231 



minor points of disagreement because I just don't think I have analyzed 

 it in that sense. 



Mr. MosHER. Counsel reminds me of the proposal for a nuclear 

 powerplant on the mid- Atlantic Ridge. Do you want to react to that 

 proposal ? 



Dr. Fye. Yes, I would be very happy to react to that, Mr. Congress- 

 man. 



Mr. MosHEE. Are we both punning when we talk about reacting ? 



Dr. Fye. I think it is the kind of project which will be done in the 

 years ahead. I think it can be done engineeringwise. It has some at- 

 tractive possibilities. If we don't do it, someone else will, and I think 

 the question of pollution and safety can be adequately taken care of. 

 We have done the more difficult job of adequately taking care of it on 

 land, and I think the Continental Shelf nuclear plant will in many 

 ways be simpler. 



Mr. Mosher. That is all. 



Mr. Downing. Mr. Karth? 



Mr. Karth. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. 



Last week. Dr. Fye, Captain Bauer appeared before this committee 

 and made a very strong recommendation that instead of creating a 

 NOAA, we place the total responsibility in the Department of the 

 Interior. 



I would like for you to list a number of reasons why you feel that 

 would not be as good a recommendation as the one made by the Com- 

 mission and why it might not serve the best interests of oceanog- 

 raphy, oceanology, or marine sciences as the ISTOAA approach which 

 was recommended by the Commission. 



Dr. Fye. Mr. Congressman, I am alw^ ays reluctant to testify on mat- 

 ters of GoA^ernment organization when I am before such a distinguished 

 group of experts, but I would be happy to give you my reactions if 

 they are taken in the proper context. 



I have read Captain Bauer's testimony, and I don't agree with it. 

 I have told him that, as we came in the door this morning. 



Let me first say, if I may just for the record, that there are many 

 ways of getting at this problem of organization. It can be done in any 

 one of a number of existing departments. It can be done with a new 

 agency. It can even be done with the present organization. 



So what we are really talking about is efficiency and what is the 

 optimum organization. 



I do believe the Commission's proposal of a jSTOAA, or at least some 

 form of an independent agency, will be better than giving any existing 

 department the prime assignment in ocean activities. I think it will be 

 difficult within an existing department to give the ocean the high pri- 

 ority that it needs. More subtly than that, I think the Interior Depart- 

 ment is oriented more toward land activities and what is needed is a 

 new kind of a vision that is oriented seaward. 



I Avouldn't for a minute suggest that Interior can't do it or Trans- 

 portation or Commerce. I am sure they all could. 



It is a question of whether, in mj^ opinion, they would do it as well. 

 Frankly, I think it would be done better by an independent agency. 



Mr. Karth. Thank you very much. 



Thank you, Mr. Chairman. 



