
From the U.S. Code Online via GPO Access
[wais.access.gpo.gov]
[Laws in effect as of January 2, 2001]
[Document not affected by Public Laws enacted between
  January 2, 2001 and January 28, 2002]
[CITE: 15USC5611]

 
                      TITLE 15--COMMERCE AND TRADE
 
                 CHAPTER 82--LAND REMOTE SENSING POLICY
 
                          SUBCHAPTER I--LANDSAT
 
Sec. 5611. Landsat Program Management


(a) Establishment

    The Administrator and the Secretary of Defense shall be responsible 
for management of the Landsat program. Such responsibility shall be 
carried out by establishing an integrated program management structure 
for the Landsat system.

(b) Management plan

    The Administrator, the Secretary of Defense, and any other United 
States Government official the President designates as responsible for 
part of the Landsat program, shall establish, through a management plan, 
the roles, responsibilities, and funding expectations for the Landsat 
Program \1\ of the appropriate United States Government agencies. The 
management plan shall--
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    \1\ So in original. Probably should not be capitalized.
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        (1) specify that the fundamental goal of the Landsat Program 
    Management is the continuity of unenhanced Landsat data through the 
    acquisition and operation of a Landsat 7 satellite as quickly as 
    practicable which is, at a minimum, functionally equivalent to the 
    Landsat 6 satellite, with the addition of a tracking and data relay 
    satellite communications capability;
        (2) include a baseline funding profile that--
            (A) is mutually acceptable to the National Aeronautics and 
        Space Administration and the Department of Defense for the 
        period covering the development and operation of Landsat 7; and
            (B) provides for total funding responsibility of the 
        National Aeronautics and Space Administration and the Department 
        of Defense, respectively, to be approximately equal to the 
        funding responsibility of the other as spread across the 
        development and operational life of Landsat 7;

        (3) specify that any improvements over the Landsat 6 functional 
    equivalent capability for Landsat 7 will be funded by a specific 
    sponsoring agency or agencies, in a manner agreed to by the Landsat 
    Program Management, if the required funding exceeds the baseline 
    funding profile required by paragraph (2), and that additional 
    improvements will be sought only if the improvements will not 
    jeopardize data continuity; and
        (4) provide for a technology demonstration program whose 
    objective shall be the demonstration of advanced land remote sensing 
    technologies that may potentially yield a system which is less 
    expensive to build and operate, and more responsive to data users, 
    than is the current Landsat system.

(c) Responsibilities

    The Landsat Program Management shall be responsible for--
        (1) Landsat 7 procurement, launch, and operations;
        (2) ensuring that the operation of the Landsat system is 
    responsive to the broad interests of the civilian, national 
    security, commercial, and foreign users of the Landsat system;
        (3) ensuring that all unenhanced Landsat data remain 
    unclassified and that, except as provided in section 5656(a) and (b) 
    of this title, no restrictions are placed on the availability of 
    unenhanced data;
        (4) ensuring that land remote sensing data of high priority 
    locations will be acquired by the Landsat 7 system as required to 
    meet the needs of the United States Global Change Research Program, 
    as established in the Global Change Research Act of 1990 [15 U.S.C. 
    2921 et seq.], and to meet the needs of national security users;
        (5) Landsat data responsibilities pursuant to this chapter;
        (6) oversight of Landsat contracts entered into under sections 
    5612 and 5613 of this title;
        (7) coordination of a technology demonstration program, pursuant 
    to section 5633 of this title; and
        (8) ensuring that copies of data acquired by the Landsat system 
    are provided to the National Satellite Land Remote Sensing Data 
    Archive.

(d) Authority to contract

    The Landsat Program Management may, subject to appropriations and 
only under the existing contract authority of the United States 
Government agencies that compose the Landsat Program Management, enter 
into contracts with the private sector for services such as, but not 
limited to, satellite operations and data preprocessing.

(e) Landsat advisory process

                          (1) Establishment

        The Landsat Program Management shall seek impartial advice and 
    comments regarding the status, effectiveness, and operation of the 
    Landsat system, using existing advisory committees and other 
    appropriate mechanisms. Such advice shall be sought from individuals 
    who represent--
            (A) a broad range of perspectives on basic and applied 
        science and operational needs with respect to land remote 
        sensing data;
            (B) the full spectrum of users of Landsat data, including 
        representatives from United States Government agencies, State 
        and local government agencies, academic institutions, nonprofit 
        organizations, value-added companies, the agricultural, mineral 
        extraction, and other user industries, and the public, and
            (C) a broad diversity of age groups, sexes, and races.

                             (2) Reports

        Within 1 year after October 28, 1992, and biennially thereafter, 
    the Landsat Program Management shall prepare and submit a report to 
    the Congress which--
            (A) reports the public comments received pursuant to 
        paragraph (1); and
            (B) includes--
                (i) a response to the public comments received pursuant 
            to paragraph (1);
                (ii) information on the volume of use, by category, of 
            data from the Landsat system; and
                (iii) any recommendations for policy or programmatic 
            changes to improve the utility and operation of the Landsat 
            system.

(Pub. L. 102-555, title I, Sec. 101, Oct. 28, 1992, 106 Stat. 4166.)

                       References in Text

    The Global Change Research Act of 1990, referred to in subsec. 
(c)(4), is Pub. L. 101-606, Nov. 16, 1990, 104 Stat. 3096, which is 
classified generally to chapter 56A (Sec. 2921 et seq.) of this title. 
For complete classification of this Act to the Code, see Short Title 
note set out under section 2921 of this title and Tables.


                Landsat Remote-Sensing Satellite Program

    Pub. L. 103-139, title VIII, Sec. 8060, Nov. 11, 1993, 107 Stat. 
1453, authorized Department of Defense to develop and procure the 
Landsat 7 vehicle, prior to repeal by Pub. L. 103-335, title VIII, 
Sec. 8051, Sept. 30, 1994, 108 Stat. 2629. Similar provisions were 
contained in the following prior acts:
    Pub. L. 102-484, div. A, title II, Sec. 243, Oct. 23, 1992, 106 
Stat. 2360, as amended by Pub. L. 103-35, title II, Sec. 202(a)(3), May 
31, 1993, 107 Stat. 101.
    Pub. L. 102-396, title IX, Sec. 9082A, Oct. 6, 1992, 106 Stat. 1920.

                  Section Referred to in Other Sections

    This section is referred to in sections 5602, 5614 of this title.
