I 

111TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION H. R. 367 

To establish a national integrated system of ocean, coastal, and Great Lakes 

observing systems, and for other purposes. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

JANUARY 9, 2009 

Mrs. CAPPS (for herself, Mr. FARR, Ms. BORDALLO, Mr. INSLEE, Mr. THOMPSON of California, Mr. HASTINGS of Florida, Mr. WAXMAN, Mr. 

GRIJALVA, Mr. MORAN of Virginia, Mr. PALLONE, Mr. DELAHUNT, and 

Ms. CASTOR of Florida) introduced the following bill; which was referred 

to the Committee on Natural Resources, and in addition to the Committee on Science and Technology, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions 

as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned 

A BILL 

To establish a national integrated system of ocean, coastal, 

and Great Lakes observing systems, and for other purposes. 

1 Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa2 tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 

3 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 

4 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Integrated Coastal and 

5 Ocean Observation System Act of 2009’’. 

6 SEC. 2. PURPOSES. 

7 The purposes of this Act are to— 


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1 (1) establish a national integrated System of 

2 ocean, coastal, and Great Lakes observing systems, 

3 comprised of Federal and non-Federal components 

4 coordinated at the national level by the National 

5 Ocean Research Leadership Council and at the re6 gional level by a network of regional information co7 ordination entities, and that includes in situ, remote, 

8 and other coastal and ocean observation, tech9 nologies, and data management and communication 

10 systems, and is designed to address regional and na11 tional needs for ocean information, to gather specific 

12 data on key coastal, ocean, and Great Lakes vari13 ables, and to ensure timely and sustained dissemina14 tion and availability of these data to— 

15 (A) support national defense, marine com16 merce, navigation safety, weather, climate, and 

17 marine forecasting, energy siting and produc18 tion, economic development, ecosystem-based 

19 marine, coastal, and Great Lakes resource man20 agement, public safety, and public outreach 

21 training and education; 

22 (B) promote greater public awareness and 

23 stewardship of the Nation’s ocean, coastal, and 

24 Great Lakes resources and the general public 

25 welfare; and 


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1 (C) enable advances in scientific under2 standing to support the sustainable use, con3 servation, management, and understanding of 

4 healthy ocean, coastal, and Great Lakes re5 sources; 

6 (2) improve the Nation’s capability to measure, 

7 track, explain, and predict events related directly 

8 and indirectly to weather and climate change, nat9 ural climate variability, and interactions between the 

10 oceanic and atmospheric environments, including the 

11 Great Lakes; and 

12 (3) authorize activities to promote basic and ap13 plied research to develop, test, and deploy innova14 tions and improvements in coastal and ocean obser15 vation technologies, modeling systems, and other sci16 entific and technological capabilities to improve our 

17 conceptual understanding of weather and climate, 

18 ocean-atmosphere dynamics, global climate change, 

19 physical, chemical, and biological dynamics of the 

20 ocean, coastal and Great Lakes environments, and 

21 to conserve healthy and restore degraded coastal 

22 ecosystems. 

23 SEC. 3. DEFINITIONS. 

24 In this Act: 


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1 (1) ADMINISTRATOR.—The term ‘‘Adminis2 trator’’ means the Under Secretary of Commerce for 

3 Oceans and Atmosphere in the Under Secretary’s 

4 capacity as Administrator of the National Oceanic 

5 and Atmospheric Administration. 

6 (2) COUNCIL.—The term ‘‘Council’’ means the 

7 National Ocean Research Leadership Council estab8 lished by section 7902 of title 10, United States 

9 Code. 

10 (3) FEDERAL ASSETS.—The term ‘‘Federal as11 sets’’ means all relevant non-classified civilian coast12 al and ocean observations, technologies, and related 

13 modeling, research, data management, basic and ap14 plied technology research and development, and pub15 lic education and outreach programs, that are man16 aged by member agencies of the Council. 

17 (4) INTERAGENCY OCEAN OBSERVATION COM18 MITTEE.—The term ‘‘Interagency Ocean Observa19 tion Committee’’ means the committee established 

20 under section 4(c)(2). 

