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ocean technology. This potential will only be realized when 

 government funding is matched with private sector 

 entrepreneurialism and with a dash of higher educational 

 resources. A new mandate leveraging federal resources and 

 assets that is focused upon the singular effort of creating 

 new industries and markets within the ocean and environmental 

 services is greatly needed- A well-conceived package of 

 research and development grants, low-cost financing, and 

 market development assistance will provide the necessary 

 catalyst to expand the nation ' s economy and its ' educational 

 resources. I fully believe this joint committee has the rare 

 opportunity to become the leader for developing new 

 industries and employment opportunities as we head into the 

 new millennium. During the history of our country we have 

 evolved from an agricultural economy, through the industrial 

 revolution to today's technological industrial base. It is 

 only natural that tomorrow's technology driven industries 

 include the natural environment that covers two thirds of our 

 earth. 



I would like to thank this subcommittee for granting me 

 the opportunity to speak on this most important issue. 



