9 



lie beach areas and preservation of coastal islands. These issues will 

 become increasingly critical as the demand for residential and recrea- 

 tional space continues to increase and conflicts arise between the 

 plethora of competing uses. New demands for energy facilities sites 

 forebode even a further decrease in accessible beach areas, and islands 

 likely targets for staging areas. 



The Committee may wish to consider amendments to the Coastal 

 Zone Management Act to encourage States to develop plans to ensure 

 the right of access to public beach areas, and preservation of islands. 

 The Coastal Zone Management Act already provides the framework 

 to which such a program could be attached without interrupting the 

 schedule of .coastal States for completion of their coastal zone pro- 

 grams. Funds of up to $50 million could be made available for acquisi- 

 tion of threatened areas. Such legislation could be considered as part 

 of the general oversight of the Coastal Zone Management Act, or in 

 hearings specifically concerned with beach access and recreation. 



The NOPS staff and CRS could provide support for hearings on 

 beach access and recreation by collecting and analyzing previous 

 hearings and legislative proposals on this subject. Following such 

 hearings, CRS could conduct in-depth analyses of testimony and 

 related matters, if requested by the Committee, in support of legisla- 

 tive proposals related to beach access and recreation. 



5. EXAMINATION OF CERTAIN PROVISIONS OF THE MARINE PROTECTION, 

 RESEARCH, AND SANCTUARIES ACT OF 1972 



NOPS will examine certain provisions of the Marine Protection, 

 Research, and Sanctuaries Act of 1972. i 



Title III of the Act, dealing with marine sanctuaries, provides that 

 the Secretary of Commerce, after consultation with other Depart- 

 ments and with the approval of the President, may designate as marine 

 sanctuaries those areas "which he determines necessary for the purpose 

 of preserving or restoring such areas for their conservation, recrea- 

 tional, ecological, or esthetic values." Under the Act, marine sanc- 

 tuaries may be designated in ocean waters as far seaward as the*! 

 outer edge of the continental shelf, in other coastal waters where the 

 tide ebbs and flows, or in the Great Lakes and their connecting waters. 



Thus the Act, on its surface, would appear to be broad enough to be 

 used as a vehicle for preserving oil and gas reserves in the outer con- 

 tinental shelf (and for the beneficial development of the other 

 ocean areas where aquaculture might be promoted under a national 

 program. 



The Committee will examine possible widespread uses for marine 

 sanctuary areas and the importance to national development of a com- 

 prehensive program of setting aside marine areas for salutary purposes 

 before the conservation, recreation, ecological, or esthetic values of 

 such areas were irreparably damaged or destroyed through coastal 

 zone and outer continental shelf developmental activities. 



NOPS could ask the CRS to analyze the relationship of this Act 

 to possible marine sanctuary areas of interest to the Senate, such 



* P.L. 92-532, approved Oct. 23, 1972. 