21 (5) NON-FEDERAL ASSETS.—The term ‘‘non22 Federal assets’’ means all relevant coastal and ocean 

23 observation technologies, related basic and applied 

24 technology research and development, and public 

25 education and outreach programs that are integrated 


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1 into the System and are managed through States, 

2 regional organizations, universities, nongovernmental 

3 organizations, or the private sector. 

4 (6) REGIONAL INFORMATION COORDINATION

5 ENTITIES.— 

6 (A) IN GENERAL.—The term ‘‘regional in7 formation coordination entity’’ means an orga8 nizational body that is certified or established 

9 by contract or memorandum by the lead Fed10 eral agency designated in section 4(c)(3) of this 

11 Act and coordinates State, Federal, local, and 

12 private interests at a regional level with the re13 sponsibility of engaging the private and public 

14 sectors in designing, operating, and improving 

15 regional coastal and ocean observing systems in 

16 order to ensure the provision of data and infor17 mation that meet the needs of user groups from 

18 the respective regions. 

19 (B) CERTAIN INCLUDED ASSOCIATIONS.— 

20 The term ‘‘regional information coordination 

21 entity’’ includes regional associations described 

22 in the System Plan. 

23 (7) SECRETARY.—The term ‘‘Secretary’’ means 

24 the Secretary of Commerce, acting through the Na25 tional Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. 


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1 (8) SYSTEM.—The term ‘‘System’’ means the 

2 National Integrated Coastal and Ocean Observation 

3 System established under section 4. 

4 (9) SYSTEM PLAN.—The term ‘‘System Plan’’ 

5 means the plan contained in the document entitled 

6 ‘‘Ocean.US Publication No. 9, The First Integrated 

7 Ocean Observing System (IOOS) Development 

8 Plan’’, as updated by the Council under this Act. 

9 SEC. 4. INTEGRATED COASTAL AND OCEAN OBSERVING 

10 SYSTEM. 

11 (a) ESTABLISHMENT.—The President, acting 

12 through the Council, shall establish a National Integrated 

13 Coastal and Ocean Observation System to fulfill the pur14 poses set forth in section 2 of this Act and the System 

15 Plan and to fulfill the Nation’s international obligations 

16 to contribute to the Global Earth Observation System of 

17 Systems and the Global Ocean Observing System. 

18 (b) SYSTEM ELEMENTS.— 

19 (1) IN GENERAL.—In order to fulfill the pur20 poses of this Act, the System shall be national in 

21 scope and consist of— 

22 (A) Federal assets to fulfill national and 

23 international observation missions and prior24 ities; 


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1 (B) non-Federal assets, including a net2 work of regional information coordination enti3 ties identified under subsection (c)(4), to fulfill 

4 regional observation missions and priorities; 

5 (C) data management, communication, and 

6 modeling systems for the timely integration and 

7 dissemination of data and information products 

8 from the System; 

9 (D) a research and development program 

10 conducted under the guidance of the Council, 

11 consisting of— 

12 (i) basic and applied research and 

13 technology development to improve under14 standing of coastal and ocean systems and 

15 their relationships to human activities and 

16 to ensure improvement of operational as17 sets and products, including related infra18 structure, observing technologies, and in19 formation and data processing and man20 agement technologies; and 

21 (ii) large scale computing resources 

22 and research to advance modeling of coast23 al and ocean processes. 

24 (2) ENHANCING ADMINISTRATION AND MAN25 AGEMENT.—The head of each Federal agency that 


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1 has administrative jurisdiction over a Federal asset 

2 shall support the purposes of this Act and may take 

3 appropriate actions to enhance internal agency ad4 ministration and management to better support, in5 tegrate, finance, and utilize observation data, prod6 ucts, and services developed under this section to 

7 further its own agency mission and responsibilities. 

8 (3) AVAILABILITY OF DATA.—The head of each 

9 Federal agency that has administrative jurisdiction 

10 over a Federal asset shall make available data that 

11 are produced by that asset and that are not other12 wise restricted for integration, management, and dis13 semination by the System. 

