Copyright 1999 Federal Document Clearing House, Inc.
Federal Document Clearing House Congressional Testimony
April 15, 1999
SECTION: CAPITOL HILL HEARING TESTIMONY
LENGTH: 3756 words
HEADLINE:
TESTIMONY April 15, 1999 HAROLD ROGERS CHAIRMAN HOUSE
APPROPRIATIONS LABOR, HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES, AND EDUCATION FISCAL 2000
LABOR-HHS APPROPRIATIONS
BODY:
TESTIMONY TO THE
APPROPRIATIONS SUBCOMMITTEE ON COMMERCE, JUSTICE, STATE AND THE JUDICIARY APRIL
15,1999 Chairman Rogers, Ranking Democrat Serrano, Members of the Subcommittee:
thank-you for this opportunity to testify before you today. I am here to urge
you to support the National Marine Sanctuaries Program (NMSP), the National
Estuarine Research Reserves (NERRS), the National Undersea Research Program
(NURP), and the Year of the Ocean (YOTO). These four NOAA programs represent a
crucial investment in our oceans and, in total, require an additional $107.8
million above FY99. All of these programs have the support of the Administration
and are included in the President's FYOO budget. Specifically, $15 million is
required for NMSP, $14.7 million for NERRS, $14.55 million for NURP and $78.1
million for YOTO. I would also like to request your support for Sea Camp, an
educational program designed to complement these outstanding programs, and the
Pacific Coast Salmon Recovery Fund. Mr. Chairman, we are critically dependent on
the oceans, and the resources we derive from them. Many of you are from coastal
and Great Lakes states so you are probably aware that commercial and
recreational fishing provides 1. 5 million jobs and an estimated $111 billion
annually to the nation's economy. You are probably aware that more than thirty
percent o United States GNP is produced in coastal communities. I do not think I
can overstate the importance of the decisions before you. The direction our
nation will take on ocean conservation and exploration for the 21St Century is
in your hands. I would like to take a few minutes to explain why I think the
four programs I am here to support are pivotal to our legacy of ocean policy.
National Marine Sanctuaries Program (NMSP) Americans love the ocean and beaches.
They are our leading tourist destination, with 85% of tourist revenues being
spent in coastal states. National estimates show that more than 180 million
Americans visit coastal waters nationwide each year, and in California alone the
revenue generated by tourism is approximately $38 billion annually. The
beautiful coasts and ocean in my district are key to the area's $1.5 billion
travel and tourism industry. Yet our oceans and coasts are imperiled. In 1995,
the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) concluded that most major fish
stocks in the world are fully fished, over-fished, depleted, or recovering. Half
of the nation's threatened and endangered species inhabit coastal areas, and
almost 75% of the endangered and threatened mammals and birds rely on these
coastal habitats. The crisis will only worsen as our coastal populations
increase: by the year 2010 it is estimated that at least 75% of the United
States population will live within 50 miles of the coast, with all of the
attendant environmental consequences of having so many people concentrated in
areas of diverse and fragile ecosystems. But what are we doing to care for our
coasts? to ensure our coasts can support this intensity of exploitation? We
simply have not demonstrated the commitment to our oceans that we have to our
terrestrial resources. To date, our efforts to protect our marine environment
through our National Marine Sanctuaries Program have provided less than 1% of
the funding we give to our national parks alone. Whereas we have 378 National
Parks and 155 National Forests, there are only 12 National Marine Sanctuaries!
Approval of the $15 million to strengthen the nation's only system of marine
protected areas is an important step towards acting responsibly on behalf of
these extraordinary places. National Undersea Research Program (L4URP) Oceans
cover 71% of the Earth but only 5% of the ocean and sea floor has been explored.
We know more about Mars, Venus, and the moon than we do about the ocean floor.
In fact, marine biologist, Dr. Sylvia Earle, recently stated "We are ruining our
reefs and planet through ignorance." And yet, recent explorations of deep- sea
vents and other areas are revealing new life forms and resources. As discussed
in last month's issue of Discovery magazine, there is only one place on Earth
left to search for new sources of pharmaceuticals: the oceans. NURP is the
nation's only program dedicated to advanced underwater research and I ask you to
fully fund this program. NURP has regional centers located throughout the U.S.
