COMMENTS AND RECOMMENDATIONS OF THE 

 SECRETARY OF COMMERCE ON THE 



SECOND ANNUAL REPORT OF THE NATIONAL 



ADVISORY COMMITTEE ON OCEANS 



AND ATMOSPHERE 



PREFACE 



I have reveiwed the Second Annual Report of the Na- 

 tional Advisory Committe on Oceans and Atmosphere 

 (NACOA) and have consulted with the other interested 

 agencies of the Federal Government. I wish to express my 

 appreciation to the Committee for its appraisal of some of 

 the key problems in the Nation's oceanic and atmospheric 

 effort. 



The Committee has focused on major issues requiring early 

 attention by both the Executive and the Congress. While 

 the views expressed by the Committee diverge in some 

 respects from courses of action already underway or 

 planned by the Administration, I find the goals which the 

 Committee seeks to achieve in general agreement with 

 those of the Administration. Many of the Committee's 

 specific recommendations are now being implemented. 

 Some will be studied further. However, all of the views 

 and recommendations of the Committee will receive seri- 

 ous consideration. 



To facilitate the comparison of my comments with the 

 recommendations of NACOA, I have organized them in 

 accordance with the chapters of the Committee report. 

 In these comments I will seek to place in perspective the 

 Administration views of the issue raised by the Committee. 



INTRODUCTION 



The Committee has made a major point in its introduction of 

 the impact of the curtailment of Federal spending during fiscal 

 years 1973 and 1974. That there have been significant impacts upon 

 the Nation's oceanic and atmospheric programs is undeniable. The 



