230 



To accomplish this policy, the bill will add a new section 19 to the 

 Federal Water Pollution Control Act, as amended, to provide for a 

 cooperative program between the Federal and coastal State govern- 

 ments. Federal grants would be made to the coastal States on up to a 

 50-percent matching basis for developing a comprehensive manage- 

 ment program for the State's coastal zone. Operational grants could 

 also be made to the coastal State on a matching basis for implementa- 

 tion of the program. A requirement for the awarding of grants under 

 S. 3183 would be that the State be organized to implement the manage- 

 ment plan and that all necessary regulatory authorities are vested in 

 the implementing agency or agencies. This new section would provide 

 for a continuing review by the Secretary of the coastal State's per- 

 formance under its program and provides for the power to terminate 

 and withdraw financial assistance in case of partial or noncompliance. 



Under S. 3460, the coastal zone management program would be 

 administered by the National Council on Marine Resources and Engi- 

 neering Development, a body established in the Executive Office of 

 the President and comprised of the Vice President of the United 

 States and eight (or nine if the Secretary of the Army were added to 

 the Council as proposed in S. 3460) high-ranking representatives of 

 heads of departments and agencies of the Government. All council 

 actions would be taken by majority vote of the Council membership 

 with the Vice President authorized to cast an additional vote in cases 

 of a tie. 



We seriously question the wisdom of assigning the responsibility for 

 administration of a coastal zone management program to the Council. 

 We believe that the program should be administered by an operating 

 department; preferably, the Department of the Interior, which is 

 presently engaged in existing programs in the estuarine and coastal 

 zone. 



We also believe that the approach taken in S. 3183 to funding the 

 estuarine and coastal zone management program is preferable to the 

 proposal in S. 3460 which would designate a set amount of revenue 

 each year from the Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act for a marine 

 resources fund. 



With respect to extending the life of the Marine Council as proposed 

 in S. 3460, the administration has recently recommended that the life 

 of the Council be extended to June 30, 1971. 



The Bureau of the Budget has advised that there is no objection to 

 the presentation of this report from the standpoint of the administra- 

 tion's program. 



Sincerely yours, 



HoLLis M. Dole, 

 Assistant Secretary of the Interior. 



U.S. Department of the Interior, 



Office of the Secretary, 

 Washington, B.C., Mayl, 1970. 

 Hon. Warren G. Magnuson, 

 Chairman, Committee on Commerce, 

 U.S. Senate, Washington, D.C. 



Dear Mr. Chairman : Your committee has requested the comments 

 of this Department on S. 3183, a bill "To amend the Federal Water 



