106TH CONGRESS

2D SESSION H. R. 2090

AN ACT

To direct the Secretary of Commerce to contract

with the National Academy of Sciences to establish the Coordinated Oceanographic Program Advisory Panel to report to the Congress on the feasibility and social value of a coordinated oceanography program.

106TH CONGRESS

2D SESSION H. R. 2090

AN ACT

To direct the Secretary of Commerce to contract with the

National Academy of Sciences to establish the Coordinated Oceanographic Program Advisory Panel to report

to the Congress on the feasibility and social value of

a coordinated oceanography program.
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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 ‘‘Exploration of the Seas

5 Act’’.

6 SEC. 2. FINDINGS.

7 Congress finds the following:

8 (1) During the past 100 years, scientists work9 ing with marine fossils, both underwater and high in

10 the mountains, have traced the origins of life on

11 Earth to the sea, beginning approximately 3 billion

12 years ago. Today, life on our planet remains depend13 ent on the vitality of the sea.

14 (2) More than two-thirds of the Earth’s surface

15 is covered by water, with oceans and inland seas ac16 counting for almost 140 million square miles.

17 (3) The United Nations forecasts a worldwide

18 population of 8.9 billion by the year 2050, a 50 per19 cent increase from 5.9 billion in 1999. As this trend

20 in population growth continues, increasing demands

21 will be placed on ocean and coastal resources, not

22 only as a result of population growth in coastal re23 gions, but also from the need to harvest increasing

24 amounts of marine life as a source of food to satisfy

25 world protein requirements, and from the mining of
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1 energy-producing materials from offshore resource

2 deposits.

3 (4) The ocean remains one of the Earth’s last

4 unexplored frontiers. It has stirred our imaginations

5 over the millennia, led to the discovery of new lands,

6 immense mineral deposits, and reservoirs of other

7 resources, and produced startling scientific findings.

8 Recognizing the importance of the marine environ9 ment, the need for scientific exploration to expand

10 our knowledge of the world’s oceans is crucial if we

11 are to ensure that the marine environment will be

12 managed sustainably.

13 (5) The seas possess enormous economic and

14 environmental importance. Some ocean resources,

15 such as fisheries and minerals, are well recognized.

16 Oil use has increased dramatically in recent times,

17 and the sea bed holds large deposits of largely undis18 covered reserves. Other ocean resources offer prom19 ise for the future. In addition to fossil fuels, the

20 ocean floor contains deposits of gravel, sand, man21 ganese crusts and nodules, tin, gold, and diamonds.

22 Marine mineral resources are extensive, yet poorly

23 understood.

24 (6) The oceans also offer rich untapped poten25 tial for medications. Marine plants and animals pos-
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1 sess inestimable potential in the treatment of human

2 illnesses. Coral reefs, sometimes described as the

3 rain forests of the sea, contain uncommon chemicals

4 that may be used to fight diseases for which sci5 entists have not yet found a cure, such as cancer,

6 acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS), and

7 diabetes. While the number of new chemical com8 pounds that can be derived from land based plants

9 and microbial fermentation is limited, scientists have

10 only just begun to explore the sea’s vast molecular

11 potential.

12 (7) In spite of the development of new tech13 nologies, comparatively little of the ocean has been

14 studied. The leadership role of the United States has

15 been eroded by a gradual decrease in funding sup16 port, even while public opinion surveys indicate that

17 ocean exploration is at least as important as space

18 exploration.

19 (8) The National Academy of Sciences has the

20 means by which to study and make determinations

21 regarding the adoption and establishment of a co22 ordinated oceanography program for the exploration

23 of the seas, in which the National Oceanic and At24 mospheric Administration could participate in a role

25 similar to that of the National Aeronautics and
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1 Space Administration with regard to the Inter2 national Space Station.

