NATIONAL OCEANOGRAPHIC PROGRAM LEGISLATION 71 



General Counsel of the 

 Department of Commerce, 

 Washington, D.C., July 29, 1965. 

 Hon. Herbert C. Bonner, 



Chairman, Committee on Merchant Marine and Fisheries, 

 House of Representatives, Washington, D.C. 



Dear Mr. Chairman: This letter is in further reply to your request 

 for the views of this Department with respect to H.K.. 7849, a bill to 

 provide for the development of ocean resources, to provide for economic 

 development of the Continental Shelf, to provide for expanded re- 

 search in the oceans and the Great Lakes, to establish a National 

 Oceanographic Council, and for other purposes. 



This bill combines the features of H.R. 5654 and H.R. 5884 and 

 would set forth national objectives for oceanographic and marine 

 activities and would establish a National Oceanographic Council 

 composed principally of Cabinet-level officers. The Council would 

 advise and assist the President by surveying present oceanographic 

 activities, developing an oceanographic program, coordinating the 

 agencies' oceanographic activities, and annually comparing Federal 

 oceanographic accomplishments against the Council's oceanographic 

 program. The Council would be authorized to employ an Executive 

 Secretary and staff. H.R. 7849 would also require the President to 

 report annually to Congress on his oceanographic program and on 

 present accomplishments. 



In addition this bill would encourage utilization of the resources of 

 the Continental Shelf; establish a Marine Exploration and Develop- 

 ment Commission composed of Cabinet officers and private appointees 

 to formulate and carry out programs for exploration and development 

 of the Continental Shelf ; create a marine exploration and development 

 fund for loans, grants, or cost-sharing arrangements; and authorize 

 an annual appropriation of $50 million to the Commission and an 

 initial appropriation of $100 million to establish the fund. 



The Department strongly supports improvement in and greater 

 emphasis for the national oceanographic program. However, we 

 doubt that H.R. 7849 would have enough beneficial effect upon oceano- 

 graphic activities to offset the detrimental effect it would have upon 

 the administration of oceanography as a whole. 



The Interagency Committee on Oceanography has had considerable 

 success in coordinating and stimulating Federal oceanogiaphic activi- 

 ties, and we are therefore not aware of overriding reasons foi replacing 

 it. The proposed National Oceanographic Council would not change 

 the realities involved in setting priorities and apportioning limited 

 funds among less limited demands within the agencies. There is no 

 reason to believe that Council review of the national oceanograpgic 

 program before its submission to the agencies would keep an}^ agency 

 from balancing its oceanographic program needs against the needs of 

 its other programs. On the other hand, creation of the proposed 

 Council would place additional demands directly upon Cabinet 

 officers and agency heads who already have heavy burdens of re- 

 sponsibility. 



If the Council supplants the Interagency Committee on Oceacil 

 ography, the limited amount of personal time which the Counn- 



