Table of Contents

CHAPTER 6

I. THE COMMERCE MISSION STATEMENT -- THEME 3

The Department of Commerce promotes job creation, economic growth, sustainable development, and improved living standards for all Americans, by working in partnership with business, universities, communities, and workers, to:

3. Provide effective management and stewardship of our nation's resources and assets to ensure sustainable economic opportunities.

This Mission Statement includes all activities of the Department of Commerce. Activities under Theme 3, highlighted in bold type above, will be discussed in this portion of the Strategic Plan.

II. THEME 3 AND THE COMMERCE MISSION STATEMENT

The Department of Commerce plays a significant role in the management of our national resources to ensure that the economic benefits of these resources are available, on a sustainable basis, to the Nation as a whole. Departmental initiatives promote community and individual use of our national assets to ensure continuing increases in the economic well-being of the Nation.

The Department of Commerce has a diverse role in the management of our national resources. Illustrating this diversity in its resource management role, the Department of Commerce provides economic adjustment assistance to communities impacted by military base closures and defense facility downsizing. It also implements grant programs supporting development of the National Information Infrastructure (NII). These programs enhance NII access by schools, libraries, and other public institutions, promote public broadcasting, and expand children's educational programming initiatives.

The resources and national assets managed by the Department include intellectual property rights, the radio frequency spectrum, and ocean and coastal resources. Utilization of these resources by both the public and private sector contributes significantly to growth in the Gross Domestic Product of the U.S. and they are integral in improving technological innovation and communication, the quality of life, and the environment. The

Department of Commerce also plays a major role in representing the U.S. in international negotiations related to the management of these resources.

III. BUREAU SUPPORT OF STRATEGIC THEME 3

A distinction can be made between those bureaus in the Department of Commerce that are directly involved in the management of resources in support of the Departmental mission and those bureaus that enable individuals, communities, and private-sector firms to invest in national assets. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), the Patent and Trademark Office (PTO), and the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA), are involved in the direct management of national resources. The Economic Development Administration (EDA), the PTO, and the NTIA are principally engaged in enabling investment in our national assets.

A unique feature of each of these national resources -- intellectual property rights, frequency spectrum, ocean and coastal resources (especially fisheries), and military installations and defense facilities -- is that each resource has the characteristic of "common property resources." Unless property rights (or rights that define the user's ability to make decisions concerning an asset or resource's use) are created for these resources, their use will create a "common property resource" problem. This problem exists when users are permitted to enjoy the benefits of a resource without paying the cost their use imposes upon society and the economy. Absent a fee that reflects these costs, users will have too great an incentive, relative to the economic optimum, to consume the resource. This type of use results in inefficient use of these resources, and a loss to our nation and the global economy.

To ensure that common property resources are used in an efficient manner, these resources would be assigned a property right and made available to the entities that value them most highly in terms of their economic worth. To ensure optimum utilization of these resources, managers must identify instances in which the rights of such users are violated and implement corrective action.

Commerce has developed considerable experience in the management of these unique resources. These include:

o The establishment of some form of "transferrable harvesting privileges" in fisheries management. There is debate over the issue of property rights in reauthorization of the Magnuson-Stevens Act, which requires the National Academy of Sciences to study Individual Fishing Quotas (IFQs) and establishes a moratorium on new IFQs until October 1, 2000. (IFQs do create a property right, but rights do not accrue until fish are actually harvested.)

o The Patent and Trademark examination process, and subsequent issuance of a patent grant or registration of a trademark.

o The specification of a portion of the frequency spectrum for a specific use such as satellite communication.

o The implementation of defense facility reuse or disaster recovery plans to help communities develop in a sustainable manner.

Each of these interventions by the Department of Commerce represent the definition of some form of property right for each of these resources.

The careful development, evolution, and implementation of these forms of property rights by the Department of Commerce results in improved efficiencies in our market-based economy, conservation and stewardship of these resources, and increased benefits to society. The experience gleaned from the management of these complex resources will become increasingly important as the demand for them increases, both domestically and internationally.

