116 



Of course, land use planning will always be primarily a State and 

 local responsibility, although the Federal Government does have a 

 tremendous stake in helping promote soimd national policies in this 

 area. This is so because the States and their communities plan, con- 

 struct, and operate the facilities that affect the use of land, for exam- 

 ple, the transportation systems, the location and type of public facili- 

 ties, and the amounts and uses of open space lands. Furthermore, the 

 States have the }>asic loffal powers to control and shape private develop- 

 ment and use of land. Many of these powers have, of course, been dele- 

 gated to municipalities and take the form of zoning ordinances, sub- 

 division regulations, and various building codes. But the trend is for 

 States to exercise increased land use control powers over specifically 

 designated areas or issues. 



Particularly in light of the developmental and governmental com- 

 plexities I have been describing, we are concerned that the approach 

 outlined in S. 582 and S. 638 vdll not be broad enough to be effective 

 in areas subjected to growth pressures. For example, both open space 

 planning and land acquisition for urban uses should be a key part of 

 these plans, and housing needs must be considered. More important^ 

 we believe tliat planning and management of the coastal zone should 

 be a key element of a broader, land use planning and management 

 process that encompasses other important environmental areas that 

 are critical to urban growth — and other crucial factors such as trans- 

 portation systems, human resources and economic development. 



S. 992, the administration's proposed National Land Use Policy 

 Act, would do more, in our opinion, to encourage and support the 

 States in establishing meaningful land use planning and manage- 

 ment processes in which coastal zones would be an integrated element. 

 Other elements of critical land uses would include river flood plains, 

 areas of historic value, key facilities such as major airports, and land 

 of potential value for new or expanded communities. Thus, a State 

 could identify and weigh the needs of a variety of land areas that are 

 subject to adverse pressures from growth. A State could see the con- 

 servation needs of its coastal regions with a perspective of many, often 

 competing, issues of land utilization or conservation. 



I would like to point out that S. 992 is designed to establish a na- 

 tional land use polic}^ by emphasizing the management responsibility 

 of the States. A plan, alone, too often is only a map that has no in- 

 fluence on the hard decisions like v^hen and how to change land use 

 patterns. S. 992 clcarlv requires the States to manage their critical 

 land areas so as to assure their use in ways that are consistent with 

 the long-range interests of their citizens. 



The President has proposed another program that relates to this 

 land use management function. To provide assistance to State and 

 local governments in increasing their capacity to use wisely the funds 

 provided by general and special revenue-sharing legislation, the 

 President has recommended enactment of a planning and manage- 

 ment assistance program. Of special significance here is tliat the 

 pi'ogram would provide grants to the States to help the Govenioi"S 

 improve their ability effectively to plan and manage. We would ex- 

 pect, for example, that a Governor might use some of these funds 

 to determine the underlying economic and social policies that clearly 