14 (4) NON-FEDERAL ASSETS.—Non-Federal as15 sets shall be coordinated, as appropriate, by the 

16 Interagency Ocean Observing Committee or by re17 gional information coordination entities. 

18 (c) POLICY OVERSIGHT, ADMINISTRATION, AND RE19 GIONAL COORDINATION.— 

20 (1) COUNCIL FUNCTIONS.—The Council shall 

21 serve as the policy and coordination oversight body 

22 for all aspects of the System. In carrying out its re23 sponsibilities under this Act, the Council shall— 

24 (A) approve and adopt comprehensive Sys25 tem budgets developed and maintained by the 


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1 Interagency Ocean Observation Committee to 

2 support System operations, including operations 

3 of both Federal and non-Federal assets; 

4 (B) ensure coordination of the System with 

5 other domestic and international earth observ6 ing activities including the Global Ocean Ob7 serving System and the Global Earth Observing 

8 System of Systems, and provide, as appropriate, 

9 support for and representation on United 

10 States delegations to international meetings on 

11 coastal and ocean observing programs; and 

12 (C) encourage coordinated intramural and 

13 extramural research and technology develop14 ment, and a process to transition developing 

15 technology and methods into operations of the 

16 System. 

17 (2) INTERAGENCY OCEAN OBSERVATION COM18 MITTEE.—The Council shall establish or designate 

19 an Interagency Ocean Observation Committee which 

20 shall— 

21 (A) prepare annual and long-term plans 

22 for consideration and approval by the Council 

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1 tem to meet the objectives of this Act and the 

2 System Plan; 

3 (B) develop and transmit to Congress at 

4 the time of submission of the President’s an5 nual budget request an annual coordinated, 

6 comprehensive budget to operate all elements of 

7 the System identified in subsection (b), and to 

8 ensure continuity of data streams from Federal 

9 and non-Federal assets; 

10 (C) establish required observation data 

11 variables to be gathered by both Federal and 

12 non-Federal assets and identify, in consultation 

13 with regional information coordination entities, 

14 priorities for System observations; 

15 (D) establish protocols and standards for 

16 System data processing, management, and com17 munication; 

18 (E) develop contract certification stand19 ards and compliance procedures for all non20 Federal assets, including regional information 

21 coordination entities, to establish eligibility for 

22 integration into the System and to ensure com23 pliance with all applicable standards and proto24 cols established by the Council, and ensure that 


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1 regional observations are integrated into the 

2 System on a sustained basis; 

3 (F) identify gaps in observation coverage 

4 or needs for capital improvements of both Fed5 eral assets and non-Federal assets; 

6 (G) subject to the availability of appropria7 tions, establish through one or more partici8 pating Federal agencies, in consultation with 

9 the System advisory committee established 

10 under subsection (d), a competitive matching 

11 grant or other programs— 

12 (i) to promote intramural and extra13 mural research and development of new, 

14 innovative, and emerging observation tech15 nologies including testing and field trials; 

16 and 

17 (ii) to facilitate the migration of new, 

18 innovative, and emerging scientific and 

19 technological advances from research and 

20 development to operational deployment; 

21 (H) periodically review and recommend to 

22 the Council, in consultation with the Adminis23 trator, revisions to the System Plan; 


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1 (I) ensure collaboration among Federal 

2 agencies participating in the activities of the 

3 Committee; and 

4 (J) perform such additional duties as the 

5 Council may delegate. 

6 (3) LEAD FEDERAL AGENCY.—The National 

7 Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration shall func8 tion as the lead Federal agency for the implementa9 tion and administration of the System, in consulta10 tion with the Council, the Interagency Ocean Obser11 vation Committee, other Federal agencies that main12 tain portions of the System, and the regional infor13 mation coordination entities, and shall— 

14 (A) establish an Integrated Ocean Observ15 ing Program Office within the National Oceanic 

16 and Atmospheric Administration utilizing to the 

17 extent necessary, personnel from member agen18 cies participating on the Interagency Ocean Ob19 servation Committee, to oversee daily operations 

20 and coordination of the System; 

21 (B) implement policies, protocols, and 

22 standards approved by the Council and dele23 gated by the Interagency Ocean Observing 

24 Committee; 


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1 (C) promulgate program guidelines to cer2 tify and integrate non-Federal assets, including 

3 regional information coordination entities, into 

4 the System to provide regional coastal and 

5 ocean observation data that meet the needs of 

6 user groups from the respective regions; 

7 (D) have the authority to enter into and 

8 oversee contracts, leases, grants or cooperative 

9 agreements with non-Federal assets, including 

10 regional information coordination entities, to 

11 support the purposes of this Act on such terms 

12 as the Administrator deems appropriate; 

