Page:United States Statutes at Large Volume 106 Part 5.djvu/525

 PUBLIC LAW 102-555 —OCT. 28, 1992 106 STAT. 4163 Public Law 102-555 102d Congress An Act To enable the United States to maintain its leadership in land remote sensing by providing data continuity for the Landsat program, to establish a new national land remote sensing policy, and for other purposes. Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, SECTION. 1. SHORT TITLE. This Act may be cited as the Tiand Remote Sensing Policy Act of 1992". SEC. 2. FINDINGS. The Congress finds and declares the following: (1) The continuous collection and utilization of land remote sensing data from space are of m^or benefit in studying and understanding human impacts on the global environment, in managing the Earth's natural resources, in carrying out national security functions, and in planning and conducting many other activities of scientific, economic, and social importance. (2) The Federal Government's Landsat system established the United States as the world leader in land remote sensing technology. (3) The national interest of the United States lies in maintaining international leadership in satellite land remote sensing and in broadly promoting the beneficial use of remote sensing data. (4) The cost of Landsat data has impeded the use of such data for scientific purposes, such as for global environmental change research, as well as for other public sector applications. (5) Given the importance of the Landsat program to the United States, urgent actions, including expedited procurement procedures, are required to ensure data continuity. (6) FuU commercialization of the Landsat program cannot be achieved within the foreseeable future, and thus should not serve as the near-term goal of national policy on land remote sensing; however, commercialization of land remote sensing should remain a long-term goal of United States policy. (7) Despite the success and importance of the Landsat system, funding and organizational uncertainties over the past several years have placed its future in doubt and have jeopardized United States leadership in land remote sensing. (8) Recognizing the importance of the Landsat program in helping to meet national and commercial objectives, the President approved, on February 11, 1992, a National Space Policy Directive which was developed by the National Space Council and commits the United States to ensuring the continuity of Landsat coverage into the 21st century. Oct. 28, 1992 [H.R. 6133] Land Remote Sensing Policy Act of 1992. National defense. 15 USC 5601 note. 15 USC 5601.

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