7 U.S.C. § 178 — Congressional findings and declaration of

Page 323 TITLE 7—AGRICULTURE § 178 the sale of guayule and other rubber-bearing plants, and was not repeated in subsequent appropriation acts. Similar provisions were contained in prior appropria- tion acts as follows: May 5, 1945, ch. 109, 59 Stat. 152. June 28, 1944, ch. 296, 58 Stat. 447. July 12, 1943, ch. 215, 57 Stat. 415. July 2, 1942, ch. 476, title I, 56 Stat. 597. Apr. 28, 1942, ch. 247, title III, 56 Stat. 240. § 175. Lease or sublease of unsuitable lands; dis- posal of water supply Subject to conditions prescribed by the Sec- retary of Agriculture, any part of the land ac- quired by lease, deed, or other agreement pursu- ant to sections 171 to 173 of this title, which is not required or suitable for the purposes of said sections may be leased or subleased at a reason- able rental during the period the United States is entitled to possession thereof; and any surplus water supplies controlled by the United States on such land may be disposed of at reasonable rates. (July 2, 1942, ch. 476, title I, 56 Stat. 597.) § 176. Sale of guayule shrub to Reconstruction Fi- nance Corporation Guayule shrub may be sold to the Reconstruc- tion Finance Corporation at a price reflecting the net realization from the sale of the rubber recovered from such shrub in mills operated by said Corporation after deducting the cost of milling and amortization of the cost of mills constructed for the purpose by said Corporation. (June 30, 1945, ch. 215, § 1, 59 Stat. 310; July 5, 1945, ch. 271, title I, 59 Stat. 423.) Statutory Notes and Related Subsidiaries TRANSFER OF FUNCTIONS Rubber Reserve Company dissolved and functions transferred to Reconstruction Finance Corporation by Joint Res. June 30, 1945, eff. July 1, 1945. Executive Documents ABOLITION OF RECONSTRUCTION FINANCE CORPORATION Section 6(a) of 1957 Reorg. Plan No. 1, eff. June 30, 1957, 22 F.R. 4633, 71 Stat. 649, set out as a note under section 601 of Title 15, Commerce and Trade, abolished Reconstruction Finance Corporation. SUBCHAPTER II—CRITICAL AGRICULTURAL MATERIALS § 178. Congressional findings and declaration of policy (a)(1) Congress recognizes that natural latex rubber is a commodity of vital importance to the economy, the defense, and the general well- being of the Nation. The United States is totally dependent upon foreign sources for its supplies of natural (Hevea) latex, which total about one million tons per year. Synthetic rubber, manu- factured from petroleum feedstocks, cannot be substituted for natural rubber. (2) Congress further recognizes that certain plant species of the genus Parthenium (Gua- yule), native to Texas and the Republic of Mex- ico, as well as other plants, are known to con- tain commercial quantities of extractable rub- ber. During World War II, through research car- ried out by the Secretary of Agriculture in the Emergency Rubber Project, the United States demonstrated that Parthenium latex is a prom- ising and realistic substitute for Hevea latex. (3) Congress further recognizes that additional research and development are needed, especially into methods for increasing latex yields, before commercialization of native Parthenium latex or other hydrocarbon-containing plants by pri- vate industry is feasible. (4) Congress further recognizes that the devel- opment of a domestic natural rubber industry, based on Parthenium and other hydrocarbon- containing plants, would not only relieve the Nation’s dependence upon foreign latex sources but also convey substantial economic benefits to people living in arid and semiarid regions of the United States. Such an industry would comprise the agricultural production of the hydrocarbon- containing plants and the development of com- mercial processing and manufacturing facilities to extract the latex and other products. (5) Congress further recognizes that ongoing research into the development and commer- cialization of native latex has been conducted by the Department of Agriculture, the Department of Commerce, the National Science Foundation, and other public as well as private and indus- trial research groups, and that these research ef- forts should be continued and expanded. (b) In addition, Congress recognizes that the development of a domestic industry or indus- tries for the production and manufacture from native agricultural crops of products other than rubber which are of strategic and industrial im- portance but for which the Nation is now de- pendent upon foreign sources, would benefit the economy, the defense, and the general well- being of the Nation, and that additional re- search efforts in this area should be undertaken or continued and expanded. (c) It is therefore the policy of the United States to provide for the development and dem- onstration of economically feasible means of culturing and manufacturing Parthenium and other hydrocarbon-containing plants, along with other native agricultural crops, for the produc- tion of critical agricultural materials to benefit the Nation and promote economic development. (Pub. L. 95–592, § 2, Nov. 4, 1978, 92 Stat. 2529; Pub. L. 98–284, § 2, May 16, 1984, 98 Stat. 181.) Editorial Notes AMENDMENTS 1984—Subsec. (a)(1). Pub. L. 98–284, § 2(1), redesignated existing provisions of subsec. (a) as par. (1). Subsec. (a)(2) to (4). Pub. L. 98–284, § 2(2), redesignated subsecs. (b), (c), and (d) as pars. (2), (3), and (4), respec- tively, of subsec. (a). Subsec. (a)(5). Pub. L. 98–284, § 2(2), (3), redesignated subsec. (e) as par. (5) of subsec. (a), and in par. (5), as so redesignated, substituted ‘‘development and com- mercialization of native latex has been conducted by the Department of Agriculture, the Department of Commerce, the National Science Foundation, and other public as well as private and industrial research groups,’’ for ‘‘commercialization of native latex has been conducted by