117 



efforts with financial and technical assistance and 

 training. 



In proposing that the Environmental Protection Agency 

 be set up as a separate new agency. I am making an ex- 

 ception to one of my own principles: that, as a matter of 

 effective and orderly administration, additional new In- 

 dependent agencies normally should not be created. In 

 this case, however, the arguments against placing en- 

 vironmental protection activities under the Jurisdiction 

 of one or another of the existing departments and agen- 

 cies are compelling. 



In the first place, almost every part of government is 

 concerned with the environment in some way. and affects 

 It In some way. Yet each department also has Its own pri- 

 mary mission — such as resource development, transporta- 

 tion, health, defense, urban growth or agriculture — which 

 necessarily affects its own view of environmental 

 questions. 



In the second place. If the critical standard-setting 

 functions were centralized within any one existing de- 

 partment. It would require that department constantly 

 to make decisions affecting other departments — In which, 

 whether fairly or unfairly. Its own objectivity as an Im- 

 partial arbiter could be called Into question. 



Because envlronmentaJ protection cuts across so many 

 Jurisdictions, and because arresting environmental dete- 

 rioration is of grea.t Importance to the quality of life in 

 our country and the world. I b«lleve that in this case a 

 strong. Independent agency is needed That agency would, 

 of course, work closely with and draw upon the expertise 

 and assistance of other agencies having experience In the 

 environmental area 



Boles and Functions of EPA 

 The principal roles and functions of the EPA would 

 include: 



— The establishment and enforcement of envlrorunenta) 

 protection standards consistent with national en- 

 vironmental goals. 

 — The conduct of research on the adverse effects of pol- 

 lution and on methods and equipment for controlling 

 It. the gathering of Information on pollution, ajxd 

 the use of this Information in strengthening environ- 

 mental protection programs and recommending policy 

 changes. 

 — Assisting others, through grants, technical assistance 

 and other means In arresting pollution of the 

 environment. 

 — Assisting the Council on Environmental Quality In 

 developing and recommending to the President new 

 policies for the protection of the environment 

 One natural question concerns the relationship be- 

 tween the EPA and the Council on Environmental Quality, 

 recently established by Act of Congress 



It Is my Intention and expectation that the two will 

 work in close harmony, reinforcing each other's mission. 

 Elssentlally. the Council Is a top-level advisory group 

 (which might be compared wlith the Council of Economic 

 Advisers) , while the EPA would be an operating, "line" or- 

 ganization. The Council will continue to be a part of the 

 Executive Office of the President and will perform Its over- 

 all coordinating and advisory roles with respect to all 

 Federal programs related to environmental quality 



The Council, thin. Is concerned with all aspects of en- 

 vironmental quality — wildlife preservation, parklands. 

 land use. and population growth, as well as pollution. The 

 EPA would be charged with protecting the environment by 

 abating pollution. In short, the Council focus3s on what 

 our broad policies In the environment field should be; 

 the EPA would focus on setting and enforcing pollution 

 control standards. The two are not competing, but com- 

 plementary — and taken together, they should give us. 

 for the first time, the means to mount an effectively co- 

 ordloajted campaign against environmental degradation In 

 all of Its many forms. 



National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration 

 The oceans and the atmosphere are Interacting parts of 

 the total environmental system upon which we depend 

 not only for the quality of our lives, but for life Itself 



We face Immediate and compelling needs for better pro- 

 tection of life and property from natural hazards, and for 



a better understanding of the total environment — and 

 understanding which will enable us more effectively to 

 monitor and predict Its actions, and ultimately, perhaps 

 to exercise some degree of control over them. 



We also face a compelling need for exploration and de- 

 velopment leading to the Intelligent use of our marine 

 resources The global oceans, which constitute nearly 

 three-fourths of the surface of our planet, are today the 

 least-understood, the least-developed, and the least-pro- 

 tected part of our earth. Pood from the oceeins will In- 

 creasingly be a key element In the world's fight against 

 hunger. The mineral resources of the ocean beds and of 

 the oceans themselves, are being Increasingly tapped to 

 meet the growing world demand. We must understand the 

 nature of these resources, and assure their development 

 without either contaminating the marine environment or 

 upsetting Its balance. 



Establishment of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric 

 Administration — NOAA — within the Department of Com- 

 merce would enable us to approach these tasks in a co- 

 ordinated way. By employing a unified approach to the 

 problems of the oceans and atmosphere, we can Increase 

 our knowledge and expand our opportunities not only In 

 those areas, but In the third major component of our 

 environment, the solid earth, as well. 



Scattered through various Federal dejjartments and 

 agencies, we already liave the scientific, technological, 

 and administrative resources to make an effective, unified 

 approach possible. What we need Is to bring them to- 

 gether. Establishment of NOAA would do so. 



By far the largest of the components being merged 

 would be the Commerce Departments Environmental 

 Science Services Administration lESSA) , with some 10,000 

 employees (70 percent of NOAA's total personnel 

 strength) and estimated Fiscal 1970 expenditures of al- 

 most $200 million Placing NOAA within the Department 

 of Commerce therefore entails the least dislocation, while 

 also placing It within a Department which has tradition- 

 ally been a center for service activities In the scientific 

 and technological area 



Components of NOAA 



Under terms of Reorganization Plan No. 4, the pro- 

 grams of the following organizations would be moved 

 into NOAA: 



— The Environmental Science Services Administration 

 (from within the Departmeivt of Commerce), 



— Elements of the Bureau of Commercial Fisheries 

 (from the Department of the Interior) . 



— The marine sport fish program of the Bureau of 

 Sport Fisheries and Wildlife (from the Department 

 of the Interior). 



— The Marine Minerals Technology CenAer of the Bu- 

 reau of Mines (from the Department of the Interior). 



— The Office of Sea Grant Programs (from the National 

 Science Foundation). 



— Elements of the United States Lake Survey (from 

 the Department of the Army). 



In addition, by executive action, the programs of the 

 following organizations would be transferred to NOAA: 



— The National Oceanographic Data Center (from the 

 Department of the Navy) . 



— The National Oceanographic Instrumentation Center 

 (from the Dejyartment of the Navy) . 



— The National Data Buoy Project (from the Depart- 

 ment of Transportation) . 



In brief, these are the principal functions of the pro- 

 grams and agencies to be combined : 



The Environmental Science Services Administration 

 (ESSA) comprises the following components: 

 — The Weather Bureau (-weather, marine, river cmd flood 



forecasiting and warning) . 

 — The Coast and Geodetic Survey (ecuth and marine 



description, mapping and charting) . 

 — The Environmental Data Service (storage and re- 

 trieval of environmental data) . 

 — The National Environmental Satellite Center (Obser- 

 vation of the global environment from eartii-orbltlng 

 satellites) . 

 — The ESSA Research Laboratories (research on physical 

 environmental problems). 