which develop and implement technologies for both basic and applied research in
coastal waters and the Great Lakes. The program uses a competitive grant process
to provide scientists with vital sampling capabilities which they could not
otherwise obtain. Such technologies include occupied submersibles, remotely
operated vehicles, mixed gas diving, and underwater laboratories and
observatories. In the past, NURP research has addressed such important concerns
as sustainable fisheries, techniques to maintain fragile coral reef ecosystems,
understanding patterns of biodiversity, and tracing the fate and effects of
contaminants entering our coastal and Great Lakes waters. In addition, I ask
that you include an additional $2 million in funds under NURP for developing a
partnership between NU" and the Jason Foundation for Education/Institute for
Exploration to develop undersea technologies that will open new frontiers for
research, exploration and education. I was able to witness first-hand the
tremendous success this partnership has already had in engaging young people in
ocean science, technology and geography. During the 1997-1998 school year, 2.5
million students in 22 states, and five countries participated in the Jason
Project Year of the Ocean programming, which was broadcast on the U.S. House of
Representatives channel this March. I urge you to support this public-private
partnership with $2 million in funding for the JASON Project/Institute for
Exploration, which receives over $15 million in private sector funds. National
Esturarine Research Reserves (NERRS) The NERRS program, administered by NOAA, is
a vital resource for the nation. The program has created a network of
regionally-based centers of excellence which provide unique opportunities for
wetland research, education, and management, thereby promoting the wise
stewardship of coastal public resources for all. The system is taking a
proactive role in coordinating a national water quality monitoring program that
links all of the sites in the nation. The Reserves conduct advisory services to
ensure that informed choices are made regarding the nation's estuaries. In
addition, outreach and on-site education programs are providing a model for
dispensing information to schoolchildren and the general public. The Elkhorn
Slough NERR, located in my district, is a cherished resource to the scientific
and recreational communities alike. Unfortunately, this program is terribly
under funded. Therefore, I request your full support of this program
representing a NOAA budget increase of $14.7 million. Sea Camp This year
presents us with a new opportunity to expand marine science and education in a
most unusual way. There is in the Monterey Bay region an effort to expand marine
science and ocean education to younger children. Primarily underwritten by a
consortium of local university programs, private laboratories and the State of
California, this endeavor to establish an educational "sea camp" lacks only one
important ingredient: a federal partner. Given the already significant
investment by Federal, state and local entities in the marine science arena in
that region, it only makes sense to take advantage of existing programmatic
infrastructure to create this stepping stone to marine education for children.
And doing so requires little more than an expansion of an existing, already
established federal program. Specifically, I request that the committee earmark
$250,000 within the Sea Grant appropriation to help establish a public- private
partnership in developing a "sea camp" -type program. This pilot program should
build upon already existing marine science and educational infrastructure and be
prepared to accept grade-school aged children in the FYOO cycle. Sea Camp will
complement the other outstanding NOAA programs of exploration, conservation and
research I have asked you to support. It will teach the young people of our
nation about our spectacular marine environment and resources as well as inspire
them to continue the critical ocean research we have only begun. We must respond
to our growing dependency on ocean resources by increasing literacy in the
marine sciences. Pacific Coastal Salmon Recovery Fund I would also like to voice
my support for the Administration's $ 1 00 million initiative to assist the
states of California, Oregon, Washington and Alaska in the conservation of
Pacific coastal salmon runs. I applaud the President's principle that extinction
is not an option. This fund, divided equally among the four states, will be used
to develop essential partnerships among Federal, state, tribal and local
government offices to efficiently and effectively restore populations of Pacific
salmon. Year of the Ocean On March 31 myself and 9 of my colleagues wrote to you
in support of the NOAA Year of the Ocean programs. I would like to draw your
attention again to these exemplary programs that I find especially worthy of
committee support: Ocean Bottom Observatories/Exploriniz our Last Frontier $4.1
million Our knowledge of the moon currently surpasses what we know about our own
oceans and their resources. To make competent, informed decisions about ocean
management, we need to better understand ocean processes, geography, and
economic value. These funds will launch a program to map and explore U.S. ocean
waters, including our National Marine Sanctuaries, with advanced underwater
technology. It will also assess the economic value of the domestic ocean and
coastal resources. Coral Reef Protection $2.0 million Coral reefs are among the
most exquisite and most endangered ecosystems on Earth. As a destination for
tourism, recreation and fishing, coral reefs sustain billions of dollars in
economic activities. Yet they are showing signs of degradation associated with
pollution, development, over fishing, and increasing ocean temperatures. This
increase will allow NOAA to work with the states, U.S. Territories and
Commonwealths, and local communities to carry out important research, mapping,
conservation and management of our nation's coral reef system. Aquaculture $4.6
million While wild fish stocks in the U.S. are dwindling the world demand for
protein continues to escalate. Currently, the United States imports most of our
farmed fish and invertebrates. The increased funding for this program is
necessary in order to develop domestic aquaculture in an environmentally sound
manner which is also commercially viable and globally competitive. Ocean Climate
Variability $4.0 million We know that the ocean is intimately tied to climate
variability which in turn results in variable ocean productivity. This is of
obvious importance However, we do not yet understand the mechanisms and details
of this relationship. Finer measurements of ocean characteristics are required
to track climate shifts, understand the interaction of the oceans and
atmosphere, and predict severe weather and the regional impacts of global
climate change. NOAA needs this funding increase for data collection in the
Pacific and Atlantic Oceans that will result in the first weather maps" of the
ocean and associated seasonal cycles. I urge the committee to recognize the
importance of our nation's ocean and coastal resources and request your full
support for funding all aspects of these vital programs. Again, thank-you for
this opportunity to testify on behalf of the oceans and marine resources.
