84 



years, spent a year and a lialf as chairman of the Division of Ocean 

 Engineering at the University of Miami and is now the president of 

 the Oceans General, Inc. He is also the past president of the National 

 Oceanographic Association and what he will be saying today repre- 

 sents, as I understand, the general poyicy of ISTOA. 



STATEMENT OF JOHN H. CLOTWOETHY, CHAIRMAN, GK)VERNMENT 

 EEORGANIZATION COMMITTEE, NATIONAL OCEANOGRAPHY 

 ASSOCIATION 



Mr. Clotworthy. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. The question before 

 this panel is an interesting one, a complicated one, a contentious one. 

 I want to purposely oversimplify in this introductory statement. 



In approaching the question of where in the Federal Government 

 apparatus to locate responsibility for a new approach of coastal man- 

 agement, I have appliecl one basic yardstick. 



What will work best, in the overall national interest ? 



By overall national interest, I mean to deliberately introduce ele- 

 ments beyond those directlj^ bearing on coastal zone management prob- 

 lems, vital as they are. Let's think a moment about what the national 

 interest is in the coastal zones — because when we do, we will see how 

 no one existing Federal agency or department fills the need. 

 - Among the uses which the Nation has of coastal areas are : Housing, 

 heavy industry, ports, power generation, recreation, fishing, aquacul- 

 ture, petroleum and mineral extraction and, of course, defense. 



The Stratton Commission on Marine Science, Engineering, and 

 Resources stated the national need well : 



The coast of the United States is, in many respects, the Nation's most valuable 

 geographic feature * * *. The uses of valuable coastal areas generate issues of 

 intense State and local interest, but the effectiveness with vrhich the resources 

 of the coastal zone are used and protected often is a matter of national impor- 

 tance * * *. The key to more effective use of our coastland is the introduction 

 of a management system, permitting conscious and informed choices among 

 development alternatives, providing for proper planning, encouraging recogni- 

 tion of the long-term importance of maintaining the quality of this productive 

 region in order to ensure both its enjoyment and the sound utilization of its 

 resources. 



This is from page 49 of the report. 



We must consider how the national interest will be affected by our 

 decision on the question discussed here. 



In applying this simple yardstick of what will work best, in the 

 national interest, I have relegated to secondary consideration such 

 matters as historical agency or department jurisdictions. The fact that 

 many Federal agencies have a present role in coastal matters is not 

 sufficient to justify their assumption of an innovative coastal manage- 

 ment program. 



One of the jobs, in fact, will be to straighten out the existing tangle 

 of sometimes competing Federal activities. The clash between naviga- 

 tional needs and estuarine preservation is a classic example of com- 

 peting interests. 



The type of program I refer to is the one set forth by the Stratton 

 Commission on Marine Science, Engineering, and Resources recom- 

 mending Federal grants to the States to encourage establishment of 



