1074 
Dr. Austin. I think, sir, I would rather speak only for the consoli- 
dation of the marine data management functions, which is, of course, 
one of the aspects of the Commission’s report and one of the aspects 
of your bill. 
Mr. Lennon. Well, of course, as you know, Dr. White, the Adminis- 
trator of the Environmental Science Services Administration, served 
on the Commission as a representative of the Department of Com- 
merce and, of course, did not participate in the final findings and 
conclusions and recommendations with respect to a Government struc- 
ture, but he made the very flat statement here before the committee 
that if there was a Government structure, or at least that is the way 
T recall it, that ESSA should be a part of it. 
This statement was made in the presence of his cowitness who was 
sitting alongside of him, the Assistant Secretary of Commerce. How 
do you react to that as to whether ESSA should be a part of such a 
structure ? 
Dr. Austin. If there was a consolidated government structure, I 
think I would have to coneur with Dr. White because ESSA’s con- 
cern with the marine environment certainly crosses all disciplines, the 
air-sea interaction, the pelagic waters, the coastal waters. 
Mr. Lennon. That is the only thing within the Department of Com- 
merce that 1s recommended to go into the new government structure. 
Tt is interesting, Doctor, that in the colloquy between members of 
the committee and the Assistant Secretary of Commerce he raised 
the question that if the Commission considered other alternatives with 
respect to where these various components were taken from other 
structures, they didn’t so state in the report. 
T said, “Well, Mr. Secretary, we have Dr. White who served on the 
Commission here with you, and let’s get his views as to whether or 
not the Commission considered many alternatives other than the ones 
they ultimately recommended.” 
I had no previous commitment from Dr. White as to what his an- 
swer would be, but he said quite frankly that the Commission explored 
many, many alternatives other than what they ultimately came up 
with in the form of a recommendation. That sort of placated the As- 
sistant Secretary. 
Now let’s move over to the Department of Transportation. The 
single subagency or agency, or really it is the prime agency in a way, 
of the Department of Transportation is the Coast Guard. 
The Commission recommended that the Coast Guard be put in the 
new NOAA. I asked the Assistant Secretary of Transportation who 
opposed that, “What is the basis on which the Department of Trans- 
portation exercises and has within its jurisdiction the Coast Guard?” 
He said, “Of course transportation is related to the maritime 
industry.” 
T said, “Yes, I agree, but unfortunately you don’t have jurisdiction 
of the maritime industry. That is over under another department and 
not under the Department of Transportation.” 
He was justifying the Coast Guard being in the Department of 
Transportation because of its relationship to the Maritime Adminis- 
tration. Yet the Maritime Administration is not under the Department 
of Transportation, but under the Department of Commerce. 
Well, that sort of stalled that argument. 
