Appendix A— Letter of Request
UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
The Assistant Secretary for Oceans and Atmosphere
Washington, D.C. 20230
JUL 26 1994
Dr. William Merrell
Chairman,
Ocean Studies Board
National Research Council
Commission on Geosciences, Environment and Resources
2101 Constitution Avenue, N.W. Washington, D.C. 20418
Dear Dr. Merrell:
Under the new National Science and Technology Council, the Water Resources and Coastal and Marine Environments Subcommittee (Water Subcommittee) of the Committee on the Environment and Natural Resources (CENR) has developed an interagency research strategy and is preparing an implementation plan for water resources and coastal and marine environments. This implementation plan is intended to help guide individual agency programs, as well as to contribute to development of an overall CENR environmental strategy. Because it is important to reflect the concerns of stakeholders outside the Federal Government, external input is being sought for water resources, freshwater ecosystems, and coastal and marine environments. Within this context, the Ocean Studies Board (OSB) is in a unique position to contribute to the development and identification of integrated coastal and marine research priorities.
A solid planning base for coastal oceans science exists. Many agencies have relied on the academic community to assist in development of agency-relevant research programs. The National Research Council has also reviewed the status, quality, and relevance of several agency programs. Each of these efforts has used academic expertise to develop or review research priorities for specific disciplines, particular agencies, or certain geographic regimes. Also, the previous Federal Coordinating Committee for Science, Engineering and Technology Subcommittee on U.S. Coastal Ocean Science (SUSCOS) has reviewed Federal coastal policy needs and research programs and formulated a framework for an integrated research strategy. It is now necessary to update and integrate all of these efforts to reflect the current direction and context of the CENR.
By using results from previous studies as a base, the SUSCOS plan as a framework, and the current CENR Water Subcommittee research strategy as a new context, the OSB is requested to analyze this array of academic advice and provide an integrated assessment of research priorities to the Subcommittee as it formulates its Implementation Plan.
THE DEPUTY ADMINISTRATOR
2
The relevant agencies will identify the external leaders of its recent reviews and program development efforts. It is expected that the OSB will benefit from the input and advice of these individuals, as they integrate the results of their activities. The OSB is not expected to identify specific agency roles for the integrated effort.
The proposed deadlines for the effort include an interim assessment on September 15, 1994, and a completed report on November 1, 1994. My contact person for this request is Donald Scavia, Director of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Coastal Ocean Program, 1315 East-West Highway, Room 15140, Silver Spring, Maryland 20910. Dr. Scavia may be reached at (301) 713-3338.
Thank you for your efforts on behalf of this important project.