the Department of Agriculture and by the Department of Commerce through the regional commissions’’. Page 324 TITLE 7—AGRICULTURE § 178a Subsec. (b). Pub. L. 98–284, § 2(4), added subsec. (b). Former subsec. (b) redesignated (a)(2). Subsec. (c). Pub. L. 98–284, § 2(4), added subsec. (c). Former subsec. (c) redesignated (a)(3). Subsecs. (d) and (e). Pub. L. 98–284, § 2(2), redesignated subsecs. (d) and (e) as (a)(4) and (a)(5), respectively. Subsec. (f). Pub. L. 98–284, § 2(4), struck out subsec. (f) which provided: ‘‘It is the policy of the Congress, there- fore, to provide for the development and demonstration of economically feasible means of culturing and manu- facturing Parthenium and other hydrocarbon-con- taining plants for the extraction of natural rubber and other products to benefit the Nation and promote eco- nomic development’’. See subsec. (c). Statutory Notes and Related Subsidiaries SHORT TITLE Pub. L. 95–592, § 1, Nov. 4, 1978, 92 Stat. 2529, as amend- ed by Pub. L. 98–284, § 1, May 16, 1984, 98 Stat. 181, pro- vided: ‘‘That this Act [enacting this subchapter and amending section 1314f of this title] may be cited as the ‘Critical Agricultural Materials Act’.’’ As originally enacted Pub. L. 95–592 had been cited as the ‘‘Native Latex Commercialization and Economic Development Act of 1978’’. § 178a. Definitions As used in this subchapter— (a) The term ‘‘State’’ means each of the fifty States, the District of Columbia, and the Com- monwealth of Puerto Rico. (b) The term ‘‘Secretaries’’ means the Sec- retary of Agriculture and/or the Secretary of Commerce acting each separately or jointly. (c) The term ‘‘commercialization’’ means the stage in the development or advancement of a technology at which point private enterprise is willing to invest in a full-scale production facil- ity. (d) The term ‘‘native’’ means hydrocarbon- containing plants and other agricultural crops of strategic and industrial importance which may be cultured in North America, especially plants which are members of the genus Parthenium known as Guayule. (Pub. L. 95–592, § 3, Nov. 4, 1978, 92 Stat. 2529; Pub. L. 98–284, § 3, May 16, 1984, 98 Stat. 181.) Editorial Notes AMENDMENTS 1984—Subsec. (d). Pub. L. 98–284, § 3(a), inserted ‘‘and other agricultural crops of strategic and industrial im- portance’’ and ‘‘plants which are’’. Subsec. (e). Pub. L. 98–284, § 3(b), struck out subsec. (e) which defined ‘‘Regional Commissions’’ as the Re- gional Action Planning Commissions established pursu- ant to title V of the Public Works and Economic Devel- opment Act of 1965. § 178b. Joint Commission on Research and Devel- opment of Critical Agricultural Materials (a) Establishment; function There is established a Joint Commission on Research and Development of Critical Agricul- tural Materials, hereinafter referred to as the Joint Commission. The function of the Joint Commission shall be to assist the Secretaries in carrying out the purposes of this subchapter. (b) Membership The Joint Commission shall consist of the fol- lowing members: Three individuals designated by the Secretary of Agriculture from among the staff of the Department of Agriculture; three in- dividuals designated by the Secretary of Com- merce from among the staff of the Department of Commerce; a representative of the Bureau of Indian Affairs of the Department of the Interior; a representative of the National Science Foun- dation; a representative of the Department of State; a representative of the Department of De- fense; and a representative of the Federal Emer- gency Management Agency. Each of the mem- bers of the Joint Commission shall be an indi- vidual who, on behalf of the Department or agency which such individual represents, is en- gaged in the support of research, development, demonstration, and commercialization activi- ties involving native latex and the production of other critical agricultural materials from native agricultural crops. (c) Chairman The Joint Commission shall be headed by a Chairman who shall be selected by the Secretary of Agriculture from among the three individuals designated by the Secretary as members under subsection (b). (d) Delegation of responsibilities to Joint Com- mission; transfer and use of appropriated funds The Secretaries may delegate to the Joint Commission one or more of their responsibilities under this subchapter, and transfer to the Joint Commission funds appropriated to carry out the purposes of this subchapter as they deem appro- priate to achieve the purposes of this sub- chapter, and the Joint Commission is authorized to carry out such functions and expend such funds to achieve the purposes of the subchapter. (e) Duties The Joint Commission shall— (1) develop a plan establishing goals, time- tables, and tasks to be undertaken in carrying out the purposes of this subchapter; (2) establish broad policy for implementing the plan carrying out the purposes of this sub- chapter; (3) establish criteria for evaluating and awarding contracts for research, development, and demonstration projects; and (4) review and advise the Secretaries with re- spect to grants, contracts, and other project expenditures. (f) Administrative support services The Secretaries are authorized to provide without reimbursement such administrative support services, including the detail of staff personnel not to exceed a total of five persons from each Department, as the Joint Commission may need to carry out its functions. (g) Advice of scientific, engineering and business communities To the maximum extent possible, the Secre- taries and the Joint Commission shall seek the advice of the scientific, engineering and business communities with respect to the activities car- ried out under this subchapter. The Secretaries and the Commission shall specifically seek the advice of persons with expertise in appropriate fields of agricultural research in land grant col-