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Question. Many conservationists have been concerned with the assignment to your Department of many environmental program responsibilities. We have been gratified to note that the Department has made a conscious effort to change its image and show a balance between economic development and environmental conservation. This will require the closest attention of your Department in the future, and we would be interested in your attitude and any views you care to express on these problems.

Answer. The Department of Commerce responded to enactment of the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 by creating the Office of Environmental Affairs under the Assistant Secretary for Science and Technology. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration established the Office of Ecology and Environmental Conservation to act as a central coordinating point for the many environmental responsibilities of that bureau. Other bureaus of the Department having major environmental responsibilities have similarly designated points of contact and responsibility for environmental matters.

The attitude of the Department is one of constantly examining our environmental responsibilities and the issues that constantly arise in regard to environmental actions. The Department is committed to carrying out not only its legal responsibilities under existing legislation but to conforming wholeheartedly to the spirit of the President's environmental program. My view is that the environment must be protected for the use of future generations of Americans. In order to achieve the right balance on environmental actions, we have been cooperating with the CEQ, EPA, and other Federal agencies, as well as state and local governments and the private sector. This cooperation takes the form of evaluating the scientific premises underlying proposed actions as well as assessing the merits of the proposed action in relation to available technology and, of course, in examining the economic cost benefits of the proposed actions, both from a short-term and long-term point of view.

The Department utilizes the scientific, technical, and economic expertise of our bureaus, such as NOAA, NBS, Maritime and the various business and economic components of the Department. Also, the National Technical Information Service has been assigned the responsibility by CEQ to insure public availability of environmental impact statements.

The preservation of an America that is environmentally healthy and economically sound is not only feasible—it is essential. I will actively seek the techniques within my jurisdiction that can permit not only continued economic development with a high quality environment, but also all appropriate protection to our natural

resources.

Question. The U.S. is now vigorously promoting new legal concepts for managing the oceans' living and non-living resources within the United Nations Law of the Sea Preparatory Conference. The decision-making Law of the Sea Conference will be held later this year or early next year. The U.S. position on fisheries would invest management authority and preferential rights to the coastal state for fisheries which inhabit the shelf and slope areas, as well as for anadromous forms. This concept obviously places the coastal state in a strong position as manager and obligates the state to undertake research and monitoring activities to insure that such resources are appropriately utilized. Has the Department of Commerce considered the magnitude of increased costs to meet these commitments in terms of managing the coastal fisheries, marine mammal resources, etc.? It would appear that we should be moving now to establish information required for appropriate management of our shelf and slope resources.

Answer. The Department of Commerce is aware that its responsibilities will increase if the United States' position on fisheries is adopted by the Law of the Sea Conference. It is our intention to meet these responsibilities.

In the meantime, the Department, through its National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, has two major programs underway which are expected to provide in large part the capability for the Department to meet its responsibilities for management and utilization of living marine resources. These are the Marine Resource Monitoring, Assessment, and Prediction Program (MARMAP) to assess the changing abundances and geographic distributions of the living marine resources, and the State-Federal Fisheries Management Program specifically concerned with the management and utilization of fishery

resources.

Question. Considering the fact that the U.S. is promoting extended obligations for the coastal state and that Commerce has already assumed new obligations in terms of developing programs to meet sportfishing interests as well as major

expansion in marine mammal activities, how does the Department expect to undertake the appropriate research if we are to lay up additional research vessels? The U.S. fisheries research fleet is already lagging that available to many other countries, and I understand that there is to be further cutbacks in the operation of the NOAA fleet. It is difficult for me to conceive how we can continue to cut back our vessel program and meet existing and new commitments. In a more provincial sense, I am particularly interested in the Department's plans for reactivating our newest and largest research vessel, the MILLER FREEMAN. Does the Department intend to have this vessel operational in FY '74? Answer. The Department of Commerce is making a strong effort to assist the President in holding the line on Federal expenditures to control inflation and avoid a tax increase. This requires a realignment of the programs of the National Marine Fisheries Service so as to assure proper conduct of its new responsibilities such as marine mammals. It will require the laying up of several research vessels. However, NOAA and NMFS expect to be able to carry out high priority research and assessment activities through the most efficient possible use of remaining research vessels. Present plan do not provide for reactivation of the research vessel MILLER FREEMAN in FY 1974.

Question. Congress has recently passed new legislation dealing with the research and management of marine mammals. The new program, if it is to be appropriately implemented, will require considerable new funds. Is it the plan of the Department to make such funds available as authorized by Congress or to again cut back existing programs in fisheries and oceanography to meet this new responsibility? I might parenthetically note that I have heard that many of the existing important and fundamental research programs in NOAA are being cut back to help fund a rather specialized satellite project. Is this true?

Answer. The Department intends to meet its responsibilities under the new legislation and has provided funding in FY 1973 for this program by reprogramming within presently available funds.

