66 



House Gutf Testimony 



Ttie fact is that yoo can find examples of txjth extremes, and many In-between cases as well. 



The huge expanse of Texas shoreline also means Ihat Texas beaches are not as swimmer intense 

 as their East coast counterparts. 



An East coast beach may have 1 50 swimmers per hundred yards. There are long stretches of 

 Texas beach where there are not 150 swimmers per hundred miles. 



To sum up; wNle 1 do want to see uniformity in minimal standards for health and public safety, 

 because of the size and diversify of our national coastline I doubt that unlfomi procedures for assessment 

 and enforcement will be practical. 



In Texas, our priorities start with human health and extend into sustaining the environmental and 

 economic resources that are dependent on clean water. 



We have some areas that are crying for help and what little money we have often needs to deal 

 with those real, already documented proWen^. 



Lavaca Bay, for instance, has serious contamination from mercury — a lethal substance. There are 

 reports of PCBs in the Arroyo Colorado, which feeds into the Laguna Madre. 



We need to spend wisely. 



H.R. 31 requires a 50 percent match by states of what the federal government may or may not 

 decide to spend. That is too onerous a burden to place on on my stale In these fiscally tight times. 



I doni want to sound as If Texas Is stubbornly unwilling to address the problems this bill targets. In 

 fact, the reverse is true. 



Our state is currently drafting a coastal zone management plan for federal approval. We're still 

 atx)ut a year away from completion. 



Our Oil Spill Prevention and Response Program involves strict standards and stiff penalties for 

 polluters. Since the program began tvw) years ago, we have dealt effectively with 1 ,996 oil spills. 



WeVe worked hard to stem the flow of marine debris that washes onto our shores. We lead the 

 nation in volunteer participation on our twice-yearly statewide beach cleanups. 



We're not unwilling. We're just not quite ready to invest so heavily on monitoring when we have 

 more serious problems still unaddressed and vital remediation programs underfunded. 



I'd like to make some suggestions that would make this bill more realistic (or Texas, given the 

 factors I've discussed. 



First, proceed with Mid-Atlantic and other regions that feel they are ready to work under a national 

 standard. 



In the meantime, have federal scientists Identity zones of exposure, based on ocean currents, 

 temperatures, Intensity of human use, etc., and have them recommend procedures to follow within tfxise 