IV. THEME 3 -- GOALS, STRATEGIES, AND OBJECTIVES

Bureaus within the Department of Commerce implement coordinated programs that provide effective management of certain common national resources and ensure their most efficient utilization. Aggressive management of national resources is critical to maintaining the competitive position of U.S. firms in markets that are increasingly international in scope. The goals, strategies, objectives, and illustrative performance measures and guide our activities in this Theme are:

A. Build sustainable fisheries that increase the Nation's wealth and quality of life, support increased fishing industry job opportunities, improve the safety and wholesomeness of seafood resources, and expand recreation opportunities. To support implementation, NOAA pursues partnerships with those affected by living marine resources, to support approaches that mitigate inevitable short-term costs during rebuilding stocks, so that efforts will be repaid many times over. The goal includes the application of solutions such as growth in a U.S. marine aquaculture industry to help restore depleted populations.

o Assess the status of fishery resources, to improve the scientific basis for policy decisions, including the elimination of overfishing, the rebuilding of overfished stocks, the conservation of fish habitat, and the minimization of bycatch-related mortality. (NOAA)

-- Increased percentage of 201 fish stocks fully assessed. NOAA conducts stock assessments to provide the basis for fisheries management decisions, including the determination of the annual total allowable catch.

o Advance fishery predictions through research and applications. (NOAA)

-- Number of new models/syntheses delivered from fisheries oceanographic studies to Fishery Management Councils. This is a measure of NOAA's efforts to develop new ecosystem-based fisheries oceanography models and syntheses of these models to forecast fisheries long-term productivity.

o Manage for economic growth and sustainable fisheries by working with Fishery Management Councils, foreign nations and others to plan for reducing excessive fishing and capital investment. (NOAA)

-- Number of Fishery Management Plans with controlled access implemented. Access controls provide an important means to address the market failure and overcapitalization that occurs in an open-access, common property fishery resource.

o Ensure adequate compliance with fishery regulations. (NOAA)

-- Increased number of fleets using vessel monitoring systems for spatial/temporal regulations. This measure tracks the number of fleets using state-of-the-art satellite monitoring and communications systems as part of their fishing operations, resulting in improved and more cost-effective fisheries enforcement capabilities.

o Provide research and services for fishery-dependent industries to maximize the potential benefits from the Nation's marine resources. (NOAA)

-- Percentage reduction in the time and cost of permitting environmentally sound aquaculture ventures. NOAA research and technical assistance in aquaculture will help maximize the potential benefits from the Nation's marine resources.

B. Recover protected species through conserving marine species, recovering those in danger of extinction, and maintaining healthy marine ecosystems upon which they depend. The effort utilizes NOAA's research and management expertise to understand and quantify how species, ecosystems and biological diversity are affected by human impacts and to implement effective programs to recover species or prevent their decline while minimizing the impact to affected users. Conservation programs rely upon a solid investment in research and decision-making to conserve marine species.

o Assess the status of, and impacts to, protected species. (NOAA)

-- Improved assessment of human-induced and other sources of mortality of protected species. This measure reports the number of adverse impacts to protected species identified and acted upon by NOAA, including the detection, monitoring and verification of incidental takes. Understanding and quantifying these impacts enables NOAA to implement mitigation measures to protect species.

o Develop and implement conservation and recovery plans for depleted marine mammals and endangered and threatened species. (NOAA)

-- Number of species with annual status improved. This measure tracks progress for each species to show improvements in their status, which depends upon the degree of successful implementation of recovery and conservation plans.

C. Sustain healthy coasts to promote more productive and diverse habitats for fish and wildlife, cleaner coastal waters for recreation and the production of seafood, and achieve sustainable economies for coastal communities based on well-planned development and healthy ecosystems. NOAA's strategy involves: providing greater understanding of interactions among the components of healthy ecosystems; designing and implementing comprehensive and integrated management solutions; and communicating information about coastal environmental problems and solutions.

o Protect, conserve and restore coastal and all living marine resource habitats and their biodiversity. (NOAA)

-- Percentage of the Nation's 40 major coastal ecosystems with reduced risks of habitat loss from releases of oil and hazardous chemicals due to response planning, mitigation, modeling, monitoring and assessments. This indicates how many of the major coastal ecosystems have information on living resources and hazardous materials, to reduce additional risks.

o Promote clean coastal waters to sustain living marine resources and ensure safe recreation, healthy seafood and economic vitality. (NOAA)

-- Percentage of Nation's 40 major coastal ecosystems with enhanced water quality and natural resources. NOAA will provide the tools and knowledge to improve coastal water quality and natural resources, including efforts to assess, remediate and restore coastal ecosystems.

o Foster well-planned and revitalized coastal communities that sustain economies, are compatible with the natural environment, minimize the risks from natural hazards, and provide access to resources for the public's use and enjoyment. (NOAA)

-- Number of models for new commercial products and approaches to industrial processing and bioprocessing based on biochemical products and processes in marine organisms. NOAA works with industry to develop new technologies and products to support environmentally sound economic development.

