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S. 3460 would extend the expiration date of the National Council 

 on^Marine Kesources and Engineering Development from June 30, 

 1970, to June 30, 1975, and authorize the council to provide financial 

 assistance to the States in establishing coastal zone management pro- 

 grams. Such assistance would include grants covering up to 50 per- 

 cent of the costs of formulating and implementing long-range master 

 plans for the balance develoj^ment of the natural, commercial, indus- 

 trial, recreational, and esthetic resources of the defined coastal zone 

 area (generally land, bays, estuaries, and waters within 3 miles of 

 the U.S. coast). It would also include a guarantee of bond issues or 

 loans for land acquisitions, land and water development, and restora- 

 tion projects. 



A special marine resources fund would receive $125 million an- 

 nually, to be derived from revenues obtained under the Outer Conti- 

 nental Shelf Lands Act, as amended (43 U.S.C. 1331 et seq.) to finance 

 such grants and guarantees. All Federal agencies conducting or sup- 

 joorting research or other activities in a coastal zone would be required 

 to make their activities consistent with any applicable State or inter- 

 state coastal planning and development program. In addition, Federal 

 agencies would be prohibited from undertaking any development proj- 

 ect in a coastal zone which the responsible State or interstate agency 

 deemed to be inconsistent with such planning and development pro- 

 gram unless the council found such project, on balance, to be con- 

 sistent with the general objectives of the bill. Conversely, the coun- 

 cil would reject a Federal development project that has been approved 

 by the appropriate State agency. 



S. 3460 is similar to S. 2802, also pending before your committee. 

 The bills differ in that S. 3460 would authorize the establishment, by 

 the Chairman of the Council, of coastal zone management advisory 

 committees, that would consult with the Council on matters of policy. 

 It would also make available to coastal authorities grants up to 50 

 percent of the costs of acquisition, development, and operations of estu- 

 arine sanctuaries, defined by section 304(h) to be an area not to exceed 

 10 square miles suitable for use as a natural field laboratory. Other 

 differences include an appropriation authorization of $125 million in 

 S. 3460 as opposed to $75 million in S. 2802, and effective dates for 

 those appropriations of June 30, 1969 and June 30, 1970, respectively. 



This Department participated actively in the efforts of the Marine 

 Commission and the Marine Council which were directly concerned 

 with the many problems of coastal zone management. On an opera- 

 tional level, virtually all the natural resource-managing bureaus and 

 offices of the Department of the Interior are actively engaged in pro- 

 gram activities in the estuarine and coastal zone, including the Great 

 Lakes. 



We recognize the great importance of the Nation's estuarine and 

 coastal zone. We are aware of the critical need for a soundly based 

 national program to encourage and assist the coastal States of the 

 Nation in the effective management of the land, water, and other re- 

 sources in these areas. Thus, we concur in the basic objective of S. 

 3460 to establish a progi-am for coastal zone management. We believe, 

 however, that the overall program described in S. 3183 will be more 

 effective, sounder, and comprehensive than that proposed in S. 3460. 



S. 3183, as proposed by this Department would establish a national 

 policy for the effective management and protection of the coastal zone. 



