Space Administration and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric 

 Administration, already has shown significant accomplishments in 

 environmental monitoring and prediction, with widespread 

 applications to transportation, resource development, and pollution 

 control. Current research and development programs show promise 

 of further improvements. The remote sensing program is 

 supplemented by an instrumented buoy development program 

 needed to provide data on surface and subsurface environmental 

 variables. Reliable operational prototypes for meteorological 

 sensing are expected to be developed by late FY '74. Efforts to 

 provide a capability to measure parameters indicative of the basic 

 organic productivity of the oceans are also underway. 



A program segment with major long-term implications for marine 

 science affairs is the support of basic oceanographic research and 

 education, together with the support of national centers and 

 facilities. This program segment receives the largest funding of all 

 the major categories of the Federal Ocean Program. While this 

 funding decreased in FY '73, in part because of non-recurring 

 expenditures for ships and other facilities in FY '72, the proposed 

 budget for FY '74 resumes the historical increasing trend. The major 

 funding agencies are the National Science Foundation, the Office of 

 Naval Research, and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric 

 Administration. Despite their wide diversity, covering all the major 

 scientific desciplines, the broad outlines of these long-range 

 oceanographic programs do not undergo major changes from year to 

 year. They are not explicitly reviewed in this year's report. 



Recent Legislation 



More than 20 laws directly affecting marine activities were 

 enacted by the 92nd Congress. Their subject matter includes 

 fisheries, marine mammals, water pollution, maritime safety, 

 federal-state relationships and other institutional matters. The more 

 important fisheries acts serve to implement a number of 

 international agreements, promote conservation and development, 

 and provide financial aid to commercial fishermen. P.L. 92-500, the 

 Federal Water Pollution Control Act Amendments of 1972, has 

 important long-range implications for estuarine and coastal waters, 

 as well as inland waters. P.L. 92-532, The Marine Protection, 

 Research, and Sanctuaries Act of 1972 (the "ocean dumping" bill), 

 provides for regulation of the transportation of wastes to be dumped 

 at sea, and for acceleration of research into dumping and ocean 

 pollution effects. It is closely related to and to some extent 

 anticipates implementation of the Ocean Dumping Convention that 

 was opened for signature at the end of 1972. P.L. 92-340, The Ports 

 and Waterways Safety Act of 1972, significantly increases the 

 authority of the Coast Guard to control maritime traffic in the 

 interests of safety and pollution control. P.L. 92-583, The Coastal 



520-810 O - 73 - 2 5 