With regard to the manner in which we have redirected our programs in FY 1973, each area of research and development has been evaluated on its merit. In this period of fiscal restraint, prudent agency management must choose among options and make decisions with higher priority going to programs offering the highest potential for near term public service. The NOAA satellite program provides a key observational platform for monitoring the oceans and atmosphere. It is critical to our natural disaster warning service and our environmental monitoring and prediction needs. In addition, the program makes it possible to obtain atmospheric data over the oceans, eliminating NOAA's need for the ocean station ships due to be phased out.

Question. There has been some indication that NOAA is tending to fractionize and reorganize many responsibilities that once were invested in the National Marine Fisheries Service. Similarly, I have been told there is a tendency to control field programs at Washington levels within NOAA above these functional organizations (for example, MESA, MUST, etc.). Does the Department tend to support the President's policy of reallocating authority to the field area and does it intend to maintain and strengthen the National Marine Fisheries Service as an organization responsible for leadership in the fields of commercial and sport fisheries and marine mammal research and management?

Answer. Yes, the Department does support the President's policy of reallocating authority to field areas and it does intend to maintain and strengthen the National Marine Fisheries Service. In fact, we feel that NMFS (formerly the Bureau of Commercial Fisheries) was substantially strengthened by becoming part of NOAA under President Nixon's Reorganization Plan No. 4 of 1970, which brought together many of the Nation's major civil programs involving the oceans and atmosphere, and made these additional resources and capabilities more readily available to assist NMFS in meeting its fisheries responsibilities. There may be a misunderstanding concerning such programs as MESA and MUST. These programs involve the participation of several of the main components of NOAA. Consequently, it is necessary to coordinate these programs at the NOAA level. This does not mean that responsibilities of the National Marine Fisheries Service are being taken away or diluted. On the contrary, NMFS and other major components determine the actual program requirements and have responsibility for accomplishment of the work required. The role of the NOAA headquarters is primarily one of coordination to get the best possible results from

resources.

From: American Worlds Fair.

To: Hon. Warren G. Magnuson, Chairman.
Subject: Nomination of Frederick B. Dent.

STATEMENT TO COMMERCE COMMITTEE, U.S. SENATE, JANUARY 18, 1973

Having noted the distinguished career of Frederick B. Dent, including his successful administration of a corporation, our Board has approved the following: Resolved, That Frederick Dent's nomination as Secretary of Commerce be approved by the Commerce Committee and the entire Senate, and

Resolved further, That the Committee be asked to print this statement in the hearings so that it will be available for the whole membership of the Senate when it votes upon his nomination.

WARWICK R. HARWOOD, Chairman, Board of Directors.

AMERICAN WORLD'S FAIR,
AMERICAN WORLD TRADE FAIR,

Elmhurst, N.Y.

Subject: Reap extra profits by exhibiting at our merchandise show. DEAR EXHIBITOR: 30,000 Purchasing Officials were in N.Y. City Aug. 1972 to buy merchandise. They are due back in N.Y. City Aug. 12, 1973 when our show opens.

Hotel Waldorf-Astoria, N.Y. City, is the headquarters for our show.

500,000 Attendance by the public is our goal to equal that at General Motors' "Motorama" auto shows held at the Waldorf.

Area For The Trade & Public: Mon. thru Fri. 9 AM-1 PM for trade & 1-10 PM for public; Sat. 9 AM-10 PM for all & Sun. 10 AM-10 PM for all. For the Trade Only (not selling retail) special area locked after hours: Sun. 10 AM7 PM; Mon. thru Thur. 9 AM-6 PM; Fri. 9 AM- 3 PM; closed Sat. . . . .. Entire Show closes Wed. Aug. 22, 1973, 3 PM. Permanent fair-grounds in Florida opens Nov. 1974.

Many of the purchasing officials with the most money to buy your products will stay at the Waldorf-Astoria. The first merchandise they see in N.Y. will be yours if you display it at our show, so they should buy yours before they see and buy your competitors' goods. Interest in exhibit space is brisk and a month from now there may be no exhibit space, left at the Waldorf, though we will have overflow space elsewhere in N.Y. City.

For the maximum sales exposure for your merchandise, order your space by return mail and be practically sure of getting into the Waldorf division of our show. Then your cash register and sales book will ring in August.

WARWICK R. HARWOOD, Chairman.

ORDER FORM

To: American World's Fair Merchandise Show, Box 1002, Elmhurst, N.Y. 11373.
Enter our order for exhibit space at your Merchandise show in 1973.

Booths for entire 11 days Aug. 12-22 at $760 per booth $-----
Booths for 1st 5 days Sun. Aug. 12-16 at $420. each booth $-
Booths for last 5 days Sat. Aug. 18-22 at $380. per booth $-

Enclosed is down payment of $_ of above amount due July 12, 1973. Name

Address

(half the above amount); Other half

Phone___.

RICHARD W. ROBERTS, OF NEW YORK, TO BE DIRECTOR OF THE NATIONAL BUREAU OF STANDARDS

MONDAY, JANUARY 29, 1973

U.S. SENATE,

COMMITTEE ON COMMERCE,

Washington, D.C.

The committee met at 10 a.m. in room 5110, New Senate Office Building, Hon. Frank E. Moss presiding.

OPENING STATEMENT BY SENATOR MOSS

Senator Moss. The committee will come to order.