13 (E) implement a merit-based, competitive 

14 funding process to support non-Federal assets, 

15 including the development and maintenance of 

16 a network of regional information coordination 

17 entities, and develop and implement a process 

18 for the periodic review and evaluation of all 

19 non-Federal assets, including regional informa20 tion coordination entities; 

21 (F) provide opportunities for competitive 

22 contracts and grants for demonstration projects 

23 to design, develop, integrate, deploy, and sup24 port components of the System; 


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1 (G) establish efficient and effective admin2 istrative procedures for allocation of funds 

3 among contractors, grantees, and non-Federal 

4 assets, including regional information coordina5 tion entities in a timely manner, and contingent 

6 on appropriations according to the budget 

7 adopted by the Council; 

8 (H) develop and implement a process for 

9 the periodic review and evaluation of regional 

10 information coordination entities; 

11 (I) formulate an annual process by which 

12 gaps in observation coverage or needs for cap13 ital improvements of Federal assets and non14 Federal assets of the System are identified by 

15 the regional information coordination entities, 

16 the Administrator, or other members of the 

17 System and transmitted to the Interagency 

18 Ocean Observing Committee; 

19 (J) develop and be responsible for a data 

20 management and communication system, in ac21 cordance with standards and protocols estab22 lished by the Council, by which all data col23 lected by the System regarding ocean and 

24 coastal waters of the United States including 

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1 grated, and made available to all end-user com2 munities; 

3 (K) implement a program of public edu4 cation and outreach to improve public aware5 ness of global climate change and effects on the 

6 ocean, coastal, and Great Lakes environment; 

7 (L) report annually to the Interagency 

8 Ocean Observing Committee on the accomplish9 ments, operational needs, and performance of 

10 the System to contribute to the annual and 

11 long-term plans developed pursuant to sub12 section (c)(2)(A)(i); and 

13 (M) develop a plan to efficiently integrate 

14 into the System new, innovative, or emerging 

15 technologies that have been demonstrated to be 

16 useful to the System and which will fulfill the 

17 purposes of this Act and the System Plan. 

18 (4) REGIONAL INFORMATION COORDINATION

19 ENTITIES.— 

20 (A) IN GENERAL.—To be certified or es21 tablished under this Act, a regional information 

22 coordination entity shall be certified or estab23 lished by contract or agreement by the Adminis24 trator, and shall agree to meet the certification 

25 standards and compliance procedure guidelines 


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1 issued by the Administrator and information 

2 needs of user groups in the region while adher3 ing to national standards and shall— 

4 (i) demonstrate an organizational 

5 structure capable of gathering required 

6 System observation data, supporting and 

7 integrating all aspects of coastal and ocean 

8 observing and information programs within 

9 a region and that reflects the needs of 

10 State and local governments, commercial 

11 interests, and other users and beneficiaries 

12 of the System and other requirements 

13 specified under this Act and the System 

14 Plan; 

15 (ii) identify gaps in observation cov16 erage needs for capital improvements of 

17 Federal assets and non-Federal assets of 

18 the System, or other recommendations to 

19 assist in the development of the annual 

20 and long-term plans created pursuant to 

21 subsection (c)(2)(A)(i) and transmit such 

22 information to the Interagency Ocean Ob23 serving Committee via the Program Office; 

24 (iii) develop and operate under a stra25 tegic operational plan that will ensure the 


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1 efficient and effective administration of 

2 programs and assets to support daily data 

3 observations for integration into the Sys4 tem, pursuant to the standards approved 

5 by the Council; 

6 (iv) work cooperatively with govern7 mental and non-governmental entities at 

8 all levels to identify and provide informa9 tion products of the System for multiple 

10 users within the service area of the re11 gional information coordination entities; 

12 and 

13 (v) comply with all financial oversight 

14 requirements established by the Adminis15 trator, including requirements relating to 

16 audits. 

17 (B) PARTICIPATION.—For the purposes of 

18 this Act, employees of Federal agencies may 

19 participate in the functions of the regional in20 formation coordination entities. 

21 (d) SYSTEM ADVISORY COMMITTEE.— 

22 (1) IN GENERAL.—The Administrator shall es23 tablish or designate a System advisory committee, 

24 which shall provide advice as may be requested by 


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1 the Administrator or the Interagency Ocean Observ2 ing Committee. 

