170 



The pollution control programs were scattered all over the lot, and 

 this diminished their effectiveness and made it difficult for us, when 

 the Environmental Protection Agency was established, to incorporate 

 all of these different elements into a strong, unified organization. 



The problems which are presented by the coastal zone are similar, 

 both, to some extent, in their biological and other characteristics of 

 being natural areas, et cetera, to the problems that affect mountain 

 areas or valleys or river basins, or other inland areas, and also the 

 mechanisms for control are inevitably going to be quite similar. 



So that one can look forward to a time within a matter of months 

 or a few yeai-s when States and the Federal Government will be work- 

 ing on these problems through organized units of government. 



The question that I think we can now very clearly identify as being 

 one that may arise as a possible problem a few years down the road is 

 whether the Government is going to anticipate the development and 

 set itself up in such a way as to focus on these problems in the most 

 efficient manner or not. 



Mr. Keith. If the gentleman will forgive me for interrupting, I 

 regret veiy much that I have to attend an executive session in which 

 we are marking up a bill to determine wliat the role of the Environ- 

 mental Protection Agency will be in the siting of utility plants. 



]My colleague from JMassachusetts assures mo that he would start 

 that promptly at 10 a.m. I have to carry on this argument in your 

 behalf over there. 



I do have some questions to which I w^iil ask that you reply in writ- 

 ing, not in my absence. I will just give them to you by passing them to 

 the clerk. 



Assuming the enactment of H.R. 9229, would EPA have any prob- 

 lem in complying with the bill's requirements and provisions ? 



And, second, would it not be more logical to enact H.R. 9229 dealing 

 with coastal zones now, and then merge it into a national land use 

 policy if other legislation is enacted ? 



I will leave these two questions with the staff to relay to you. If the 

 chairman will excuse me, 



Mr. Lennon. You want those questions answered as a part of your 

 interrogation of the witness ? 



Mr. Keith. Yes. 



Mr. Lennon. All right. 



Mr. Keith. Thank you, sir. 



[The information referred to follows :] 



Environmental Protection Agency, 

 Washington, D.G., September 28, 1971. 

 Hon. Alton A. Lennon, 



Chairman, Subcommittee on Oceanography, Committee on Merchant Marine a7id 

 Fisheries, House of Representatives, Washington, D.C. 



Dear Mk. Lennon : During my testimony on August 4, 1971, on bills relating to 

 coastal zone management, Mr. Hastings Keith of Massachusetts asked that I 

 respond to two questions for the record. The questions and my responses are as 

 follows : 



"1. Assuming, then, enactment of H.R. 9229, would EPA have any problem in 

 complying with the bill's requirements and provisions ?" 



The Environmental Protection Agency would assist in every possible way in 

 the implementation of H.R. 9229 if it were enacted. We feel, however, that it is 

 important to reiterate that the President has designated the Department of the 

 Interior as the Federal agency with primary responsibility for administration of 

 the comprehensive program of land use controls which would be established by 



