On 13 July 1965, a new United States Government scientific agency, the Environmental Science Services Administration (ESSA), was created.

He also served in the Gulf of Mexico where he conducted geophysical surveys that identified underwater salt domes for the stocking of U.S. strategic oil reserves.

[3] While serving as commanding officer of the research ship NOAAS Oceanographer (R 101) during the 1970s, he oversaw research studies of the physical, biological, and benthic region in the tropical Pacific Ocean to determine its biological productivity and the potential damage to the area from deep-ocean mining of manganese nodules.

[1] For nine years, Taggart served in a flight status, flying both helicopters and fixed-wing aircraft on mapping missions.

He also served in Washington, D.C., in the Office of Congressional and Legislative Affairs on Capitol Hill and as director of the National Ocean Service.