3 (2) PURPOSE.—The purpose of the System ad4 visory committee is to advise the Administrator and 

5 the Interagency Ocean Observing Committee on— 

6 (A) administration, operation, manage7 ment, and maintenance of the System, includ8 ing integration of Federal and non-Federal as9 sets and data management and communication 

10 aspects of the System, and fulfillment of the 

11 purposes set forth in section 2; 

12 (B) expansion and periodic modernization 

13 and upgrade of technology components of the 

14 System; 

15 (C) identification of end-user communities, 

16 their needs for information provided by the Sys17 tem, and the System’s effectiveness in dissemi18 nating information to end-user communities 

19 and the general public; and 

20 (D) any other purpose identified by the 

21 Administrator or the Interagency Ocean Ob22 serving Committee. 

23 (3) MEMBERS.— 

24 (A) IN GENERAL.—The System advisory 

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1 pointed by the Administrator. Members shall be 

2 qualified by education, training, and experience 

3 to evaluate scientific and technical information 

4 related to the design, operation, maintenance, 

5 or use of the System, or use of data products 

6 provided through the System. 

7 (B) TERMS OF SERVICE.—Members shall 

8 be appointed for 3-year terms, renewable once. 

9 A vacancy appointment shall be for the remain10 der of the unexpired term of the vacancy, and 

11 an individual so appointed may subsequently be 

12 appointed for 2 full 3-year terms if the remain13 der of the unexpired term is less than 1 year. 

14 (C) CHAIRPERSON.—The Administrator 

15 shall designate a chairperson from among the 

16 members of the System advisory committee. 

17 (D) APPOINTMENT.—Members of the Sys18 tem advisory committee shall be appointed as 

19 special Government employees for purposes of 

20 section 202(a) of title 18, United States Code. 

21 (4) ADMINISTRATIVE PROVISIONS.— 

22 (A) REPORTING.—The System advisory 

23 committee shall report to the Administrator and 

24 the Interagency Ocean Observing Committee, as 

25 appropriate. 


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1 (B) ADMINISTRATIVE SUPPORT.—The Ad2 ministrator shall provide administrative support 

3 to the System advisory committee. 

4 (C) MEETINGS.—The System advisory 

5 committee shall meet at least once each year, 

6 and at other times at the call of the Adminis7 trator, the Interagency Ocean Observing Com8 mittee, or the chairperson. 

9 (D) COMPENSATION AND EXPENSES.— 

10 Members of the System advisory committee 

11 shall not be compensated for service on that 

12 Committee, but may be allowed travel expenses, 

13 including per diem in lieu of subsistence, in ac14 cordance with subchapter I of chapter 57 of 

15 title 5, United States Code. 

16 (E) EXPIRATION.—Section 14 of the Fed17 eral Advisory Committee Act (5 U.S.C. App.) 

18 shall not apply to the System advisory com19 mittee. 

20 (e) CIVIL LIABILITY.—For purposes of determining 

21 liability arising from the dissemination and use of observa22 tion data gathered pursuant to this section, any non-Fed23 eral asset or regional information coordination entity in24 corporated into the System by contract, lease, grant, or 

25 cooperative agreement under subsection (c)(3)(D) that is 


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1 participating in the System shall be considered to be part 

2 of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. 

3 Any employee of such a non-Federal asset or regional in4 formation coordination entity, while operating within the 

5 scope of his or her employment in carrying out the pur6 poses of this Act, with respect to tort liability, is deemed 

7 to be an employee of the Federal Government. 

8 (f) LIMITATION.—Nothing in this Act shall be con9 strued to invalidate existing certifications, contracts, or 

10 agreements between regional information coordination en11 tities and other elements of the System. 

12 SEC. 5. INTERAGENCY FINANCING AND AGREEMENTS. 

13 (a) IN GENERAL.—To carry out interagency activi14 ties under this Act, the Secretary of Commerce may exe15 cute cooperative agreements, or any other agreements, 

16 with, and receive and expend funds made available by, any 

17 State or subdivision thereof, any Federal agency, or any 

18 public or private organization, or individual. 

