Marvin Mandel, Governor                             89

dustry and academic institutions to conduct the necessary research,
to construct or acquire, or both, real property including physical
predictive models, laboratories, buildings, land and appurtenances,
and to support the technological development of extra-ordinary sys-
tems related to power plants designed to minimize environmental
impact. The Secretary of Natural Resources shall utilize available
expertise in other State agencies in the development, execution and
management of contracts and agreements on projects relating to
their areas of prime responsibility.

764. Power Plant Environmental Research Program

(a)   The Secretary of Natural Resources in cooperation with the
Secretary of Health and Mental Hygiene and the Secretary of Eco-
nomic and Community Development and utility ELECTRIC COM-
PANY representatives shall implement a continuing research pro-
gram for electric power plant site evaluation and related environ-
mental and land use considerations, hereinafter known as the "pro-
gram." The Secretary of Natural Resources shall seek recommenda-
tions from additional sources including pertinent federal and State
agencies, electric companies and academia for related research to be
included in the "program." An initial program shall be documented
on or about January 1, 1972. The Secretary of Natural Resources
shall institute effective procedures for coordinating environmental
research assignments, so as to prevent the dissipation of money, time
and effort. To this end, the State's electric companies will be reim-
bursed from the "Fund" for environmental research specifically re-
quired to satisfy application and permit requirements for Federal,
State and Local regulatory agencies provided the electric company
has furnished an outline of the program and its estimated cost so
that it can be budgeted in advance by the Secretary of Natural
Resources.

(b)   The "program" shall include:

(1)  general biological and ecological baseline studies, including
but not limited to appropriate environmental studies of the biology,
physics, and chemistry of the Chesapeake Bay and tributaries; sedi-
ment; biological surveys to determine and identify essential marine
organism nursery areas of the State's waters, including the Chesa-
peake Bay and tributaries; epibenthos; bottom species; crab; fin fish
and human use studies,

(2)  research to assist prediction, including but not limited to
experimental research, field and laboratory, and the development and
provision for physical, mathematical, and biological modeling tools
to assist in and to evaluate the effects of variation of natural waters
resulting from electric generating plant operations including changes
in temperature, oxygen levels, salinity, biocides, radionuclides and
"heavy" metals and to also include the collection and organization
of relevant information and data necessary to the operation of
physical, mathematical, and biological modeling tools,

(3)  provisions for monitoring the operations of existing and
hereafter established electric power facilities located in the State and
which shall include, but not be limited to determination of the
actual distribution and effect of temperature, salinity, oxygen, radio-
nuclides and heavy metals, biological effects; radiological, heavy
metal and biocide effects; recreational and commercial fishing gains
and losses; and human health and welfare effects,