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Attachment 1 



SEA GRANT 



The Nitlosal Im Ortat Colltsa frogru was created br statate ia 1966, 

 and curreetlr resides withia the Office of Oceanic and AtaMp^eric leoearch, 

 haviag beea transferred fro* the Natioaal Science Foundatioa to the DepertKBt 

 of CoMKrce when lOAA was created. Sea Grant consiata of 29 uiveraity-baaed 

 progran involving over 380 institatioas of hagher education utionvide. Sea 

 Grant is the largest acadeaic prograa within the Departaeat of Coaaerce, and 

 serves aa NOAA'a principal link to the acadeaic ooaaunitr and to edncation at 

 all levels. This national prograa ws reauthorized by Ccwgresa ia 1991 (P. I. 

 IK- 106), aod eajors widespread bipartisan support. Nearlr half the cost of 

 Sea Grant ia provided br state and local goveraaents, iadostrr, and citiaena. 

 The correat federal funding level is Ml Billion for the core prograa, with aa 

 additional 12 aillioo aandated br Coogress for sebra aosael research. 



Sea Great was targeted for eliaiaatioa br the leagaa Afdunistratioa starting 

 in 1961. Congress has aaintained the Sea Grant prograa at essentiallr level 

 appropriatioas for aore than a decade, bat thia has diaiaished the prograa's 

 "bbyiBg power' br 37 percent since 1979. The cootinued viabilitr of Sea Great 

 is a seriooa issae if this trend is allowed to coatinoe. (A chart depicting 

 Sea Grant's funding historr ie attached). 



Eves with the lack of recent Adaiaistration coaaitaeit, Sea Grant has 

 aaassed a reaarkable record of aoooa^lishaent. A recent report showed that hf 

 stiafvlatiag aew business opportaaities aad iapleaentiag oost-saving techniqoes 

 aad other prodoctivitr ivroveaeats, Sea Grant helped businesses generate aa 

 1642 aiUioa annual inpsct oa the aational econoay relative to the federal 

 budget of aboat IM aillioo aaaaallr. That the iapact aore thaa tripled froa a 

 decade earlier was a reaarkable achieveaeat, especiallr it the face of 

 deollaiag prograa resources throoghout the 1966 s. Sea fi-ant has the capacitr 

 to do anck aore. 



Sea Qrant is the natioa'a priacipal source of universitr research and 

 technology transfer in the coastal oceans and estuaries, aad ia a priaarr 

 aatiooal resource oa water qaality. aqoaculture, biotechnology, seafood and 

 other aariae products, fisheries recmitaent and productivity, ocean and 

 coastal engiaeering aad technology, aad oceaa policy. Its aission with respect 

 to edocatioa, technology traasfer aad public service is oaigue aaong aariae 

 prograaa. The geographic scope of Sea Grant encoapassea the Golf of Neiloo, 

 the Atlaatio. Pacific. Arctic, aad Great Lakes, and Sea Grant aaiatains active 

 ooatacts ii the iatematiooal areaa as well. 



Sea Great playa aa iaportaat service role to other prograas witkia NMA, 

 iacladieg the CoasUl Ocean Scieaoe Prograa, the Cliaate and Global Ckaage 

 lesearoh Prograa, and the legioaal Marine leaearch loarde. Sea Qraat 

 faoilitates iateragency iateractioas, particularly with the Eavironaeatal 

 Protection Agency, by serving as aanager for collaborative prograas and fandiaa 

 to acadeaia. 



Through grassroots exchanges between scientists and users. Sea Grant is a 

 prograa that creates jobs, transfers science and technology developaeots to 

 industry, protects the aarine eavironaent, and helps ensure the sustainable use 

 of coastal and aarine resources. Sea Grant is asking aajor contributions to 

 the ooapetitiveneas of the nation's aarine econoagr. to a skilled labor force, 

 to scientific achieveaeat, to technology transfer, and to public educatioa oa 

 critical resource aad eavironaeatal issues. 



