55 



TESTIMONY OF 

 DR. SYLVIA A. EARLE. FOUNDER, 

 DEEP OCEAN ENGINEERING. INC. AND FORMER CHIEF SCIENTIST OF NOAA, 



BEFORE THE SUBCOMMnTEE ON OCEANOGRAPY, 



GULF OF MEXICO AND OUTER CONTINENTAL SHELF 



OF THE COMMITTEE ON MERCHANT MARINE AND FISHERIES 



U. S. HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVF.S 



MARCH 24, 1993 



Mr. Chainnan and Memb«5 of this Subcommittee: 



It IS an honor to appear before you, and to have an opportunity to speak on behalf of those 

 who favor a strong national commitment to underwater exploration, research and 

 technology, and who believe that substantial, consistent funding for the National 

 Undersea Research Prt^ram (NURP) is one of the best investments this country can 

 make for the environment, for the tconomy, for science, for technology ... for the present 

 and fbr the future sttcngth of the United States of America.. 



Etespite years of budget reconnnendations for zero funding by the Department of 

 Commerce and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Adrainistration (NOAA). NURP 

 has survived and accomplished near-miracles with respect to keeping alive this nation's 

 reputation as a serious participant in civilian underwater, and especially undersea 

 activities that many equate with some of the much better supported programs of the 

 National Aeronautic and Space Administration (NASA). 



The phrase "much better supported" is relative, so to clarify, it may be useful to consider 

 the current level of funding K>r NURP - about $16 million to support six regional centers 

 and a headquarters office in Washington, plus ftinding for a broad range of cross-cutting 

 i^search efforts. This is accomplished for significantly less than the price tag of the space 

 shuttle's famous new toilet — S23 million. 



Each year. Congress has acted to save NURP, but the program's six n^onal centers have 

 a tenuous hold on the future, the apparently unwanted offspring of an Agency mandated 

 to ovenee the nation's oceanic and atmospheric interests. 



Private industry has recognized the need for undersea technology and research, 

 especially in connection with de\'elopment of the offshore oil and gas industry. But for 

 the investment made by industry— domestic and international and by foreign 

 governments — technology available for civilian use would be about at the level that 

 aerospace technology was half a century ago. 



U. S. taxpayers have provided billions of dollars to implement significant advances in 

 underwater technology, for military applications. However, little of the resulting 

 technology ~ or resulting knowledge - has been made available for civilian use, and not 

 all of it is appropriate for benign applications. I will spare you ^jeculative remarks about 

 what could he done by NURP and thus the nation with the cost of one nuclear 

 submarine. 



