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Questions From Mr. Murphy and Answers 



Question 1. In establishing priorities, how were the trade-offs made between cost 

 to gather the information vs. the value of the resulting data (Sec. 4(b)(1)(B))? 



Answer. In developing the procedures for setting initial priorities for the First 

 Plan, it proved impossible with the time and resources available to quantitatively 

 estimate either the cost of projected research, development, and monitoring needs or 

 the value of information to be obtained with any degree of reliability. Rather, a set 

 of criteria were applied in a qualitative way to set both the priorities for specific 

 need statements and overall categories. These criteria are: 



Immediacy of the pollution threat. 



Value and importance of the polluting activity to society and the economy. 



Distribution of the polluting activity, whether local, regional, or global. 



Value of the resources at risk. 



Likelihood of solving the problem in the near term, the availability of scientific 

 expertise, and cost effectiveness. 



Question 2. In determining national priorities, what criteria were used to evaluate 

 the adequacy of the level of effort (i.e. when is the research base adequate)? 



Answer. Priorities were established using the criteria presented in the answer to 

 question No. 1 without any consideration of the adequacy of existing scientific and 

 technical knowledge of the problem area. Only after priorities were established was 

 the adequacy of the information base and the current program level considered to 

 determine unmet high priority needs. The current state-of-knowledge was evaluated 

 by the interagency task force with reference to numerous recent reports on different 

 pollution areas such as the Estes Park report, "Proceedings of a Workshop on 

 Scientific Problems Relating to Ocean Pollution". 



Question 3. Could specific examples be given as to how other agencies have used 

 this Plan? How has this Plan made a difference in the process by which research 

 priorities are determined and the content of agency research programs? 



Answer. NOAA and EPA are examples of two agencies that are using the Plan to 

 develop their current programs for fiscal year 1982. Because the Plan brought 

 together for the first time program information on all agencies, a major benefit has 

 been the awareness of the magnitude and emphasis of the ongoing Federal effort. A 

 major accomplishment in the process by which research programs are developed is 

 implementation of Task 23 — the preparation of a 5-year prospectus by each agency. 

 For the first time, many agencies are developing research strategies that look out 2- 

 3 years beyond the most current budget year. The Plan was published in the fall in 

 1979 and it is much too early to determine what impact it has had on the content of 

 agency programs. 



Question 4- Can specific examples be given of the clarification of agency roles that 

 have resulted from the development of this Plan (as mentioned before the Subcom- 

 mittee)? 



Answer. As noted in the answer to Question No. 3, a major accomplishment of the 

 first Plan was the review, for the first time, of all agency missions, mandates, and 

 research activities. This has resulted in clarification of agency responsibilities for all 

 facets of pollution research, development and monitoring. As the second Plan is 

 prepared, it is hoped that agencies will take on "lead agency" roles for pollution 

 problem areas which are of interest to more than one agency. The National Marine 

 Pollution Program Office is working with individual agencies to develop those lead 

 agency roles. 



Question 5. What interagency research programs have resulted or are in the 

 planning stage as a consequence of the development of the Plan? How are resources 

 to be used more effectively to support management decisions? 



Answer. Because of the way the budget cycle is structured it is too early to expect 

 that specific research programs will have been developed in response to the Plan. 

 NOAA, through its Section 6 Financial Assistance program, is planning to spend 

 $1.5 million on programs to address the unmet priority problems identified in the 

 Plan. A specific interagency program on the marine pollution problems related to 

 coastal land use practices is being jointly sponsored by the National Marine Pollu- 

 tion Program Office, Office of Coastal Zone Management, and the U.S. Department 

 of State. An interagency working group is looking at the problems of quality 

 assurance across all agency programs and their recommendations should lead to 

 specific programmatic changes. 



Question 6. What role does NOAA have in conducting research on the effects of 

 ocean dumping of dredge spoil and sewage sludge (vs. EPA and the Corps of 

 Engineers)? What research efforts are planned to carry out the research priorities 

 cited in the Plan for these two problems? How are they to be coordinated with the 

 appropriate regulatory agency? 



