15 USC 1534 - Assessment of fees for access to environmental data

U.S Code last checked for updates: Feb 21, 2025

§ 1534.

Assessment of fees for access to environmental data

(a)

Basis of assessment

(b)

Eligible recipients; waiver of fees in cases of foreign governments and international organizations

(1)

The Secretary shall provide data, information, and products described in subsection (a) to Federal, State, and local government agencies, to universities, and to other nonprofit institutions at the cost of reproduction and transmission, if such data, information, and products are to be used for research and not for commercial purposes.

(2)

The Secretary shall waive the assessment of fees under subsection (a) as necessary to continue to provide data, information, or products to foreign governments and international organizations on a basis of exchanging such data, information, and products or as otherwise provided by international agreement.

(3)

The Secretary shall waive the assessment of fees authorized by subsection (a) as necessary to continue to provide weather warnings, watches, and similar products and services essential to the mission of the National Oceanic Atmospheric 1

 So in original. Probably should be preceded by “and”.

Administration.

(c)

Publication of fee schedules in Federal Register; initial schedule effective for three-year period

(d)

Effective date of assessments; progressive increments

Any assessment of fees under this section by the National Environmental Satellite, Data, and Information Service for archived data shall meet the following requirements:

(1)

The initial schedule of fees established by the National Environmental Satellite, Data, and Information Service for archived data shall remain in effect for the 3-year period beginning on the date that the fees under that schedule take effect.

(2)

With respect to the first one-year period during which the initial fee schedule is in effect, fees shall be assessed at no more than one-third of the fair market value specified in subsection (a).

(3)

With respect to the second one-year period during which the initial fee schedule is in effect, fees shall be assessed at not more than two-thirds of such fair market value.

(4)

With respect to the third one-year period during which the initial fee schedule is in effect, and with respect to any period thereafter, fees shall be assessed at no more than the full amount of such fair market value.

(e)

Data archive center operations; availability of fees for expenses of centers

(f)

Report to Congressional committees

The Secretary shall, not later than 90 days after November 17, 1988, submit to the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation of the Senate and the Committee on Science, Space, and Technology of the House of Representatives a report which sets forth—

(1)

any plan of the Secretary for assessing fees under this section by the National Environmental Satellite, Data, and Information Service for archived data, including the methodology and bases by which the amount of such fees shall be determined, and the estimated revenues therefrom; and

(2)

any plan of the Secretary for using revenues generated from such fees, as well as other resources, to improve the capability of the National Environmental Satellite, Data, and Information Service to collect, manage, process, archive, and disseminate the increasing amounts of data generated from satellites, radars, and other technologies.

(g)

Other assessment authorities unaffected

(Pub. L. 100–685, title IV, § 409, Nov. 17, 1988, 102 Stat. 4100; Pub. L. 101–508, title X, § 10201(a), Nov. 5, 1990, 104 Stat. 1388–392.)

cite as: 15 USC 1534