Statement on Signing the Bill Amending the Arctic Research and Policy Act of 1984

I am today signing S. 677, an Act that amends the Arctic Research and Policy Act of 1984. These amendments are intended to facilitate the work of the Arctic Research Commission and the Interagency Arctic Research Policy Committee in developing and implementing a research policy to guide scientific efforts in the Arctic.

Two provisions of the Act warrant careful construction to avoid constitutional difficulties. Section 3(b) requires that the Arctic Research Commission report concurrently to the President and the Congress on its activities during the preceding fiscal year. I construe this section to permit the President to review the Commission's report before it is submitted to the Congress. Section 6 of the Act requires the Interagency Arctic Research Policy Committee to submit to the Congress a report that details, among other things, its responses to the recommendations of the Commission. I do not construe this language to detract from my authority to protect the confidentiality of communications within the executive branch.

George Bush

The White House,

November 16, 1990.