3 SEC. 3. COORDINATED OCEANOGRAPHIC PROGRAM ADVI4 SORY PANEL.

5 (a) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 60 days after the

6 date of the enactment of this Act and subject to the avail7 ability of appropriations, the Secretary of Commerce shall

8 contract with the National Academy of Sciences to estab9 lish the Coordinated Oceanography Program Advisory

10 Panel (in this Act referred to as the ‘‘Panel’’), comprised

11 of experts in ocean studies, including individuals with aca12 demic experience in oceanography, marine biology, marine

13 geology, ichthyology, and ocean related economics.

14 (b) CHAIRPERSON AND VICE CHAIRPERSON.—The

15 Panel shall elect a chairperson and a vice-chairperson.

16 (c) TERMINATION.—The Panel shall cease to exist 30

17 days after submitting its final report and recommenda18 tions pursuant to section 4.

19 SEC. 4. REPORT AND RECOMMENDATIONS.

20 (a) IN GENERAL.—No later than 18 months after its

21 establishment, the Panel shall report to the Committee on

22 Resources of the House of Representatives and the Com23 mittee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation of the

24 Senate on the feasibility and social value of a coordinated

25 oceanography program. In preparing its report, the Panel
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1 shall examine existing oceanographic efforts and the level

2 of coordination or cooperation between and among partici3 pating countries and institutions.

4 (b) INTERNATIONAL WORKSHOP.—To assist in mak5 ing its feasibility determination under subsection (a), the

6 Panel shall convene an international workshop with par7 ticipation from interested nations and a broad range of

8 persons representing scientists, engineers, policy makers,

9 regulators, industry, and other interested parties.

10 (c) FINAL REPORT.—The Panel shall include in its

11 final report recommendations for a national oceans explo12 ration strategy, which will—

13 (1) define objectives and priorities, and note im14 portant scientific, historic, and cultural sites;

15 (2) promote collaboration among research orga16 nizations;

17 (3) examine the potential for new ocean explo18 ration technologies;

19 (4) describe those areas of study in which na20 tional or international oceanographic cooperation is

21 currently being undertaken;

22 (5) identify areas of study in which knowledge

23 of the oceans is inadequate;
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1 (6) ensure coordination with the National Oce2 anic and Atmospheric Administration’s Marine Pro3 tected Area Center;

4 (7) ensure that newly discovered organisms

5 with medicinal or commercial potential are identified

6 for possible research and development; and

7 (8) identify countries and organizations that

8 would be likely to participate in a coordinated ocean9 ography program.

10 (d) IMPLEMENTATION.—If the Panel determines that

11 a coordinated oceanography program is feasible and has

12 significant value for advancing mankind’s knowledge of

13 the ocean, the Panel shall include in its final report rec14 ommendations for implementing such program, including

15 recommendations regarding—

16 (1) the institutional arrangements, treaties, or

17 laws necessary to implement a coordinated oceanog18 raphy program;

19 (2) the methods and incentives needed to secure

20 cooperation and commitments from participating na21 tions to ensure that the benefit that each nation that

22 is a party to any international agreement estab23 lishing a coordinated oceanography program receives

24 is contingent upon meeting the nation’s obligations

25 (financial and otherwise) under such an agreement;
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1 (3) the costs associated with establishing a co2 ordinated oceanography program;

3 (4) the types of undersea vehicles, ships, ob4 serving systems, or other equipment that would be

5 necessary to operate a coordinated oceanography

6 program; and

7 (5) how utilization of aboriginal observational

8 data and other historical information may be best

9 incorporated into a coordinated oceanography pro10 gram.

11 SEC. 5. OBTAINING DATA.

12 Subject to national security restrictions, the Panel

13 may obtain from any department or agency of the United

14 States information necessary to enable it to carry out this

15 Act. Upon request of the chairperson of the Panel, the

16 head of any department or agency shall furnish that infor17 mation at no cost to the Panel.
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1 SEC. 6. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.

2 There are authorized to be appropriated for the pur3 poses of carrying out this Act, and to remain available

4 until expended, $1,500,000.

Passed the House of Representatives September 12,

2000.

Attest:

Clerk.