III 
110TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION 
H. CON. RES. 147 
IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES 
DECEMBER 6, 2007 
Received and referred to the Committee on Commerce, Science, and 
Transportation 
CONCURRENT RESOLUTION 
Recognizing 200 years of research, service to the people 
of the United States, and stewardship of the marine 
environment by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric 
Administration and its predecessor agencies, and for 
other purposes. 
Whereas the Act of February 10, 1807 (chapter VIII; 2 Stat. 
413), signed by President Thomas Jefferson, authorized 
and requested the President ‘‘to cause a survey to be 
taken of the coast of the United States . . . together with 
such other matters as he may deem proper for com-
pleting an accurate chart of every part of the coasts’’; 
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Whereas the Coast Survey was established to carry out the 
duties established under such Act, and was the first Fed-
eral science agency of the United States; 
Whereas over time additional duties were granted to such 
agency, including geodetic surveying and tide and current 
monitoring and predictions, and such agency was later 
renamed the Coast and Geodetic Survey; 
Whereas in addition to providing charts and information vital 
to our young Nation’s economic and commercial success, 
such pioneering agency led some of the Nation’s earliest 
oceanographic research, undertaking surveys of the Gulf 
Stream to determine temperatures, depths, direction, and 
velocity, as well as the character of the seafloor and 
forms of vegetation and marine life; 
Whereas the early technicians and scientists of such agency 
invented and supported the development of many innova-
tive tools that led to advances in hydrographic, shoreline, 
and geodetic surveying and cartographic methods, the 
first real-time water level stations, and deep-sea anchor-
ing; 
Whereas during the 20th century such agency, by then re-
named the Coast and Geodetic Survey, advanced the de-
velopment and marine applications of electronics and 
acoustics, including the development of Radar Acoustic 
Ranging, radio sono-buoys, and the Roberts Radio Cur-
rent Meter Buoy; 
Whereas throughout their history these programs have pro-
vided services in support of the Nation’s commerce and 
defense, serving in all theaters of the Civil War and in 
World Wars I and II as hydrographers, cartographers, 
topographers, and scouts, including the production of 
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more than 100 million maps and charts for United States 
and Allied forces; 
Whereas as our Nation’s interests and economy became in-
creasingly interwoven with the marine and atmospheric 
environment, a number of Federal science agencies with 
complimentary functions, including the Weather Bureau 
and the Bureau of Commercial Fisheries, were combined 
with the Coast Survey to create the National Oceanic and 
Atmospheric Administration (NOAA); 
Whereas today these mapping and charting, geodesy, and tide 
and current data programs are located in the National 
Ocean Service of NOAA in the Coast Survey, the Na-
tional Geodetic Survey, and the Center for Operational 
Oceanographic Products and Services; 
Whereas these programs promote NOAA’s commerce and 
transportation goals and continue to support the re-
search, development, and application of state-of-the-art 
surveying, mapping, charting, ocean observing, modeling, 
and Internet-based product delivery services to promote 
safe and efficient commerce and transportation and con-
tributing to the advancement of integrated ocean and 
earth observing systems; 
Whereas these programs continue to demonstrate relevance, 
value, importance, and service promoting and employing 
innovative partnerships with other agencies, State and 
local authorities, academia, and the private sector; 
Whereas these programs work internationally as the United 
States representative to the International Hydrographic 
Organization and through other organizations to promote 
integrated and uniform standards, protocols, formats, 
and services; 
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Whereas in addition to commerce and transportation these 
programs also advance NOAA’s weather and water, cli-
mate, and ecosystem missions including marine resource 
conservation, coastal management, and the protection of 
life and property from coastal storms and other hazards, 
as most recently demonstrated in responding to and fa-
cilitating the recovery of communities and commerce in 
the hurricane stricken Gulf Coast; and 
Whereas the devotion, industry, efficiency, and enterprise of 
these people and programs over their 200-year history 
have set an enviable record of public service: Now, there-
fore, be it 
Resolved by the House of Representatives (the Senate 
concurring), That the Congress— 
(1) recognizes that for over 200 years, the Na-
tional Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and 
its predecessor agencies have been providing to the 
Nation research to improve human understanding of 
the oceans and atmosphere, service, and stewardship 
of the marine environment, through products and 
services that protect lives and property, strengthen 
the economy, and support and sustain our coastal 
and marine resources; 
(2) recognizes the vision of President Thomas 
Jefferson in supporting the advancement of science, 
and the survey of the coast in particular, to the wel-
fare and commercial success of the Nation; 
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(3) recognizes the contributions made over the 
last 200 years by the past and current employees 
and officers of the Coast Survey, the National Geo-
detic Survey, and the Center for Operational Ocean-
ographic Products and Services of the National Oce-
anic and Atmospheric Administration; and 
(4) encourages the people of the United States 
to salute and share in the planned celebrations of 
these historic programs during 2007 with cere-
monies designed to give appropriate recognition to 
one of our oldest and most respected Federal agen-
cies on the occasion of its bicentennial anniversary. 
Passed the House of Representatives December 5, 
2007. 
Attest: 
LORRAINE C. MILLER, 
Clerk. 
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