This morning, the Commerce Committee is conducting a hearing for the purpose of receiving testimony on the President's nomination of Richard W. Roberts, of New York, to be Director of the National Bureau of Standards.

The National Bureau of Standards was established in 1901 to serve as an authoritative source of accurate, compatible, and useful physical measurements, and to insure their international compatibility.

Activities ranging from controlling the accessibility to computer information to measuring radiation emissions are among the programs undertaken by the Bureau to advance science and technology.

Dr. Roberts has provided the committee with a biographical sketch and a financial statement. The biographical sketch will be entered in the record of this hearing in full at this point.

(The biography follows:)

BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH OF RICHARD W. ROBERTS

Dr. Richard W. Roberts was born in Buffalo, New York, on January 12, 1935. Dr. Roberts graduated from Kenmore Senior High School (1952), received his bachelor's degree with distinction (1956) from the University of Rochester and his doctorate in physical chemistry (1959) from Brown University. After serving as a National Academy of Science Postdoctoral Fellow at the National Bureau of Standards, he joined the staff of the General Electric Research Laboratory (now part of the Research and Development Center, Schenectady, New York) in 1960.

He is now Research and Development Manager for Materials Science and Engineering. Under his direction, a staff of more than 250 scientists and engineers have produced numerous advances in many different areas of technology. Major breakthroughs include the first gem-quality diamonds to be produced in the laboratory, significant advances in coal gasification research, unique cutting tools for machining space-age metals and alloys, new high performance polymers, new composite materials a pollution-free coating techniques, a revolutionary solid waste recycling process using special strains of bacteria, a wide variety of medical sensors and diagnostic devices, and the world's most powerful permanent magnets.

As a research scientist, Dr. Roberts became internationally known for his studies of ultrahigh vacuum technology, the physical and chemical properties of atomically clean metal and semiconductor surfaces, chemical kinetics, and the lubrication of space-age metals. Among other achievements, he played a major role in the development of a new family of lubricants that make it possible to use titanium, stainless steel, and other "unlubricable" materials for the moving parts in machines of the future.

Dr. Roberts began his career in technical management in 1965 as manager of the Center's Structures and Reactions Branch. In 1968 he was appointed manager of the Center's Physical Chemistry Laboratory, a position in which he directed the activities of approximately 70 scientists and engineers working on electrochemistry, superpressure research, inorganic structures and reactions, life sciences, and surface chemistry and physics. Appointed to his present position late in 1968, he is now responsible for the work of the Center's Chemical Laboratory, Materials Engineering Laboratory, Metallurgy and Ceramics Laboratory, and Physical Chemistry Laboratory.

More than 70 technical publications have been written or co-authored by Dr. Roberts. He is co-author of the book, "Ultrahigh Vacuum and Its Applications,” which has been translated into Japanese and French. Two patents have been issued to him. He is a member of the American Chemical Society, the American Physical Society, the New York Academy of Sciences, the American Nuclear Society, the American Association for the Advancement of Science, and Phi Beta Kappa and Sigma XI honorary societies. He is a senior member of the American Vacuum Society, a Fellow of the American Institute of Chemists, and associate editor of the Annual Review of Materials Science.

Within the community, Dr. Roberts has been active in the YMCA, the Schenectady Museum, and various civic projects. His community memberships include the Adirondack Mountain Club, the Schenectady Museum, the Schenectady County Historical Society, the New York State Historical Society, and the Capital District Research Directors Association. His interests include photography, skiing, squash, boating, and the history of northern New York State.

Dr. Roberts is married to the former Carol J. Elmer of Cleveland, Ohio. They have two children, Beth, 10, and William, 7.

Senator Moss. The financial statement filed by Dr. Roberts will be retained in the committee files and as is the custom, it will be available for inspection by the public.

The General Counsel of the Department of Commerce, and the Assistant Attorney General of the Department of Justice have examined the financial statement, and the steps taken by them to avoid conflicts of interest, or the appearance thereof, and both have certified they have found nothing in Dr. Roberts' financial arrangements that raises any conflict of interest, herein.

The senior Senator from the State of New York, Mr. Javits, has submitted a statement concerning this nomination which will be placed in the record. It is very brief, and I will read it.

I commend to the Committee, Dr. Richard W. Roberts, of Schenectady, New York, for appointment as Director of the National Bureau of Standards.

After receiving his Doctorate in Physical Chemistry in 1959, from Brown University; Dr. Roberts served for two years as a National Academy of Sciences Postdoctoral Fellow at the National Bureau of Standards, and then joined the staff of General Electric Research Laboratory.

As an internationally-distinguished research scientists, at the Research and Development Center, and as manager of the Center's Structures and Reactions Branch, and Research and Development Manager for Materials Science and Engineering; he has achieved major technological breakthroughs in many areas. His experience, I believe, makes him exceptinally well-qualified for this appointment, which requires not only technical, but administrative expertise. Upon fully examining his accomplishments, I am sure the Committee will concur that Dr. Roberts will bring exceptional ability and judgment to the position of Director of the National Bureau of Standards.

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