168 



There exists a growing threat to these delicate areas of our envi- 

 ronment. For this reason, we regard planning for estuarine protec- 

 tion as crucial, and we wish to indicate to the committee our complete 

 support for those provisions of H.R. 4332 which require plans to in- 

 clude adequate provisions to protect coastal and estuarine areas. 



INIr. Chairman, it might be worth drawing attention to the distinc- 

 tion between planning, itself, and management. Planning sometimes 

 is understood to include long or large volumes on dusty shelves, and 

 this is not what will solve the problem. It is, rather, planning with 

 adequate provisions for implementation of the planning through 

 necessary controls and other management techniques. 



In addition, H.R. 4332 would provide what I have suggested is an 

 essential element: the incorporation of coastal zone planning into a 

 comprehensive land use management program on a statewide basis. 



In many respects the need for effective management of land use and 

 development is perhaps the most under recognized of our environ- 

 mental problems. It is critical that the full dimensions of this envi- 

 ronmental problem be recognized and that a suitable regulatory mech- 

 anism be established. These problems are perhaps more intense in the 

 coastal areas. They are by no means, however, limited to the coastal 

 areas. There must be established at both Federal and State levels 

 governmental programs to control land use management. 



The Environmental Protection Agency believes that the National 

 Land Use Policy Act of 1971, recently proposed by President Nixon, 

 would fully cover the most vital problem areas requiring land use 

 management. We are hopeful that enactment of that legislation will 

 not be long delayed. We believe it is preferable at this time to await 

 enactment of such legislation rather than to proceed on an interim 

 basis to establish programs which very likely would have to be sub- 

 stantially changed in the near future. 



Since the President has designated the Department of the Interior 

 as the Federal agency with primary responsibility for the administra- 

 tion of the comprehensive program of land use controls which would 

 be established by H.R. 4332, we believe that it would be particularly 

 inappropriate for the bills before this committee today to be enacted. 

 Enactment of these bills would result in administration by different 

 agencies of closely interrelated programs affecting land use. Adminis- 

 tration of the more comprehensive National Land Use Policy Act of 

 1971 would be impeded by the existence of such duplicative authority. 

 We urge, therefore, that the committee defer action on these bills 

 and that the Congress give favorable consideration at the earliest 

 possible date to PI.R. 4332. 



Mr. Lennox. Thank you, Mr. Administrator. The gentleman from 

 Massachusetts. 



Mr. Keith. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. 



I welcome my colleague from the Commonvrealth to this committee. 

 I am. sorry that he does not agree with the approach those of us who 

 have filed the bill have to resolving this all-important problem. 



I, of course, recognize the administration's point of view. It has 

 considerable validity. 



Have you any reason to believe that you are going to get the bill 

 out of the Interior Committee? Have the hearings proceeded in a 

 very timely fashion? 



