175 



Mr. QuARLES, Sir, I wonder if I might respond to that specific point. 



jNIr. Lennon. Yes. 



Mr. QuARLES. And then respond a little more generally to some of 

 the other points you made. 



Mr. Lennon. I guess I am just telling you questions, but I did not 

 mean to do that, sir. 



Mr. QuARLES. I think all of what you said is most pertinent. 



With regard to that last specific issue of evaluating actions before 

 they occur and whether the Environmental Protection Agency can 

 do that now, we can do that to some extent, and we do do it to some 

 extent. 



But any analysis of our present authority and program, I think 

 points up the basic fact, wliich is that mere evaluation is not sufficient 

 unless it is accompanied by some mechanism to have some impact on 

 what happens. 



In mau}^ cases, we can evaluate a disaster about to occur and say, 

 "Yes, that is going to be a disaster." When the disaster occurs, we 

 might say we saw that one coming. 



The need is to have mechanisms for both evaluation and control. I 

 think that that need must be filled not by EPA or any other Federal 

 agency, but by the establislmient of institutions at the State and local 

 level which would perform that function. 



So that I certainly think that whatever we have now in the Environ- 

 mental Protection Agency in the way of authority and program is far 

 insufScient to what the need is. 



If I might respond to the more general comments you made, I rec- 

 ognize, as I think I said earlier — and I tliink everyone else recognizes 

 also — that your leadership, Mr. Chairman, and the leadership of the 

 membei'S of this committee played indispensable roles in beginning to 

 get the snowball started for broader public recognition of the need 

 that is here. 



While I vras in the Interior Department, I did not have any extensive 

 involvement with the coastal zone problems, but I did work a little on 

 the coastal zone legislative proposals and on the final report of the 

 Federal Water Pollution Control Administration at that time. It is 

 tied in closely with the Stratton Commission report. 



The issue clearly at this time is simply one of timing and ultimate 

 result. 



There is, I think, no dispute between those who have studied the 

 problem that the basic outlines of the legislative proposals are agreed 

 upon, and that it is desirable to have everything under one umbrella 

 when it all gets started. 



The only question is whether the coastal zone management plan and 

 program should move out of the train station ahead of the rest of the 

 train. That part of the train is clearly ready to go. The rest of the train 

 is still gathering its luggage and will not be ready to go quite yet. 



It certainly is clear that the hearings and consideration of the 

 coastal zone legislation have proceeded in advance of the broader sub- 

 ject as a whole. 



However, if one stands back and looks at the subject, it will be only 

 a relatively short period of time, we believe, before the whole thing 

 does move forward. It would seem preferable to wait until it can all be 

 done, rather than start off with one segment. 



