42 U.S.C. § 15906 — North Slope Science Initiative
submitted 21 years ago by Pub. L. 109-58 to r/title-42-THE-PUBLIC-HEALTH-AND-WELFARE · 481 words · no verdicts yet
The Secretary of the Interior must run a long-term "North Slope Science Initiative" to coordinate scientific data collection about Alaska's North Slope ecosystems. It must set science priorities, coordinate with federal, state, local, and tribal partners, include a panel of up to 15 outside experts, and report yearly to the public starting three years after the law's 2005 enactment.
(a) Establishment: (1) The Secretary* of the Interior must set up a long-term program called the "North Slope Science Initiative." (2) Its purpose is to better coordinate the collection of scientific data, to build understanding of the land, water, and ocean ecosystems of Alaska's North Slope.
(b) Objectives: To make sure the Initiative follows a full science strategy and plan, it must at least: (1) identify and prioritize what information is needed to study the combined effects of past, current, and expected development and environmental change; (2) understand what information regulators, land managers, local governments, and the public need; (3) focus on the most pressing natural resource and ecosystem information needs, and on coordination among agencies; (4) coordinate research to avoid wasted effort, share money and expertise, and ensure quality data; (5) find priority needs that existing agency science programs did not cover as of August 8, 2005, and develop a plan to fund them; (6) apply a consistent, high-quality approach to its science; (7) maintain and improve public and agency access to both (A) existing and ongoing research and (B) current and traditional local knowledge; and (8) use proper peer review to make sure participating agencies' science meets a high technical standard.
(c) Membership: (1) To gather data as fully as possible, the Secretary must consult and coordinate with federal, state*, and local agencies that manage land and resources across the North Slope. (2) The Secretary must enter into cooperative agreements with the State of Alaska, the North Slope Borough, the Arctic Slope Regional Corporation, and other federal agencies as needed, to coordinate work, share resources, and fund projects.
(d) Science technical advisory panel: (1) The Initiative must include a panel that advises on proposed data-gathering and research work. (2) That panel has no more than 15 scientists and technical experts, chosen by the Secretary from varied backgrounds — including the oil and gas industry, subsistence users, Native Alaskan groups, conservation organizations, wildlife management organizations, and academia.
(e) Reports: Starting three years after August 8, 2005, and every year after that, the Secretary must publish a report describing the Initiative's studies and findings.
(f) Authorization of appropriations: Congress may provide whatever funding is needed to carry out this section.
The Secretary* of the Interior shall establish a long-term initiative to be known as the “North Slope Science Initiative” (referred to in this section as the “Initiative”).
The purpose of the Initiative shall be to implement efforts to coordinate collection of scientific data that will provide a better understanding of the terrestrial, aquatic, and marine ecosystems of the North Slope of Alaska.
To ensure that the Initiative is conducted through a comprehensive science strategy and implementation plan, the Initiative shall, at a minimum—
identify and prioritize information needs for inventory, monitoring, and research activities to address the individual and cumulative effects of past, ongoing, and anticipated development activities and environmental change on the North Slope;
develop an understanding of information needs for regulatory and land management agencies, local governments, and the public;
focus on prioritization of pressing natural resource management and ecosystem information needs, coordination, and cooperation among agencies and organizations;
coordinate ongoing and future inventory, monitoring, and research activities to minimize duplication of effort, share financial resources and expertise, and assure the collection of quality information;
identify priority needs not addressed by agency science programs in effect on August 8, 2005, and develop a funding strategy to meet those needs;
provide a consistent approach to high caliber science, including inventory, monitoring, and research;
maintain and improve public and agency access to—
accumulated and ongoing research; and
contemporary and traditional local knowledge; and
ensure through appropriate peer review that the science conducted by participating agencies and organizations is of the highest technical quality.
To ensure comprehensive collection of scientific data, in carrying out the Initiative, the Secretary shall consult and coordinate with Federal, State*, and local agencies that have responsibilities for land and resource management across the North Slope.
The Secretary shall enter into cooperative agreements with the State of Alaska, the North Slope Borough, the Arctic Slope Regional Corporation, and other Federal agencies as appropriate to coordinate efforts, share resources, and fund projects under this section.
The Initiative shall include a panel to provide advice on proposed inventory, monitoring, and research functions.
The panel described in paragraph (1) shall consist of a representative group of not more than 15 scientists and technical experts from diverse professions and interests, including the oil and gas industry, subsistence users, Native Alaskan entities, conservation organizations, wildlife management organizations, and academia, as determined by the Secretary.
Not later than 3 years after August 8, 2005, and each year thereafter, the Secretary shall publish a report that describes the studies and findings of the Initiative.
There are authorized to be appropriated such sums as are necessary to carry out this section.
Source credit: (Pub. L. 109–58, title III, § 348, Aug. 8, 2005, 119 Stat. 708.)
- 2005Enacted · Pub. L. 109-58 · 119 Stat. 708
A history note hasn’t been published yet. The record shows enactment by Pub. L. 109-58 on 2005-08-08.
all 0 arguments · sorted by: best
no arguments yet — make the first case