NATIONAL OCEANOGRAPHIC PROGRAM LEGISLATION 103 



The Department has no independent knowledge as to the necessity 

 for, or desirabiUty of, the proposed legislation. However, since the 

 study would relate to legal problems involving the natural resources 

 of the ocean and ocean beds, it is our opinion that the study would be 

 of more direct concern to the Department of the Interior rather than 

 the Coast Guard. Consequently, while the Department would be 

 ready to cooperate in any way in which its facilities or personnel could 

 be used, the Department does not believe that the primary responsi- 

 bility for the study should be lodged in the Coast Guard. 



Subject to the foregoing comments, this Department has no objec- 

 tion to the enactment of H.R. 5175. 



The Department has been advised by the Biu-eau of the Budget that 

 there is no objection from the standpoint of the administration's 

 program to the submission of this report to your committee. 



Sincerely yours, 



Frank B. Smith, 

 Acting General Counsel. 



[Committee Note. — S. 944 and H.R. 10432, which are identical, 

 were referred to the committee after the hearings had commenced. 

 The two bills and related agency reports follow:] 



[S. 944, H.R. 10432, 89th Cong., 1st sess.] 



AN ACT and A BILL To provide for expanded research and development in the marine 

 environment of the United States, to establish a National Council on Marine Resources 

 and Engineering Development, and a Commission on Marine Science, Engineering and 

 Resourc-es, and for other purposes 



Be it enacted dy the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States 

 of America in Go7igress assembled, 



SHORT TITLE 



Section 1. This Act may be cited, as the Marine Resources and Engineering 

 Development Act of 1965. 



DECLARATION OF POLICY AND PURPOSE 



Sec. 2. The marine science ac'tivities of the United States shonld he conducted 

 so as to conribute to the following objectives : 



(1) The accelerated development of the physical, chemical, geological, and 

 biological resources of the marine environment. 



(2) The expansion of human know^ledge of the marine environment. 



(3) The encouragement of private investment enterprise in exploration, tech- 

 nological development, marine commerce, and economic utilization of the re- 

 sources of the marine environment. 



(4) The preservation of the role of the United States as a leader in marine 

 science and resource development. 



(5) The advancement of education and training in marine science. 



(6) The development and improvement of the capabilities, performance, use, 

 and efficiency of vehicles, equipment, and instruments for use in exploration, re- 

 search, surveys, the recovery of resources, and the transmission of energy in the 

 marine environment. 



(7) The effective utilization of the scientific and engineering resources of the 

 Nation, wth close cooperation among all interested agencies, public and private, 

 in order to avoid unnecessary duplication of effort, facilities, and. equipment, or 

 waste. 



(8) The cooperation by the United States with other nations and groups of 

 nations and international organizations in marine science activities when such 

 cooperation is in the national interest. 



