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Mr. Chairman, I welcome the opportunity to appear before you 

 today to discuss with you two bills which the chairman has intro- 

 duced, H.R. 2492 and H.R. 2493. These bills would authorize new pro- 

 grams to assist the States in establishing coastal and estuarine manage- 

 ment programs. 



I certainly join with your committee in recognizing the coastal zone 

 and associated baj^s and estuaries as one of the most important land 

 and water areas of our Nation. In fact, this committee's long-term 

 interest and support of oceanographic legislation has helped to focus 

 nationwide attention on the development of the ocean and its resources. 

 You have made substantial contributions to the study of coastal zone 

 problems through your various hearings and your valuable suggestions 

 to the administration which have resulted from them. 



The coastal zone is a unique area. Rational management of activ- 

 ities therein is one of the more critical environmental problems facing 

 our Xation. Much of the area is in a state of degradation and under 

 severe competition for various types of economic development. 



We feel that the answer here is not to stop development but to pro- 

 vide for orderly and rational utilization of this region. This clearly 

 is the objective of these bills and we certainly favor their general 

 intent. 



Dr. MacDonald of the Council on Environmental Quality has just 

 stated that the administration proposes enactment of H.R. 4332 in 

 lieu of H.R. 2492 and H.R. 2493. H.R. 4332, which carries out recom- 

 mendations set forth by the President in his environmental message 

 on February 8, 1971, would be known as the "National Land Use 

 Policy Act of 1971." It would authorize grants to States for programs 

 of statewide land use development and grants to States for assistance 

 in managing their land use programs. 



H.R. 4332, while providing for statewide land use planning through- 

 out the Nation, gives great emphasis to and provides for special pro- 

 tective measures in the coastal zone. The Department of Commerce 

 supports the approach taken in H.R. 4332, and recommends its enact- 

 ment in lieu of H.R. 2492 and H.R. 2493. 



The rationale for this has been given by Dr. MacDonald and it makes 

 great sense to us. 



It is our expectation that in the administration of H.R. 4332, urgent 

 attention will be given to the coastal zone area. We would also expect 

 that the full capabilities of NOAA and Department of Com.merce, as 

 well as other Federal agencies would be brought to bear on the coastal 

 zone aspects of the States land use programs. 



I would stress that new policies and programs for the development 

 and management of coastal and estuarine zones of the Nation are 

 urgently needed. 



Our coastal zones, particularly the inshore bays and estuaries, are 

 amongst the most fragile parts of our environment. They are readily 

 susceptible to degradation by man's activities. If this Nation delays 

 much longer in achieving a balanced use of our coastal zones and pro- 

 viding for a quality environment, we will lose many attributes which 

 now make our seacoasts amongst the most valuable areas for recrea- 

 tion and esthetic, as well as commercial purposes. 



We can cite numerous examples where pollution has caused valuable 

 shellfish beds to be closed to fishing. Recreational use is prohibited in 