Representative Nancy Pelosi Subcommittee on Commerce/Justice/State and Judiciary
Appropriations April 15, 1999 Mr. Chairman, Ranking Member Serrano and Members
of the Subcommittee, thank you for the opportunity to testify on a few programs
of particular interest to the people I represent in Congress. Thank you, as
always, for your past support for my requests, including funding for Radio Free
Asia, the Asia Foundation, and language supporting: funding for an important
juvenile justice initiative of the Delancey Street Foundation/San Francisco
Juvenile Justice Action Plan. I appreciate your consideration of the following
requests and look forward to working with you on the FY'2000 bill. Radio Free
Asia The Administration is requesting $23.07 million for Radio Free Asia for
FY'2000, up from the $22 million FY'99 level. I respectfully request that the
Subcommittee provide at least the Administration's request of $23.07 million,
and increase that funding, if at all Possible. to $24 million to allow RFA to
make- some needed technological Grades. With the support of this Subcommittee,
Radio Free Asia has now been able to expand its service to include 24 hour a day
broadcasting to China, of which 12 hours is in Mandarin, 6 in Tibetan, 4 in
Cantonese and I each in Wu and Uigher. RFA has discussed with my office the idea
of increasing its broadcasting to North Korea, Vietnam and Burma, which is
currently only at two hours a day into each of these countries, and I encourage
the Subcommittee to consider funding such increases. As the jamming of RFA
broadcasts is always a subject of concern, I would like to provide 1 a brief
update. According to RFA, the Chinese, Vietnamese and North Korean governments
continue their efforts to jam RFA broadcasts. There are interesting reports that
the Chinese government is particularly targeting both the Uigher and the Tibetan
broadcasts and that some radio operators in China have reported that the Chinese
government is paying them to jam the Tibet broadcasts. Despite the jamming
efforts, there are excellent reports from inside and outside China about the
impact of the broadcasts and Chinese dissidents outside of China routinely list
funding RFA as one of the important actions the U.S. can take to help promote
human rights and democratic reform inside China. The Asia Foundation I support
the Administration's request for $15 million for the Asia Foundation. which
while a large increase over the $8.25 million which the Foundation received in
FY'99. would bring the Foundation back to its FY'95 level. The Asian economic
crisis has demonstrated clearly the increasing importance of the Asia-Pacific
region to the United States. The Asia Foundation plays an important role in
complementing U.S. foreign policy interests in the region through its field
capacity, in-depth knowledge of countries and access to people. The Foundation
has emphasized advancing legal reform and has recently embarked on a major
counter-corruption program, defining the economic costs of corruption,
addressing questions of political will to address it and building constituencies
to demand reform. These programs are only a few examples of the ways in which
the Asia Foundation helps to reinforce State Department goals and to advance
U.S. interests in the region. I hope the Subcommittee will provide the
Administration's request. 2 DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE Bureau of Justice Assistance
The Ci1y of San Francisco has requested my assistance to obtain I 1 0 million to
re-121ace and enand San Francisco's Juvenile Hall to provide the necessary
safety and security of the youth detained and the community at large. Juvenile
Hall is an integral part of San Francisco's model juvenile justice plan, which
Congress has previously supported. Juvenile Hall is approximately 50 years old
and is one of the most outdated and obsolete juvenile detention facilities in
all of California. It has inadequate health and mental health space; no open
recreational space; no interview/consulting rooms; no visiting area. These major
facility deficiencies, combined with the expected increase in the affected
population highlights the great need to replace and expand the facility.
Immigration and Naturalization Service (INS) I have, in previous years, brought
to this Subcommittee's attention the problem of insufficient INS staffing at the
San Francisco International Airport. By May of 2000, there will be 54 new
immigration counters at San Francisco International Airport, reflecting the
increase in the importance of the San Francisco Bay Area as an international
gateway. I hope the Subcommittee will provide the needed funding to increase the
number of INS inspector positions assigned to the San Francisco Bay region by
129 in FY'00. increasing the total number of inspector positions from 122 to 25
1. I also hol2e the Subcommittee will include lan2uage in the bill to allow the
UP grade of the San Jose sub district INS office to-full district status.
