173 



Future plans: Interior's goal in the future is to increase its ability to assist 

 the nation to develop and use its marine resources to meet varied national needs. 

 This calls for strengthening of present efforts and for extension of activities 

 into new fields of endeavor. 



Some needs are : 



1. Development of a greater marine engineering competence within the Depart- 

 ment. This would allow closer cooperation with industry and with other govern- 

 ment agencies such as the Navy to take advantage of developments in undersea 

 technology or instrumentation for resource applications. 



2. More involvement with university-academic research. This will bring new 

 top-level scientific talent to concentrate on science for resources. It will help 

 ensure the supply of scientific manpower for this field in the future. On this 

 subject Interior plans to continue in close cooperation with the Sea Grant Col- 

 lege Program. 



3. More involvement in international marine resource activities. Interior 

 presently monitors the status of natural resource situations on a world-wide 

 basis, including mineral, fuel and fishery commodities plus services, conservation 

 and research activities. This work could be expanded and used further in the 

 assistance of the Department of State, AID, industry and friendly governments 

 of the world in furtherance of U.S. policies. 



In concluding my remarks on Interior's marine resources and scientific activ- 

 ities we wish your committee to know that this field is receiving major attention 

 from the Department. Our organizational structure, cooperation with others, 

 and planning for the future is of concern to our top management team. We wish 

 you to know also that the National Council and the Commission have our sup- 

 port, and that we are doing all we can to assist in their studies and to coordi- 

 nate our activities with member agencies, contractors and others involved. 



Concerning the Committee on Multiple Use of the Coastal Zone, I believe it 

 most appropriate that the task of coordination of this aspect of the Marine 

 Council's program be- placed with Interior. As I have stated previously the 

 Department has many programs in the estuarine and coastal zone which are of 

 concern to compatible use of this area. For example, over past years we have 

 worked under the authority of the Coordination Act to review projects of the 

 Corps of Engineers, the Bureau of Reclamation and the Federal Power Com- 

 mission for the purpose of making engineering projects compatible with fish and 

 wildlife interests. The Committee will recall also that we have just recently 

 completed an Agreement between the Secretary of the Army and the Secretary 

 of the Interior on full cooperation and coordination in the control and preven- 

 tion of water pollution and the conservation of natural resources in navigable 

 waters of the Nation. 



The term "multiple use" connotes the problems and opportunities which the 

 Council's committee will study. Estuaries, shorelines, bays and the more immedi- 

 ate coastal areas are areas of intensive multiple use. There are shipping, fishing, 

 waste disposal, land reclamation, mining, recreation of many kinds, dredging, 

 filling, pipelines, telephone lines, flood control and many other activities. 

 T'ederal. State and local governmental juridictions are concerned. Public, private, 

 institutional and industrial sectors are involved. Ownership is private or public — 

 T3Ut in some ways the coastal zone seems to be everyone's property, but not clearly 

 anyone's responsibility. 



According to the charge from the Vice President : 



"This committee will be concerned with the broad areas of environmental 

 planning, conservation and development including water pollution, based on 

 studies and committee deliberation on problems identified by the committee or 

 referred to it by the Council. Major programs to be coordinated through this 

 <;ommittee include the multi-agency, multi-disciplinary Federal activities in the 

 Chesapeake Bay system (and similar comprehensive studies), erosion control 

 and shore development activities, channel and harbor development and redevelop- 

 ment and other transportation functions in the shore zone, conservation of 

 marine ecology and recreational development of marine areas, and pollution 

 abatement and control in bays, estuaries and the Great Lakes. During FY 1968 

 the committee will monitor the major initiative identified as the estuary study 

 (focused initially on the Chesapeake Bay)." 



In explanation of the terms of reference, the committee is to analyze ongoing 

 and planned activities of Federal agencies. Identify problems, deficiencies and 

 Tieeded reorientation or emphasis in the light of public needs. It is to undertake 



