THIS IS IN REPLY TO YOUR REQUEST OF FEBRUARY 13, 1984, FOR A REPORT ON H.R. 4836, TO ESTABLISH A SYSTEM TO PROMOTE THE USE OF LAND REMOTE-SENSING SATELLITE DATA, AND FOR OTHER PURPOSES.

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP05T02051R000200280008-1
• Release Decision: RIFPUB
• Original Classification: K
• Document Page Count: 2
• Document Creation Date: December 22, 2016
• Document Release Date: November 28, 2011
• Sequence Number: 8
• Content Type: LETTER

Declassified and Approved For Release 2011/11/28: CIA-RDP05TO2051 R000200280008-1
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DEPARTMENT OF AGRlcuLtuRE
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Honorabl James
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Chairman, 'Subconii tt a~ja}?~~r
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Research
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Washington.., :C.+ 205154s ` t }:, ;>, lade #395- GO
Dear Mr. Chairman.:.`'
This is in reply to your":
request of February 13, 1984, for a report on N.R.
4836, "To establish a system to promote the use of land remote-sensing
satellite data, and for other. purposes,"
This Department has no objection to the enactment of the bill, provided that
sectiong 501, 502(b), and 502(c) are amended to make it clear that the
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Admini strati on and the National and Space Administration are directed to undertake only research andonautits
development activities with respect to land remote-sensing and that section
603 be clarified to permit Federal agencies to reproduce and exchange data
without restrictions and without additional payment to Of system operator.
The bill provides guidance to the United States Government in promoting
commercialization of land remote-sensing from space with a framework for the
gradual transition of civil land remote-sensing satellites from the Federal
sector to private ownership and operation. Key provisions of the bill
enable the Secretary of Commerce to contract with a private sector party to
operate the existing United States civil land remote-sensing system and to
contract with a private sector party for data from land remote-sensing
systems that are established as successors to the existing
government-operated system. The bill authorizes the Secretary of Commerce
to license qualified private sector parties to operate civil remote-sensing
space systems and provides for the regulation of such systems. The bill
provides for a comprehensive program of research and development, of
remote-sensing-from space and contains general provisions for, dissemination
and archiving of remote-sensing data and for ensuring that national security
concerns and international commitments of the United States are met. The
bill prohibits co mercialization of meteorological \satel1Ite
+stat`this time.
u 4 R ir?~i`I'"# I/ 1
This Department endorses those provisions of the-bill that guarantee
non-discriminatory access to-remote-sensing data#and supports'the concept
implicitly established in the bill that commercial systems will not be
subsidized by governmental users of data.
Title V of the bill is concerned with research and development and we.
believe 'it is important that it be limited to that subject. We therefore
recommend that references in sections 501, 502(b), and 502(c) to "research
and monitoring" or 'research, technology, and monitoring' be amended to read
"research and Bevel oomant of torhnnl nnv +n m,%n4+.t.. 0
Declassified and Approved For Release 2011/11/28: CIA-RDP05TO2051 R000200280008-1
 Declassified and Approved For Release 2011/11/28: CIA-RDP05TO2051 R000200280008-1
4onorabla James H. Scheuer
Z
Sect' on ^ 503 specifies 4 ~ ?'
that. thej operator-of .a .l and ' remote-sensing system may
sell ? data under the condition that ts~uch/data:i~il)~Rat be.= a roduK disseminated by the purchaser. It-,j" p ed.and
'necessari that
ti Fe~ieral, .a cfes Vie ' .
? permitted to reproduce digital
data will remote=sensinigydatn fol.Internaase to that are Inadvertently destroyed or erased. It is also highly desirable that
Feder alt'agenci`es~?within'.,4 sing1e,department, be. permitted to exchange
remote=sensing"~data?freely'and' without restrictionror additional -cost iq
order to achievemaximum ''efficfency. in research. and operational programs.
We therefore recommend':thatsects on 603 be amended to, include the following
sentence:'r Fed 'agencies "may''
era l. re
internal produce digital remote-sensing data for
u$e 'and' May ,transfer remote-sensing data without restriction or
additional=lost".within 'the Federal department of purchase.
The Office of Management. and Budget advises that there is no objection to
the presentation of this-report from the standpoint of the Adtsinistration's
programs.
Sincerely,
Declassified and Approved For Release 2011/11/28: CIA-RDP05TO2051 R000200280008-1