809 
If we did we would soon be more splintered than we are now. I 
liked your comment with respect to the consideration of the reorgani- 
zation related to any action that the Congress might ultimately take 
in implementing the Commission’s report as it is related to a 
Government structure. 
As most people know, two of necessarily the principal components 
of the Department of the Interior which are recommended to go into 
NOAA are under the jurisdiction of this particular committee and 
under the jurisdiction of a distinguished subcommittee of which I 
happen to be a member but not the chairman. 
Another point recommended by the Commission’s report with re- 
spect to what should go into NOAA is under the Department of 
Transportation, specifically the Coast Guard. 
This committee likewise has legislative jurisdiction of the Coast 
Guard and more particularly of the Subcommittee on Coast Guard 
of which I happen to be a member but not the chairman, and so it 
goes. 
So we don’t necessarily have conflicts of interest in this committee, 
but we do have conflicts as to questions of legislative jurisdiction and 
these matters will have to be resolved if and when there is a Govern- 
ment structure because I can’t think of anything that ought not to 
happen more than decimation of the legislative committees that might 
be related to a Government structure. 
I think what we are going to have to come to, Mr. Pelly, if we ever 
move completely in the direction with respect to a Government struc- 
ture as recommended by the Commission is a reorganization of com- 
mittees that would have jurisdiction over this Government structure. 
Mr. Petry. Mr. Chairman, if I might comment on that. 
Mr. Lennon. It is something that is going to give us concern. 
Mr. Pretiy. I have come to the conclusion that we ought to avoid 
congressional legislative jurisdiction and not touch it because if we do 
we are doomed, this program is beaten. 
I went before the Rules Committee on a bill that we reported out 
from the Merchant Marine and Fisheries Committee having to do with 
a council of advisers to the President on environment, and immediately 
the chairman of another committee, a great committee, came in and 
said his committee had jurisdiction over some of the resources that 
would be covered by that program, and while he had waived jurisdic- 
tion over the bill, he didn’t think that it should be reported to the 
House. 
Here is one of the most important subjects. I don’t think it makes 
any difference what committee has legislative oversight myself because 
it is so important. Nevertheless, the fact is that there is a jealousy over 
legislative oversight and I think this committee ought to go ahead and 
establish an agency and forget about where the chips fall and let each 
committee handle their jurisdiction and then bit by bit eventually 
these matters can be settled. 
In our committee we can do that. 
Mr. Lennon. That is the reason I studiously avoided this question 
but happily most of those parts of the agencies that would go on to 
NOAA are within the jurisdiction of the Merchant Marine and 
Fisheries Committee. That is the one consolation we can get out of this 
thing in hoping that we may meet this criticism in the future. 
Mr. Brooks, we thank you again for your appearance. 
