Jay Rockefeller: “I oppose the decision to rescind the defense funding from the joint DOD/NASA Landsat program in H.R. 3759, the emergency…”

“I oppose the decision to rescind the defense funding from the joint DOD/NASA Landsat program in H.R. 3759, the emergency supplemental appropriations act. This rescission jeopardizes our land remote sensing program, a program the United States has developed for over 20 years and has greatly enriched our understanding of the Earth and its resources. NASA launched the first land remote sensing satellite back in 1972. Today, archived and current Landsat data are used by Federal, State, and local governments, universities, and businesses for environmental monitoring, land use management, global change research, and even national disaster assessments. Landsat is an excellent example of how outer space can be a valuable tool for not only research scientists, but farmers and urban planners. Because the United States has invested in this technology for over 20 years and has ensured the continuity of Landsat data, we can detect global changes in the environment and better manage our natural resources. Under the Land Remote Sensing Policy Act of 1992, Congress directed the Department of Defense [DOD] and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration [NASA] to continue the Landsat program through the development of Landsat 7.”