12 2 STA T .48 11 PUBLIC LA W 11 0– 422 —O CT. 1 5, 2008 SEC.1 1 09 . PROT ECT I O N O F SCIENTIFIC CRE D I B I L IT Y, INTE G RITY, A ND CO M M U NICATION W IT H IN NASA. (a)SENS E OFTH E C ON GR ESS .—Itis t he se n se of Con gr ess that NA SA sho uld not dilute , distort, su p press, or i m pede s c ientific research or the dissemination thereof. ( b )ST UDY .— W ithin 60 da y s after the date of enactment of this Act, the Comptroller G eneral shall— ( 1 ) initiate a study to be completed w ithin 27 0 days to determine whether the regulations set forth in part 121 3 of title 1 4 , Code of F ederal R egulations, are being implemented in a clear and consistent manner by NASA to ensure the dissemination of research
and (2) transmit a report to the Congress setting forth the Comptroller General ’ s findings, conclusions, and recommenda - tions. (c) RESE A R C H.— T he Administrator shall wor k to ensure that NASA’s policies on the sharing of climate related data respond to the recommendations of the Go v ernment Accountability O ffice’s report on climate change research and data-sharing policies and to the recommendations on the processing, distribution, and archiving of data by the National Academies E arth Science D ecadal Survey, ‘ ‘Earth Science and Applications from Space’’, and other relevant National Academies reports, to enhance and facilitate their availability and widest possible use to ensure public access to accurate and current data on global warming. SEC. 1110. SENSE OF CONGRESS REGARDING THE NEED FOR A ROBUST WOR K FORCE. It is the sense of Congress that— (1) a robust and highly skilled workforce is critical to the success of NASA’s programs; (2) voluntary attrition, the retirement of many senior workers, and difficulties in recruiting could leave NASA without access to the intellectual capital necessary to compete with its global competitors; and (3) NASA should work cooperatively with other agencies of the U nited States Government responsible for programs related to space and the aerospace industry to develop and implement policies, including those with an emphasis on improving science, technology, engineering, and mathematics education at all levels, to sustain and e x pand the diverse workforce available to NASA. SEC. 1111. METHANE IN V ENTORY. Within 12 months after the date of enactment of this Act, the Director of OST P ,incon j unction with the Administrator, the Administrator of NOAA, and other appropriate Federal agencies and academic institutions, shall develop a plan, including a cost estimate and timetable, and initiate an inventory of natural methane stocks and fluxes in the polar region of the United States. SEC. 111 2 . E X CEPTION TO ALTERNATIVE FUEL PROCUREMENT RE Q UIREMENT. Section 5 26(a) of the Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007 (42 U.S.C. 17142(a)) does not prohibit NASA from entering into a contract to purchase a generally available fuel that is not an alternative or synthetic fuel or predominantly produced from a nonconventional petroleum source, if— 42USC178 27 .Deadlin e. P lan. 42 USC 1782 6 . R e ports . Deadlines. 42 USC 1782 5 .
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