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The Council is the means that has been established to help to coordinate the 

 natural resources development of Texas. It has determined that the Texas coastal 

 bay systems are rich in natural wealth and are and will be rapidly developed 

 for industrial, residential, navigational, fishing, and recreational purposes. With 

 this perspective in mind, the Interagency Natural Resources Council has recog- 

 nized the desirability of meshing together the long-range planning efforts and 

 the field operations of the various State agencies in regards to their activities 

 along the Gulf Coast. 



For this purpose, the Council undertook the responsibility to design a frame- 

 work for the formulation of standards, policies, and programs for the physical 

 development of the coastal region of the State, including the use and manage- 

 ment of the contiguous lands, and endorsed the implementation of the com- 

 prehensive Coastal Resources Plan on a continuous yearly basis. 



Due to the magnitude and the diversity of the Plan, the Interagency Natural 

 Resources Council will provide continuous policy direction. Also, a project staff 

 will be employed within the Governor's Office to coordinate this interagency 

 coastal effort. The staff's activities will be directed toward the voluntary and 

 well-managed cooperation and participation of the eight State agencies that have 

 statutory responsibilities for various fields of estuarine activity along the Texas 

 Gulf Coast. 



Policy Considerations 



During the course of the Coastal Resources Plan, the following fundamental 

 questions most be answered. These are : 



1. What are the economic potentials of the Texas coastal region? 



2. How will the coastal region be developed by the continuation of 

 present trends? 



3. How do the people of the State want the coastal region to be conserved, 

 used, and developed ? 



4. What changes in present practices are necessary or desirable? 



5. How can constructive management be accomplished? 



6. Who can accomplish the objectives of the Plan? 



7. When should the Coastal Resources Plan be implemented? 



8. What are the costs and benefits to be derived from the projjer manage- 

 ment of our coastal resources ? 



9. How can the development of both public and private coastal lands be 

 made compatible with each other for the people's general welfare? 



The Plan requires the exploration and definition of all factors pertinent and 

 peculiar to the development and management of the resources of the beaches, 

 bays, and estuaries of the entire coastal region. It is multi-disciplinary in its 

 approach through the utilization of all existing and funded programs and the 

 expertise and capacity of State, local, and federal governmental units, regional 

 planning councils, and private entities, organizations, and institutions, with these 

 programs ranging from data collection and evaluation to I'esearch and 

 management. 



The comprehensive Coastal Resources Plan will guide the development of 

 these resources for the satisfaction of the collective needs of man in his relation- 

 ship to the urbanizing coastal environment. Thus, the Plan is founded on the 

 principles that the fundamental coordinating responsibility for the management 

 and the orderly development of these resources rests with the State, and the 

 development must satisfy the highest values and needs of the citizens of Texas, 

 of private interests, and of the United States. 



It is apparent that what this regional planning program will encompass cannot 

 be forecast at this time. It is also apparent that demands on the coastal region 

 will continue to mount as present and proposed activities progress. These urban 

 activities range from direct use for water supply by industries, municipalities, 

 and water districts, to indirect use by the inflow of run-off waters through 

 watershed developments, by pollution from increased amounts of waste dis- 

 charges to hazards of off-shore drilling, and by the development of beaches for 

 needed recreational facilities. 



Obviously, there are tasks that cannot wait. One such task is to find temporary 

 solutions to some iirgent problems created by the expanding urban coastal 

 population. Another task is the identification and control of factors relating to 

 the aquatic environment. The programs now underway for the solution of these 

 pressing problems must continue by the vigorous utilization of present knowl- 