D. Grant exclusive rights, for limited times, to inventors for their discoveries, and enhance trademark protection. A strategy of enhancing human resources, employing better processes, leveraging information technology, and effectively managing resources supports this goal.

o Maximize the business contribution of patents by reducing cycle time for inventions, reengineering business processes, achieving electronic processing of patent applications, assessing fees commensurate with resource utilization and customer efficiency, and exceeding customer expectations through the competencies and empowerment of employees. (PTO)

-- Reduced pendency time for patents. Since the term of utility patent protection begins on the filing date of an invention and ends 20 years later, cycle time directly impacts the term of patent protection for our customers.

o Maximize the business contribution of trademarks by reducing pendency time, implementing reengineered processes, and transforming trademark processing into a fully electronic operation. (PTO)

-- Reduced pendency time for trademarks. Prompt action on a trademark application, particularly a first action, enables an applicant to reach the market as quickly as possible.

E. Promote the development of an advanced telecommunications and information infrastructure to efficiently serve the needs of all Americans, create job opportunities for American workers, and enhance the competitiveness of U.S. industry in the global marketplace.

o Set policies for efficiently and effectively managing the federal use of the radio spectrum, and prepare for international radio spectrum-setting conferences of the International Telecommunications Union (ITU). (NTIA)

-- Long-range plans to meet public safety and emergency needs.

o Support the development of a National Information Infrastructure (NII) that will be accessible to all Americans. (NTIA)

-- Development of models for utilization of the information infrastructure.

o Promote national policies to increase competition and efficient investment in telecommunications and information industries, enhance consumer welfare and economic and social opportunities for all, and remove impediments to the growth and vitality of these sectors. (NTIA)

-- Increase in the national average for telephone penetration.

o Administer the Information Infrastructure Grants program which provides grants to assist State and local governments, universities and school systems, hospitals and other health care providers, and other social service entities. (NTIA)

-- Increased numbers of entities connected to the NII.

o Ensure that all government needs for vital telecommunications services can be satisfied nationally and internationally. (NTIA)

-- Increased identification of new technologies applicable to government operations.

o Ensure that the educational and cultural benefits of public broadcasting are available to as many people as possible, educational entities are able to use a variety of telecommunications technologies to improve the effectiveness of distance learning, minorities and women have increased access and control of public telecommunications, and blind and hearing-impaired persons are able to participate more fully in society through the use of telecommunications. (NTIA)

-- Development of content policy models adaptable to different cultural beliefs.

F. (EDA's strategies under Theme 3 are achieved through grants awarded to alleviate conditions of substantial and persistent unemployment and underemployment in economically-distressed areas of the Nation having specific resources or assets. EDA's performance goals relate directly to job creation capacity building, information dissemination, and recovery from economic dislocation.)

Enable communities that have acquired military installations during the recent defense downsizing to convert their use to civilian functions for local economic benefit.

o Help communities design and implement strategies for adjusting to base closures or natural disasters that are causing, or threaten to cause, serious structural damage to the underlying economic base. (EDA)

-- Extent of community participation.

o Help communities replace, transform or expand infrastructure facilities of military installations to retain or create substantial employment potential. (EDA)

-- Number of jobs created and/or retained.

G. Enable communities to achieve long-term economic recovery from the devastation of their productive resources by natural disasters.

o Help communities adversely affected by natural disasters to improve their capacity for economic recovery or adjustment. (EDA)

-- Additional funds invested in local projects.

H. Enable distressed communities to practice and implement sustainable economic development.

o Help communities develop an integrated approach that incorporates early local planning, full participation of stakeholders, and a comprehensive strategy to conserve resources and sustain community and quality of life. (EDA)

-- Extent of community planning.

o Help communities redevelop Brownfields. (EDA)

-- Applications of construction grant funding.

o Help distressed communities develop eco-industrial parks. (EDA)

-- Increased amount of non-EDA funds invested.

Table of Contents