THE NATIONAL UNDERSEA RESEARCH 



PROGRAM 



WEDNESDAY, MARCH 24, 1993 



House of Representatives, Subcommittee on Oceanog- 

 raphy, Gulf of Mexico, and the Outer Continental 

 Shelf, Committee on Merchant Marine and Fisher- 

 ies, 



Washington, DC. 



The subcommittee met, pursuant to call, at 2:05 p.m., in room 

 1334, Longworth House Office Building, Hon. Solomon P. Ortiz 

 [chairman of the subcommittee] presiding. 



Present: Representatives Ortiz, Green, and Weldon. 



Staff Present: Robert Wharton, Sheila McCready, Tom Kitsos, 

 Sue Waldron, Dino Esparza, Terry Schaff, Chris Mann, Eunice 

 Groark, Lisa Pittman, and Harry Burroughs. 



STATEMENT OF HON. SOLOMON P. ORTIZ, A U.S. REPRESENTA- 

 TIVE FROM TEXAS, AND CHAIRMAN, SUBCOMMITTEE ON 

 OCEANOGRAPHY, GULF OF MEXICO, AND THE OUTER CONTI- 

 NENTAL SHELF 



Mr. Ortiz. Good afternoon. I would like to welcome all of you to 

 the first hearing of the Subcommittee on Oceanography, Gulf of 

 Mexico, and the Outer Continental Shelf for this congressional ses- 

 sion. 



Today, our focus will be on the National Undersea Research Pro- 

 gram of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. In 

 1980, NOAA replaced its Manned Undersea Science and Technolo- 

 gy Office with the Office of Undersea Research and the National 

 Undersea Research Program, commonly referred to as NURP. 

 With the creation of NURP, the Federal Government became in- 

 volved in civilian research of the ocean. The program was designed 

 to support undersea research in the ocean and Great Lakes envi- 

 ronment, and to improve diver safety and performance. 



Originally, the program was supported by the Administration. 

 However, since 1983, NURP has been zero funded in each budget 

 request and has been maintained only by Congress through annual 

 appropriations. I am sure our witnesses will emphasize the impor- 

 tance of NURP and its role in benefiting the science, academic, and 

 social community. 



During the last Congress, this committee provided a detailed 

 plan for the formal establishment and administration of NURP 

 through H.R. 3247. Though the legislation passed the House, it did 



(1) 



