ronmental technology laws around the world, the United States 

 needs to be very much a part of promoting that around the world. 



I am very interested to see how you will use this conversion feel- 

 ings around this and the expertise around the issue of oceanogra- 

 phy- 



Thank you for scheduling this hearing. It is a very, very impor- 

 tant issue and one that I think we are in a marvelous place to be 

 working on right now. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. 



Mr. Ortiz. I would like to include the statements of the distin- 

 guished gentlemen from Texas, Mr. Jack Fields, and also by the 

 Ranking Member of this Subcommittee, Mr. Curt Weldon. If any- 

 body else would like to include their statement, it will be included 

 for the record. 



Statement of Hon. Jack Fields, a U.S. Representative from Texas, and 

 Ranking Minority Member, Committee on Merchant Marine and Fisheries 



Mr. Chairman, you and the ranking Republican member of the Subcommittee 

 should be commended for scheduling this hearing on an issue which is very new to 

 the Subcommittee, but meshes well with positions you and Mr. Weldon have taken 

 on the Armed Services Committee. 



With improved global relationships melting the distrust of the Cold War, great 

 opportunities exist for civilians to take advantage of the millions of U.S. dollars in- 

 vested in military resources and use them for peaceful purposes. Oceanography is a 

 field ripe for this type of cooperation. 



Cooperation between the Navy and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Ad- 

 ministration (NOAA) is not new. In fact, in 1837 the Navy published the first nauti- 

 cal chart, a program now under NOAA's auspices. The Navy has detailed an Admi- 

 ral to NOAA to act as liaison between the agencies. In addition, NOAA has memo- 

 randa of agreement with the Navy involving the use of a Navy submersible in the 

 National Undersea Research Program, and Naval personnel are found at the heart 

 of NOAA's fleet modernization effort. 



This is a good start, but certainly there is more which can be done. NOAA's cur- 

 rent nautical charting operations are disappointing. The availability of ship time for 

 scientific research work is inadequate and growing more limited as the NOAA fleet 

 faces obsolescence. Environmental data critical to the understanding of global cli- 

 mate change and ocean resource management is weak, and the resources are dwin- 

 dling. I believe that many of the tools and technologies developed by the Depart- 

 ment of Defense can now have a new life aiding these valuable programs. 



In conclusion, I also want to commend you. Chairman Ortiz, and you, Mr. Weldon, 

 for your efforts to include NOAA in defense conversion efforts as part of the Depart- 

 ment of Defense Authorization bill. NOAA has valuable scientific expertise which 

 can help target areas where defense technologies can be put to further use in envi- 

 ronmental research. 



Thank you, Mr. Chairman. 



Statement of Hon. Curt Weldon, a U.S. Representative from Pennsylvania 



Mr. Chairman, I want to thank you for holding these timely hearings. We both 

 serve on the Armed Services Committee, and know very well the devastating effects 

 that the military drawdown is having on the services, civilian employees and com- 

 munities nationwide. 



In my view, current conversion efforts have many limitations, but they also offer 

 some great opportunities. The military has been the undisputed leader in U.S. tech- 

 nology development, and it has an array of equipment which could be used in the 

 civilian community. We should ensure that assets no longer required by the mili- 

 tary are made available to other agencies and that we maximize use of old and new 

 military technologies. 



The Chairman and I supported a provision in the Defense bill to include NOAA in 

 the composition of the Strategic Environmental Research and Development Pro- 

 gram (SERDP) council. This provision will help foster greater dialogue between 

 DOD and NOAA, and increase environmental uses for defense technologies. I also 

 have worked to ensure information sharing on environmental technology develop- 

 ment among all Federal agencies, and put forward language to ensure that all agen- 

 cies have access to the environmental requirements data base designed to solve high 



