ment of the National Undersea Research Program should be separated from the management of Sea Grant.

The committee recommends that NOAA implement the proposed reorganization as part of its FY1996 budget. An alternative solution, to remove Sea Grant from NOAA, or even from the Department of Commerce (DOC), was discussed by the committee. The committee agreed that improving the health of the program and enhancing its capabilities to serve national needs could warrant such a drastic step. It would be preferable, however, to leave Sea Grant within NOAA and DOC, and to make the changes necessary to make NOAA and DOC supportive of Sea Grant and to enhance Sea Grant's contribution to NOAA's national mission and capabilities.

As Sea Grant is elevated within the NOAA structure, it is likely that some other reorganization will be desirable, shifting some responsibilities and fiscal resources among Sea Grant and the Line Offices. The Under Secretary should review the NOAA budget to coordinate (and integrate, where appropriate) similar research, education, and outreach activities in different parts of NOAA and to apply Sea Grant strengths in other parts of NOAA, noting that Sea Grant can provide significant information and interface with the industry and university communities, which would be of benefit to NOAA. For example, NOS outreach and education activities should be coordinated with similar Sea Grant activities. NOS has several relevant programs, including the Coastal Zone Management Program, the Marine Sanctuaries Program, and the National Estuarine Research Reserve program, that have outreach and education functions. Like Sea Grant, these programs support substantial interactions between states/localities and NOAA. Sea Grant's research apparatus and experience in education and outreach could contribute to the goals of these programs. Sea Grant also has obvious potential interactions with the new NOAA Office of Sustainable Development and with the NOAA-administered National Coastal Resources Research and Development Institute because of Sea Grant's responsibility within NOAA for natural resource research, development, education, and outreach.

Because of its capabilities in the area of environmental education, an elevated Sea Grant could be a major participant in the initiative of the U.S. Vice President, entitled Global Learning and Observations to Benefit the Environment (GLOBE). GLOBE is an interagency activity for which NOAA requested $7 million in the FY1995 President's budget. Its purpose is to increase the degree to which U.S. citizens understand the natural environment, by involving a global network of schools in collecting environmental observations. Sea Grant already has an established state and county outreach structure, and has statutory authorization to conduct an international program. Both factors equip Sea Grant to have a substantial role in GLOBE.

Sea Grant's network of state-based researchers, Marine Advisory Service (MAS) agents, and communicators provides a great potential capability for gathering information. In addition to present Sea Grant activities, NOAA should