258 



A Budget for the National Oceanic 

 and Atmospheric Agency 



Although the main burden of achieving the 

 goals proposed by the Commission for a na- 

 tional ocean program will be assumed by the 

 National Oceanic and Atmospheric Agency, 

 NOAA will not be responsible for all of the 

 expenditure estimated by the Commission, 

 nor do these estimates embrace the totality of 

 NOAA's responsibilities. Such other agencies 

 as the National Science Foundation, the 

 Army Corps of Engineers, the Navy, and the 

 Departments of the Interior and of Health, 

 Education, and Welfare will continue to have 

 fiscal responsibility for portions of the recom- 

 mended program. 



The 1969 budgets fpr the agencies and pro- 

 grams which would be immediately trans- 

 ferred to NOAA under the Commission's or- 

 ganization plan total $773 million. Other 

 activities which might be transferred to the 

 agency at a later date would add an addi- 

 tional $36 million. The Commission projects 

 that the National Oceanic and Atmospheric 

 Agency might have an operating budget of 

 approximately $2 billion annually by 1980. 

 The projection is necessarily a combination of 

 both recommended increments (approximate- 

 ly $850 million) and an arbitrarily projected 

 7 per cent growth rate for programs not 



reviewed by the Commission. However, the 

 estimate is useful in providing a tangible 

 prospect of the likely scope of the new agency. 



Conclusion 



Arriving at these cost estimates was among 



the most difficult aspects of the Commission's 

 analysis. In spite of the uncertainties attend- 

 ant on these estimates, they nevertheless are 

 a measure of the kind of commitment which 

 the Commission feels the Nation must make. 

 Yet they do not tell the full story. There are 

 some stakes, such as a livable environment or 

 the security of the Nation, which are price- 

 less. Some of the least expensive recommen- 

 dations, like the establishment of the State 

 Coastal Zone Authorities and the new inter- 

 national convention on the seabed, are among 

 the most important ones. Benefits to the 

 Nation will come not only from additional 

 programs but also from the redirection of 

 some current expenditures into more produc- 

 tive uses. 



The Commission's cost estimates must be 

 viewed in this light. They simply represent, 

 as do the other parts of this report, our best 

 judgment of how to respond to the needs and 

 opportunities which relate our Nation to the 

 sea. 