OnMarch25,IjoinednineotherMembers of the Bay Area Congressional delegation in
writing the Subcommittee to request this language. 3 Salmon Restoration Program
Resource Protection Initiative DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE $100 million This is an
important concern for Western Pacific states and the four-state effort outlined
in the President's Budget which links the recovery of salmon and their habitats
in the states of Alaska, California, Oregon and Washington. The Klamath River
fish restoration programs are particularly important to California and Oregon.
The Pacific Coast Federation of Fishermen's Association, from the area I
represent, has written to President Clinton with the suggestion that specific
conditions be placed on the allocation of these funds. The Association stresses
the need for fatiding of "projects that have some permanence, that the funds are
for projects that are salmon-specific, and that the funds be used in an
effective and frugal manner." A copy of their letter is enclosed for the record.
This funding is also part of NOAA's Resource Protection Initiative (in addition
to $31.1 million) which is vital for Endangered Species Act planning,
protection, management and enforcement. Year of the Ocean Initiative $ 78
million This initiative is the umbrella for several programs involving
stewardship of the ocean and its resources where safe navigation, enhanced
aquaculture, ocean climate variability research, fisheries stock assessments,
coral reef protection and other fishery conservation and management are
necessary to keep our oceans healthy. This funding also includes $51 million to
acquire a state-of-the-art research vessel to aid NOAA in its work to protect
the ocean's vital resources. 4 Lands Legacy Initiative $105
million This is an important undertaking intended to assist communities in
developing and implementing comprehensive strategies in support of
environmentally sound economic development. National Marine Sanctuary Program $
29 million Fisheries Habitat Restoration$22.7 million Coral Reef Protection$10.0
million Beneficial Reuse of Dredged Material$10.0 million We are very proud in
the San Francisco Bay Area community of the fine leadership exhibited in the
management of the Gulf of Farallones and the Cordell Bank National Marine
Sanctuaries. Funding of the national program is absolutely critical for the
protection of over 18,000 square miles of our nation's unique marine resources.
I urge the Department to review a more equitable standard of distribution in
funding for the individual estuaries, based on the resource needs of these
areas. While some of these programs may overlap under NOAA's broader
Initiatives, I want to emphasize the importance of certain coastal protection
programs that are particularly important to California under the Coastal Zone
Management Act ($75 million): State Coastal Program Grants Clean Water
Initiative $ 12 million $ 4 million Sec. 308 Coastal Resource Management
projects$ 12 million National Estuarine Reserve System$ 12 million Coastal
Nonpoint Source Pollution Control$17.5 million Funding for nonpoint source
pollution control allows greater progress to be made in preventing unhealthy,
polluted runoff and in promoting cleaner coastal waters. It has become
increasingly important in light of recent outbreaks of physteria and other
polluted runoff which has severely affected coastal resources and communities.
National Invasive Species Act $ 4.5 million Many coastal areas are now familiar
with the negative impacts that invasive species can cause. Of particular concern
to the San Francisco Bay Area, where the environment of a rich estuary and busy
shipping ports create an inviting atmosphere, is the arrival of the Chinese
mitten crab and Asian clam. The crabs have traveled into the Delta, clogging
water pumps in the area. Even more damaging is the expansion of the Asian clam
where they have devastated the Bay's phytoplankton. The clams contain high
levels of selenium which make them a dangerous link in the aquatic food chain
for fish and birds. $750,000 has been authorized specifically under the Act for
San Francisco Bay. I hope the Committee will provide this essential fimding to
control the introduction and spread of these $ 2.8 million This program has been
historically unfunded and I urge the Committee to provide the necessary funds to
allow the AMLR to succeed in the important work it was established to conduct.
AMLR provides information on the conservation and management of resources in
oceans surrounding Antarctica and is the only program available for monitoring
resources and their predators in the region. It also provides information useful
to the State Department in support of U.S. leadership on conservation measures
affecting the Southern Ocean. 6 devastating species to the area. U.S. Antarctic
Marine Living Resources Program In addition to these important programs, there
are a number of Pacific coast-related efforts that are in need of ongoing
funding: PACHN$4.1m AKFIN$3.3m RECHN$4.1m Pacific Groundfish Research$2.25m
Mandatory West Coast Observer Program$ 2 million This is an essential component
in by catch accounting to ensure the health of groundfish stocks on the west
coast. I urge the Committee to fund this important effort. The Northwest Region
of the National Marine Fisheries Service and the Pacific Fishery Management
Council have both placed this program at the top of their list of funding
priorities. Thank you, Mr. Chairman and members of the Subcommittee, for your
consideration of these important requests. Your past support has been very
helpful to their ongoing success and I appreciate your leadership in funding
these programs.
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