NATIONAL OCEANOGRAPHIC PROGRAM LEGISLATION 107 



Velopment, and a Commission on Marine Science, Engineering and 

 Resources, and for other purposes." 



As you know, the Atomic Energy Conunission was one of the four 

 Federal agencies that first suggested and participated in efforts to 

 coordinate the national program in oceanography. The Federal Coun- 

 cil for Science and Technology (FCST) established the permanent 

 Interagency Committee on Oceanography (ICO) in 1960; a primary 

 function of the ICO has been to coordinate the activities of various 

 agencies having an interest in oceanography and related marine sci- 

 ences. The AEC is a member of the ICO and participates in the 

 annual preparation of the Government's na^tional oceanography pro- 

 gram, which is reviewed and approved by the FCST. There is also 

 an FCST Committee on Water Resources Research which is concerned 

 with coordinating research activities of the various agencies on fresh 

 water resources, including research pertaining to the Great Lakes. 



It is the AEC's understanding that the proposed bill would in effect 

 substitute a National Council on Marine Resources and Engineering 

 Development for the ICO as the primary coordinator of agency activi- 

 ties in the field of oceanography, including the Continental Shelf, and 

 for the FCST Committee on Water Resources Research as the primary 

 coordinator of agency research activities in the field of fresh water 

 resources to the extent that those activities concern the Great Lakes. 

 The bill would also establish, at the discretion of the President, a 

 Commission on Marine Science, Engineering, and Resources to assist 

 the President and. the Council in carrying out certain of the functions 

 stated in the bill, and such other duties as may be assigned to it. '^'^'liile 

 the Commission is in accord with the substantive purpose and intent 

 of the proposed legislation, it is our belief that the substitution of the 

 National Council for the ICO and the FCST Committee on Water 

 Resources Research is not necessary or appropriate at this time in 

 view of the effective coordination of agency efforts in this field by 

 these two committees. 



Should the bill be considered for passage, however, the Commission 

 suggests that changes as set forth below be made. 



Subsection 5(d) should be amended to read as follows : 

 ^ "(d) No information which has been classified for reasons of na- 

 tional security shall be included in any report made under this section, 

 unless such information has been declassified by, or pursuant to au- 

 thorization given by, the President." 



This chano-e would make it clear that information which has been 

 previously declassified m.ay be included in a report without further 

 action. 



The Commission urges the deletion from the bill of subsection 6(b). 

 This subsection would autliorize "any member, officer, or employee 

 of the Council to have access to restricted data relating to ocean- 

 ography and the marine sciences which is required in the performance 

 of his duties * * *" as certified by the National Council, provided the 

 National Council determines ^hat its established "security procedures 

 * * * are * * * in reasonable conformity to the standards estab- 

 lished by the Atomic Enero-v Commission under section 145 of the 

 Atomic Energy Act of 1954 (42 U.S.C. 2165)", and provided the Na- 

 tional Council has determined in accordance with such procedures 



