

 effectiveness and on cooperation among agency programs. 



An important part of carrying out NOAA's mandates is complet- 

 ing the fleet modernization plan. This is something we have talked 

 about in this committee ever since I assumed the vice chairman- 

 ship of NOAA and have been at these hearings. I have been dis- 

 turbed that notwithstanding appropriation there has been no ex- 

 penditure, and the program has been in some disarray notwith- 

 standing many years ago having heard about the urgent need for 

 the revitalization of tlie fleet. 



