346 



point of the administration's program, there is no objection to the 

 presentation of this report on H.R. 2493 for the consideration of the 

 committee. 



Sincerely yours, 



Lando W. Zech, Jr., 

 Captain^ U.S. Navy, Deputy Chief, 



(For the Secretary of the Navy). 



U.S. Atomic Energy Commission, 



Washington, D.C., July 26, 1971. 

 Hon. Edward A. Garmatz, 



Chairman, Committee on Merchant Marine arid Fisheries, House of 

 Representatives 



Dear Mr. Garmatz : Tlie Atomic Energy Commission is pleased to 

 reply to your requests for our views on H.R. 2492, H.R. 2498, H.R. 

 3615, and H.R. 9229, bills designed to assist the States in establishing 

 coastal and estuarine zone management plans. We note that similar 

 bills were introduced in the 91st Congress, viz., H.R. 14730, H.R. 14731, 

 H.R. 14845, H.R. 15099, and H.R. 16155. Our views on those bills were 

 submitted to you in our letter of May 5, 1970. 



The present bills would establish a national polic}^ for the m.anage- 

 ment and protection of the coastal zone. To effectuate this policy, 

 Federal financial assistance in the form of grants would be made 

 available to coastal States to aid them in the development and adminis- 

 tration of coordinated and comprehensive plans for the management of 

 the coastal and estuarine areas of such States. 



As indicated in our reply on the earlier coastal zone bills, we fully 

 support meaningful efforts directed to the proper management of this 

 Nation's coastal and estuarine resources, and we support the objecti^-es 

 of these bills. 



On February 8 of this year, the President transmitted to the Con- 

 gress a message on the environment in which he proposed a wide-rang- 

 ing program for the further preservation and enhancement of the 

 quality of our environment. In his message, he discussed the need to 

 promote environmental quality in land use decisions. To further this 

 goal, he proposed the introduction of legislation that would establish 

 a "National Land Use Policy", by which the states would be encour- 

 aged to plan for and regulate major developments affecting the growth 

 and use of, what he termed, "critical land areas". 



This legislation has since been introduced in iho, House as H.R. 4332. 

 As the President stated, this legislation is designed to replace and ex- 

 pand his proposal for management of the coastal zone introduced in the 

 last Congress (H.R. 14845, noted above), "while still giving priority 

 attention to this area of the country which is especially sensitive to 

 development pressures." 



In our Tnew, the more comprehensive approach to the land manage- 

 ment problem embodied in the administration legislation, which rec- 

 ognizes the need to concentrate our planning efforts on other areas of 

 "critical environmental concern", as well as the coastal zone, is prefer- 

 able to that of the subject bills. IMoreover, we believe the President's 

 bill would effectively realize the objectives of H.R. 2192, H.R. 2493, 

 H.R. 3615 and H.R. 9229. 



