Annual Report to the Congress by the Office of Technology Assessment: March 15, 1974 Page: 11
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11
non-living resources of the seas and estuaries must also be considered in this
comprehensive policy. Arrangements for monitoring the global environment for
prediction, management and modification purposes must be an integral part of
the larger policy along with incentives and procedures for the conduct of research
and development and the use of technology at sea and on the shore. For these
policies to be meaningful, we must create appropriate international, inter-
governmental and public and private organizational and management schemes.
Finally, we must strike an acceptable balance of assigning benefits and costs
and risks and responsibilities among the parties at interest.
A few ocean-related technology assessments have been completed, including
the University of Oklahoma report, Energy Under the Oceans. A Technology
Assessment of Outer Continental Shelf Oil and Gas Operations. This study, how-
ever, is open to criticism on various levels. Assessments on a very limited basis
have occurred on offshore man-made structures, such as airports, and aquacul-
ture (fish farming).
I propose, however, that OTA now undertake the following ocean-oriented
assessments to avoid any more crises similar to the one we are now experiencing
in energy.
The first crisis prevention assessment ought to be on the technology of offshore
oil drilling, production, transportation, and environmental and socio-economic
impact upon the oceans, coastal waters and land portions of the affected coastal
zones, including State-Federal efforts in coastal zone land use management under
the recently enacted National Coastal Zone Management Act (P.L. 92-582). We
cannot afford to be stampeded by the energy crisis into an ocean and coastal
zone pollution crisis. We should carefully assess the state of the art of existing
and expected ocean engineering and operations technology to assure that it
will perform the functions required within acceptable environmental risks.
Second, can technology assessment help us avoid a "protein crisis"? It is
alarming that a maritime nation such as ours has a trade deficit in our fisheries
account reaching $1.3 billion annually. Our present fisheries management prac-
tices, our archaic institutional and statutory constraints, on the national as well
as local levels, hinder rational and effective fisheries operations. Fishing industry
technology demands assessment of almost the opposite type to that normally
considered. It is not the exotic and new technology that is of highest concern, but
the relics of past generations still in use that need hard-nosed assessment as to
effectiveness and the nature of delayed impacts.
Third, I propose that OTA assist the Committee in avoiding a crisis of in-
decision and inaction with respect to deepwater ports. Although we will still
need time to debate the economic, environmental, trade balance and other value-
oriented tradeoffs concerting deepwater ports, it would be possible through
adequate technology assessment to provide a sound information base for proper
political debates, and for well-founded decision making. We should have avail-
able to us clear identification of the nature of the various tradeoffs and of the
respective impacts of this developing technology.
There are other areas needing technology assessment, but perhaps do not de-
mand the immediacy of the three mentioned above, These include ocean mining
for both inshore minerals such as sand and gravel and for offshore minerals such
as those available in manganese nodules. Weather modification is an emerging
technology with substantial social, economic and legal implications. Aquiculture
is now developing for a number of commercially important species, and space
technology holds promise of completely revolutionizing our ability to monitor
ocean conditions.
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United States. Congress. Office of Technology Assessment. Annual Report to the Congress by the Office of Technology Assessment: March 15, 1974, report, March 1974; [Washington D.C.]. (https://digital.library.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metadc39830/m1/15/: accessed March 28, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, UNT Digital Library, https://digital.library.unt.edu; crediting UNT Libraries Government Documents Department.