232 



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

 the presentation of tliis report from the standpoint of the adminis- 

 tration's program. 



Sincerely yours, 



Leslie L. Glasgow, 

 Assistant Secretary of the Interior. 

 Enclosure. 



Summary of S. 3183, "The National Estuarine and Coastal 

 Zone Management Act of 1970" 



The overall objective of the bill is to establish a national policy to 

 encourage and assist the coastal States to exercise effectively their 

 responsibilities over the Nation's estuarine and coastal zones through 

 development and implementation of comprehensive management pro- 

 grams. "Coastal States" as defined in the bill, means any State of the 

 United States bordering on the Atlantic, Pacific, or gidf coast or the 

 Great Lakes, and includes Puerto Rico, and the A^irgin Island. An 

 "estuary" is defined as all or part of the mouth of a river or stream or 

 other body of water having unimpaired natural connection with open 

 sea and within which the sea water is measurably diluted with fresh 

 water derived from land drainage, "Coastal zone" is defined as the 

 land, waters, and lands beneath the waters in close proximity to the 

 coastline (including the Great Lakes) and strongly influenced by each 

 other. For the purposes of identifying the objects of planning, man- 

 agreement, and regulatory programs dealt with in the bill, the coastal 

 zone is considered to extend seaward to the outer limits of the territorial 

 sea of the United States. The coastal zone includes areas influenced or 

 affected by water from an estuary such as, but not limited to, salt 

 marshes, coastal and intertidal areas, sounds, embayments, harbors, 

 lagoons, inshore waters, and channels. 



The operative sections of the bill are cast as a new section 19 of the 

 Federal Water Pollution Control Act, as amended. 



Section 19 (b) reflects a congressional finding that there is a national 

 interest in the effective management, beneficial use, protection, and 

 development of the land and water resources of the Nation's estuarine 

 and coastal zone. In support of the finding, it notes the increasing 

 number of conflicting demands on the finite resources of the coastal 

 zone resulting from pressures of population growth and economic 

 development; the value of estuaries, marshlands, and other parts of 

 the coastal zone as habitat and life support areas for fish and wildlife, 

 and the susceptibility of such areas to destruction and disruption by 

 man ; the threat of increased harm to the coastal zone and loss of its 

 benefits resulting from continued unplanned or uncoordinated devel- 

 opment activities; the value of the coastal zone for multiple economic, 

 recreational, and resources uses ; and the interest which the citizens of 

 all States have in the coastal zone. 



Section 19(c) authorizes the Secretary of the Interior to make pro- 

 gram development grants to the coastal States to assist in developing 

 comprehensive management programs for their coastal zones. Grants 

 are limited to 50 percent of the State's cost of developing the program 

 (to a maximum limit of $200,000 per year for each coastal State). 



