Page:United States Statutes at Large Volume 98 Part 2.djvu/82

 98 STAT. 1242

PUBLIC LAW 98-373—JULY 31, 1984

Public Law 98-373 98th Congress An Act Jul SI 1984 [S. 373]

To provide for a comprehensive national policy dealing with national research needs ^"^ objectives in the Arctic, for a National Critical Materials Council, for development of a continuing and comprehensive national materials policy, for programs necessary to carry out that policy, including Federal programs of advanced materials research and technology, and for innovation in basic materials industries, and for other purposes.

Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, Arctic Research

TITLE I—ARCTIC RESEARCH AND POLICY

and Policy Act of 1984.

15 USC 4101 note.

SHORT TITLE

SEC. 101. This title may be cited as the "Arctic Research and poii^jy Act of 1984 ". FINDINGS AND PURPOSES

15 USC 4101.

SEC. 102. (a) The Congress finds and declares that— (1) the Arctic, onshore and offshore, contains vital energy resources that can reduce the Nation's dependence on foreign oil and improve the national balance of payments; (2) as the Nation's only common border with the Soviet Union, the Arctic is critical to national defense; (3) the renewable resources of the Arctic, specifically fish and other seafood, represent one of the Nation's greatest commercial assets; (4) Arctic conditions directly affect global weather patterns and must be understood in order to promote better agricultural management throughout the United States; (5) industrial pollution not originating in the Arctic region collects in the polar air mass, has the potential to disrupt global weather patterns, and must be controlled through international cooperation and consultation; (6) the Arctic is a natural laboratory for research into human health and adaptation, physical and psychological, to climates of extreme cold and isolation and may provide information crucial for future defense needs; (7) atmospheric conditions peculiar to the Arctic make the Arctic a unique testing ground for research into high latitude communications, which is likely to be crucial for future defense needs; (8) Arctic marine technology is critical to cost-effective recovery and transportation of energy resources and to the national defense; (9) the United States has important security, economic, and environmental interests in developing and maintaining a fleet of icebreaking vessels capable of operating effectively in the heavy ice regions of the Arctic;

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