13 



Statement of Dr. John A. Knauss, Provost for Marine Affairs, 

 IjNrv^RSiTY of Eiiode Island, and Former Chairman, Panel on 

 Coastal Zone Management, Commission on Marine Science, 

 Engineering, and Resources 



Dr. Knauss. Thank you. "The coast of the United States is in many- 

 respects the Nation's most valuable geographic feature" — in this way 

 the Commission on Marine Science, Engineering and Resources opened 

 its discussion of the coastal zone. Sketched in the Commission report, 

 Our Nation and the Sea, and rather fully elaborated in the report of 

 the panel on Management and Development of the Coastal Zone are 

 a variety of ways in which the shoreline and the coastal waters are 

 being used. 



Many of you have read these reports, and all of you are concerned 

 with the coastal zone. There is no need for me to repeat, except insofar 

 as I believe it useful to emphasize one major premise underlying our 

 recommendations. 



The premise is as follows : The uses of the coastal zone are increas- 

 ing. This trend will continue and probably accelerate. The increasing 

 pressure on the coastal zone is causing an increasing variety of manage- 

 ment problems. Some uses of the coastal zone are in conflict and some 

 uses may be incompatible with one another. As we look to the future, 

 one can see that these management problems will increase. 



the uses of the coastal zone 



The most intensive uses of the coastal zone occur at the water's edge 

 Seaward the problems become fewer, if not simpler, and at the edge of 

 the continental shelf, problems of conflicting uses are the exception 

 today. But we on the Commission were persuaded that problems of 

 multiple uses of the coastal zone are moving seaward and will continue 

 seaward. 



Without going into detail, let me remind you of some of the coastal 

 zone problems : 



Pressures on shoreline space have mounted dramatically over the 

 past 20 years. The reasons are clear : the shift of the population from 

 rural areas to the cities (the Nation's seven largest metropolitan areas 

 are on the Great Lakes or the sea coast) , the spread of suburban devel- 

 opment into coastal areas, and the increased affluence and leisure time 

 of a large part of our population. 



The revolution occurring in the shipping industry as we move to 

 jumbo tankers, large bulk carriers and container vessels necessitates 

 major changes in our ports and related transportation facilities. 



Electrical power production has doubled every 10 years. We need 

 space for the large nuclear power plants of tomorrow and we must 

 locate them in such a way as to minimize the consequences of the large 

 amount of waste heat generated by these plants. One estimate indicated 

 that by 1980 the power industry will use the equivalent of one-fifth of 

 the fresh water runoff of the United States for cooling water. 



Recreation is one of this country's fastest growing industries and 

 marine recreation is becoming more popular and varied. Scuba diving 

 and surfing have become major sports in the last 20 years. I think 

 California's plan to develop underwater parks is the trend of the 

 future. 