19 (b) RECIPROCITY.—Member Departments and agen20 cies of the Council shall have the authority to create, sup21 port, and maintain joint centers, and to enter into and 

22 perform such contracts, leases, grants, and cooperative 

23 agreements as may be necessary to carry out the purposes 

24 of this Act and fulfillment of the System Plan. 


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1 SEC. 6. APPLICATION WITH OTHER LAWS. 

2 Nothing in this Act supersedes or limits the authority 

3 of any agency to carry out its responsibilities and missions 

4 under other laws. 

5 SEC. 7. REPORT TO CONGRESS. 

6 (a) REQUIREMENT.—Not later than 2 years after the 

7 date of the enactment of this Act and every 2 years there8 after, the Administrator shall prepare and the President 

9 acting through the Council shall approve and transmit to 

10 the Congress a report on progress made in implementing 

11 this Act. 

12 (b) CONTENTS.—The report shall include— 

13 (1) a description of activities carried out under 

14 this Act and the System Plan; 

15 (2) an evaluation of the effectiveness of the 

16 System, including an evaluation of progress made by 

17 the Council to achieve the goals identified under the 

18 System Plan; 

19 (3) identification of Federal and non-Federal 

20 assets as determined by the Council that have been 

21 integrated into the System, including assets essential 

22 to the gathering of required observation data vari23 ables necessary to meet the respective missions of 

24 Council agencies; 

25 (4) a review of procurements, planned or initi26 ated, by each Council agency to enhance, expand, or 


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1 modernize the observation capabilities and data 

2 products provided by the System, including data 

3 management and communication subsystems; 

4 (5) an assessment regarding activities to inte5 grate Federal and non-Federal assets, nationally and 

6 on the regional level, and discussion of the perform7 ance and effectiveness of regional information co8 ordination entities to coordinate regional observation 

9 operations; 

10 (6) a description of benefits of the program to 

11 users of data products resulting from the System 

12 (including the general public, industries, scientists, 

13 resource managers, emergency responders, policy 

14 makers, and educators); 

15 (7) recommendations concerning— 

16 (A) modifications to the System; and 

17 (B) funding levels for the System in subse18 quent fiscal years; and 

19 (8) the results of a periodic external inde20 pendent programmatic audit of the System. 

21 SEC. 8. PUBLIC-PRIVATE USE POLICY. 

22 The Council shall develop a policy within 6 months 

23 after the date of the enactment of this Act that defines 

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1 nation entities, the academic community, and the private 

2 sector in providing to end-user communities environmental 

3 information, products, technologies, and services related to 

4 the System. The Council shall publish the policy in the 

5 Federal Register for public comment for a period not less 

6 than 60 days. Nothing in this section shall be construed 

7 to require changes in policy in effect on the date of enact8 ment of this Act. 

9 SEC. 9. INDEPENDENT COST ESTIMATE. 

10 Within 1 year after the date of enactment of this Act, 

11 the Interagency Ocean Observation Committee, through 

12 the Administrator and the Director of the National 

13 Science Foundation, shall obtain an independent cost esti14 mate for operations and maintenance of existing Federal 

15 assets of the System, and planned or anticipated acquisi16 tion, operation, and maintenance of new Federal assets 

17 for the System, including operation facilities, observation 

18 equipment, modeling and software, data management and 

19 communication, and other essential components. The inde20 pendent cost estimate shall be transmitted unabridged and 

21 without revision by the Administrator to Congress. 

22 SEC. 10. INTENT OF CONGRESS. 

23 It is the intent of Congress that funding provided to 

24 agencies of the Council to implement this Act shall supple25 ment, and not replace, existing sources of funding for 


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1 other programs. It is the further intent of Congress that 

2 agencies of the Council shall not enter into contracts or 

3 agreements for the development or procurement of new 

4 Federal assets for the System that are estimated to be 

5 in excess of $250,000,000 in life-cycle costs without first 

6 providing adequate notice to Congress and opportunity for 

7 review and comment. 

8 SEC. 11. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS. 

9 There are authorized to be appropriated to the Sec10 retary of Commerce for fiscal years 2009 through 2013 

11 such sums as are necessary to fulfill the purposes of this 

12 Act and support activities identified in the annual coordi13 nated System budget developed by the Interagency Ocean 

14 Observation Committee and submitted to the Congress. 

Æ 


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