Y4. SCI 2:96/62 IMPLEMENTATION OF THE NATIONAL 96-1 HEARING BEFORE THE SUBCOMMITTEE ON NATURAL RESOURCES AND ENVIRONMENT OF THE COMMITTEE ON SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY U.S. HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES NINETY-SIXTH CONGRESS COMMITTEE ON SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY DON FUQUA, Florida, Chairman ROBERT A. ROE, New Jersey JIM LLOYD, California JEROME A. AMBRO, New York MARILYN LLOYD BOUQUARD, Tennessee DAN GLICKMAN, Kansas HAROLD L. VOLKMER, Missouri DONALD J. PEASE, Ohio HOWARD WOLPE, Michigan NICHOLAS MAVROULES, Massachusetts BERYL ANTHONY, JR., Arkansas ALLEN E. ERTEL, Pennsylvania JOHN W. WYDLER, New York BARRY M. GOLDWATER JR., California WILLIAM CARNEY, New York BILL ROYER, California HAROLD A. GOULD, Executive Director PHILIP B. YEAGER, General Counsel REGINA A. DAVIS, Chief Clerk PAUL A. VANDER MYDE, Minority Staff Director SUBCOMMITTEE ON NATURAL RESOURCES AND ENVIRONMENT JEROME A. AMBRO, New York, Chairman GEORGE E. BROWN, JR., California JAMES J. BLANCHARD, Michigan WES WATKINS, Oklahoma STANLEY N. LUNDINE, New York ROBERT S. WALKER, Pennsylvania IAN W. MARCEAU, Staff Director CONTENTS Dr. Robert White, Administrator of the National Research Council and Chairman of the Climate Research Board___. Dr. Thomas B. McKee, president of the American Association of State Climatologists, associate professor of atmospheric sciences, Colorado Dr. Frank M. Crane, vice president for research, agricultural services Dr. Paul Janota, Environmental Research and Technology, Inc__ E. Ray Fosse, Crop Hail Insurance Actuarial Association_ Dr. James Jiusto, Governor Carey's designee to develop the New York State Climate Plan, Atmospheric Sciences Research Center, State IMPLEMENTATION OF THE NATIONAL CLIMATE PROGRAM ACT: II THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 15, 1979 HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES, COMMITTEE ON SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY, SUBCOMMITTEE ON NATURAL RESOURCES AND ENVIRONMENT, Washington, D.C. The subcommittee met, pursuant to notice, at 2:15 p.m., room 2325, Rayburn House Office Building, Hon. Jerome A. Ambro (chairman), presiding. Mr. AMBRO. I would like to open these hearings. Today's hearings are aimed at gathering information that will be useful to this subcommittee in its oversight of the National Climate Program Act, Public Law 95-357. [The text of Public Law 95-367 appears as Appendix A to these hearings.] I would like to say a few words in further explanation of what we hope to accomplish here. It is necessary to begin with a little background. As passed, the act has two themes which are rather new in this area. First is the idea that the ultimate users of climate information and services should be intimately involved in planning and carrying out the program. Closely related to this is an emphasis in the legislation on delivery of services and information to the users. The second new departure is the emphasis on broad use of climate information in planning various sectors of the economy. The other side of this coin is the assessment of the impacts of climate and climate change on various sectors of the economy, and this is also emphasized in the act. Thus, it was clearly the intent of Congress that the program be broader than physical science research-that it reach out to society and apply what is known. The act provided for an "Inter-Governmental Climate Program" which would bring the States institutionally into the national program as one means of accomplishing the goals of the act. Also called for in the act was a 5-year plan, a preliminary version of which was submitted to us in July. It was unacceptable. The preliminary plan was rejected in part because, except for lipservice, it essentially ignored the two new thrusts of the legislation. The so-called plan was only an endorsement of ongoing activities, principally in research and monitoring. It was particularly disturbing that the administration, through testimony by the Office of Science and Technology Policy, defended this philosophy. They said that more research is needed before we can apply the results. As to service delivery and impact assessment, they questioned out "readiness" and suggested that we proceed with "a little more caution and a little less technological optimism." |