As we work with the Plan, it may well be that we will consider 

 some organizational changes in NOAA not limited to looking at the 

 coastal issues but others. But we have not reached that decision 

 yet. 



Ms. EsHOO. Can you make any kind of recommendation for this 

 to be lifted as a priority within NOAA? 



The reason I ask this is because you can tell, it is obvious, it is a 

 source of frustration to me. There are blessings, and there are bur- 

 dens in all of these things. And you gave lengthy testimony on 

 things I would never argue with because they are all things that 

 we applaud and we want to see happen. 



I have trouble ferreting out, from what you have said, how on- 

 the-ground managers for coastal zone management, human beings 

 that are on the ground that need to protect the coast day in and 

 day out, how what you just spelled out relates to them in their day- 

 to-day lives and then produce what we are looking for way back 

 here. 



I sometimes think that inside the beltway we have trouble relat- 

 ing back to what really needs to happen. I think this is a program 

 that is not being very well-served, and I can't help but come away 

 sensing that it has not been bumped up as a real priority. I will 

 keep saying it until, hopefully, I am satisfied that it is. 



So maybe you can enlighten us and tell us how the coastal zone 

 managers are going to be cheered by what you are going to do be- 

 cause it, indeed, is a priority in NOAA. 



Ms. JosEPHSON. I think the coastal zone managers who partici- 

 pate in the development of the Plan are cheered because it reflects 

 their concerns and their priorities. 



Ms. EsHOO. Tell me what that is, though. 



Ms. JosEPHSON. It is, basically, to implement the Coastal Zone 

 Management Act. And one new element in the law, the nonpoint 

 source pollution aspects — as you know, in the 1994 budget, we man- 

 aged to get the initial funding for that, and hopefully, in the 1995 

 budget process, we will be able to add to that, which is a specific 

 additional element. 



I don't know if you are aware, but Jeff Benoit, from the State of 

 Massachusetts, has just come onboard as the new director of the 

 OCRM office; and, of course, that has been a position which has 

 been vacant since the last Administration. He came onboard the 

 week before last, so it is now 10 days. We expect Jeff to provide 

 leadership in this area for us as part of the new Administration 

 team. 



The suggestion you make about elevating the coastal programs 

 has been made to us by others; by some of the constituent groups, 

 other Members of Congress. It is clearly something that we will 

 look at, but we have not made a decision or a recommendation 

 within the Administration at this point. 



I hear what you are saying about the additional focus that that 

 might be given by elevating the position from within NOS to re- 

 porting directly to the Under Secretary, and I will relay your inter- 

 est to Dr. Baker, and we will discuss it further. 



Ms. EsHOO. And so you will get back to this Committee? How will 

 we know what part of the Plan is either added or revised to take 

 into consideration what 



