During the 94th Congress, NOPS will continue its oversight of the 

 Coastal Zone Management Act to assure that it is administered to 

 serve the needs of the coastal States with proper implementation of 

 the Congressional intent. Oversight review in the nature of NOPS 

 hearings or Commerce Committee hearings on legislation are contem- 

 plated during the first session to deal with the following problem 

 areas : 



A. Extension of Sections 305 and 306 grant authority 



While NOPS finds that NOAA's Office of Coastal Zone Manage- 

 ment has done an excellent job in reviewing and approving section 305 

 grant applications in the short time funding has been available, the 

 unforeseen delay in funding the Act has caused significant delays in 

 beginning the development of coastal zone management programs in 

 many coastal states. This means that whereas a State originally had a 

 maximum of 5 } r ears from the date of enactment to be eligible for sec- 

 tion 305 development grants to complete its program, in reality that 

 time has been reduced to less than 4 years. In the same vein the State's 

 ability to take full advantage of section 306 administrative grants 

 upon completion and approval of its program is diminished 

 considerably. 



This loss of more than a year in potential grant assistance is fur- 

 ther complicated by increased energy development pressures on the 

 coastal zone which have thrust additional planning requirements on 

 some coastal states, pressures which were also foreseen at the time the 

 Act was passed. 



Oversight on this issue will focus on the need for additional time for 

 coastal States to complete their planning process and to assure avail- 

 ability of grant assistance for management of a j^rogram once it has 

 been approved. 



B. Need for interstate coordination grant assistance program 



At the present time the Act requires that coastal States coordinate 

 their coastal zone programs with those of other coastal States. How- 

 ever, no funding exists to encourage regional or interstate agencies 

 to develop interstate coastal plans which mesh with programs of 

 two or more adjacent coastal States. With OCS development, 

 deepwater ports, and increased energy siting activity in the 

 coastal zone, interstate planning for large scale facilities assumes much 

 greater importance because the impacts of these activities are, more 

 often than not, regional in impact, S. 586, the Coastal Zone 

 Environmental Act of 1975, includes provisions authorizing $5,000,000 

 for interstate coordination. Hearings on this bill, and in joint Com- 

 merce Committee-Interior Committee hearings on offshore oil and 

 gas development legislation planned for March and April, will serve 

 as a forum for discussion of this particular problem. 



C. Coastal research assistance 



The National Advisory Committee on Oceans and Atmosphere 

 (NACOA) has recommended that a grant program be established 

 under the Act to provide coastal States with funds to undertake 

 specific research projects, either in-house or through contract, asso- 



