57 



coordination between the Federal Government and the man_y States 

 that are getting into the picture is growing all the time. 



A year ago, the Federal involvement, financially, budgetwise, in 

 the Coastal Zone was one-sixth of the total Federal pollution science 

 program. It is going to change drastically if President Nixon's five 

 areas of emphasis are followed up with appropriation support. 



It will also change drastically as Congress interest in the oceans 

 and in particularly Coastal Zone problems moves from science to pub- 

 lic works. It is important that in the last few weeks the Congress that 

 was talking, or the Federal Government that was talking a total of 

 about a $500 million science program in the oceans, authorized a 

 $600 million public works program to clean up pollution by build- 

 ing a better sewage disposal system in one area. 



So the need for coordination between the Federal Government and 

 the States in this whole marine problem is great, and there is no way 

 of doing it at the present time. There is no one agency to which the 

 States can come. There is no place where the Federal programs are 

 sujfficiently coordinated for the States to work with them. 



There is no place in the Federal Government that is sufficiently 

 aware of what is going on in the various States so that we avoid the 

 very expensive business of all of the States going off in their own 

 direction without the help the Federal Government might give in 

 keeping them from repeating each other's mistakes, or in turning the 

 wheel a number of times. 



My point is : Isn't there some way other than waiting for the creation 

 of NOAA to set up something to coordinate this Coastal Zone, to 

 coordinate the Federal Government's efforts with those of the many 

 States that are involved ? 



It occurred to me that we might get the National Advisory Commit- 

 tee on Oceans that Avas heavily oriented toward the States earlier than 

 we could get NOAA. I recognize the disadvantage of this is that it 

 weakens the case for NOAA. 



Another alternative would be to expand Dr. Wenk's staff and give 

 it a stronger coordinating capability. He certainly would need more 

 staffing to do it. 



The third possibility would be to give to some existing agency, such 

 as the Department of the Interior, some authority and staff to help 

 in this coordination. 



A fourth possibility would be the States' efforts themselves along 

 the lines of a States' group to meet here in Washington to help in 

 this coordination. 



I don't know which is the right answer, but I think one of the 

 actions of this group would be to recommend to the committee that 

 assembled this Conference urgent action toward setting up some 

 means of State and Federal working together better than exists at 

 present. 



A large part of this problem grows out of the fact that over the 

 past many years the Federal Government has been concerned pri- 

 marily with space and defense, where there is no State action, really. 

 They are having a terrible time adjusting to a program where a Fed- 

 eral program is not the national program. This is why we need this 

 coorctinating effort. 



I hope this conference will urge the committee to which it reports 



