44 



use of the estuaries and coastal areas and accept preservation as 

 one means of reasonably guarantying the opportunity to exercise 

 future options. 

 The recommended national policy will put in effect a comprehensive 

 national program for the effective management, beneficial use, protec- 

 tion, and development of the estuarine and coastal zone of the Nation 

 involving Federal, State, and local governments, and public and pri- 

 vate interests in an appropriate manner. It will permit the optimum 

 use of this vital resource by recognizing the existence of competing 

 uses and accommodating them through appropriate management and, 

 further, conserve these resources in such a manner as to keep open the 

 options for various uses in the future and not foreclose them. This 

 management system will recognize the primary and constitutional role 

 of the States in managing their resources as well as the role of the 

 Federal Government in protecting the wider national interest. The 

 principal goal of the national program is the use of the estuarine and 

 coastal zone for as many teneficial purposes as possible and, where 

 some uses are precluded, to achieve that mix of uses which society, 

 based on both short- and long-range considerations, deems most 

 beneficial. 



The Objectpves of a National Program of Management 



Without attempting to assign responsibilities of functions to the 

 various levels of government at this point, the objectives of a compre- 

 hensive management plan are listed below. These objectives also con- 

 stitute a reasonably thorough set of guidelines for an acceptable man- 

 agement plan. 



(1) Equitable consideration in management decisions of the views 

 of all public and private interests concerned with the use and preser- 

 vation of estuarine and coastal resources. 



(2) Adequate planning, that is, the preparation and adoption by 

 the appropriate government, of plans governing the balanced develop- 

 ment, conservation, and preservation of coastal and estuarine resources. 

 Elements of such a plan may vary but ordinarily should include de- 

 terminations of immediate and long-range needs and objectives, water 

 quality standards, zoning of land use, and any public or private fa- 

 cilities, sites, et cetera. "What is needed is the construction of an op- 

 timum resource utilization profile for each estuary and coastal area 

 based on an objective means of value identification and appraisal. 

 Specific uses for various parts of an estuary or coastal area must be 

 determined and comparative values placed on these uses in terms of 

 the accepted national policy. Specific uses are : 



Industrial and commercial location and use ; 



Recreation and scenic enjoyment ; 



Preservation of fish and wildlife and their habitat ; 



Residential — both urban and suburban development; 



The exploitation of mineral resources including oil, gas, sulfur, 

 sand and gravel, and others ; 



Generation of electrical power ; 



Water supply ; 



Exploitation of living resources including fish, shellfish, other 

 wildlife, and the pursuit of aquaculture ; 



