II. SELECTED TESTIMONY— HOUSE MERCHANT MARINE 

 AND FISHERIES CONFERENCE ON COASTAL ZONE 



MANAGEMENT 



Statement of Dr. Samuel A. Lamtience, Former Executive Direc- 

 tor, Commission on Marine Science, Engineering, and Resources 



Dr. Lawrence. Thank you very much. It is good to be with you 

 today to report the work of the Stratton Commission. I think we are 

 now entering a period of the conference when we really are going to 

 have some dialog. Both John Knauss and myself have designed our 

 remarks to be very brief * * * sufficient, we hope, to introduce those 

 who have not already been thoroughly familiarized with the Com- 

 mission materials to know what the background has been for these 

 conferences and the problems which you are going to be discussing 

 here. 



We do want to have time so that there really will be some discus- 

 sion and some questions. 



It is always a pleasure for one who has been associated with an 

 effort to see the recommendations emerging from it brought forward 

 for public debate and action. There has been a great deal of action in 

 the past several months when the commission filed its report with 

 the Congress and the President. Draft legislation is now before the ap- 

 propriate committees and subcommittees of both Houses of Con- 

 gress; the administration only a week ago has announced its inten- 

 tion to take action through coastal zone management to support the 

 creation of the coastal zone laboratories and move ahead with a pilot 

 project for the restoration of the Great Lakes and I expect I may want 

 to comment a little more on that myself. 



At a recent Governor's Conference, I understand that a resolution 

 was passed that there should be a marine States association which 

 would provide a vehicle at the State level in considering mutual co- 

 ordinating activities. Now we have this verj^ useful forum provided 

 by the Committee on Merchant Marine and Fisheries, the Subcommit- 

 tee on Oceanography. 



This gathering momentum of concern reflects very real and growing 

 problems which vitally affect the people of our coastal States and 

 indeed the entire Nation. You know them well. They include the urgent 

 need to halt the deterioration of our Great Lakes and estuaries, 

 provide more adequate seaside recreational opportunities, improve our 

 ports, accommodate expanding industries seeking slioreline space, 

 capitalize on opportunities to make more effective use of the water- 

 fronts of coastal cities, and protect coastlines from accidental oil 

 spills and other forms of pollution. 



We need to establish a fii-mer legal framework for ownership and 

 use of coastal and olTshore lands. Above all, the commission concluded, 

 the pressures for multiple use of these limited coastlands require an 

 organized approach in order to coordinate the separate plans and 



(D) 



