348' 



tional program for the conservation, management, beneficial use, pro- 

 tection, and development of the land and water resources of the 

 Nation's estuarine and coastal zone." 



H.E. 3615 would authorize the Secretary of the Interior to make 

 grants to any coastal State for the purpose of assisting in the develop- 

 ment of a comprehensive management program for the land and water 

 resources of the coastal zone. H.R. 2493 would grant this authority 

 to the Secretary of Commerce. 



On February 17, the Secretary of the Interior transmitted to the 

 Congress the administration's proposal which is embodied in H.R. 

 4332, the "National Land Use Policy Act of 1971". H.R. 4332 imple- 

 ments the proposals made by the President in his message of 

 February 8, 1971, "Program for a better Environment." This Depart- 

 ment strongly supports the administration's proposal. 



This Department would defer to the views of the Department of 

 Interior, as to the merits of H.R. 2493 and H.R. 3615 in light of the 

 proposals embodied in the administration's bill, H.R. 4332. 



We are advised by the Office of IVIanagement and Budget that there 

 is no objection to the presentation of tliis report from the standpoint 

 of the administration's program. 

 Sincerely, 



Elliot L. Richardson, 



Secretary. 



SmITIISOXIAN iNSTirUTIOX, 



Washington^ D.C.^ August 6, 1971. 

 Hon. Edward A. Garmatz, 



Chairman., Committee on Merchant Marine and Fisheries^ House of 

 Representatives^ Washington., D.C. 



Dear Mr. Chairman : Thank you for the opportunity to comment 

 on H.R. 9229, a bill "To establish a national policy and develop a 

 national program for the management, beneficial use, protection, and 

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

 and estuarine zones, and for other purposes." 



Your request, dated June 21, 1971, for Smithsonian comments on 

 H.R. 9229 was received too late to prepare a detailed reply in time 

 for hearings on this bill scheduled before the Subcommittee on 

 Oceanography for Jime 22-24, 1971. However, it is noted that H.R. 

 9229 is a modification and expansion of H.R. 2493, a bill whose 

 general objectives the Smithsonian supports and upon which the Insti- 

 tution reported accordingly in a letter to you dated June 24, 1971 

 (copy attached). 



The Smithsonian continues to support these basic objectives as now 

 set forth in H.R. 9229. However, as observed in the report on H.R. 

 2493, the Institution notes the administration's comprhensive and 

 integrated "National Land Use Policy Act of 1971" (introduced as 

 H.R. 4332) which gives concrete recognition to the importance of the 

 Nation's coastal and estuarine areas by encouraging the coastal States 

 to adopt special protective measures pertaining to these areas. For this 

 reason, the Smithsonian defers to the views of the Council on En- 

 vironmental Quality and the Department of the Interior regarding 

 the specific implementing provisions set forth in H.R. 9229. 



With respect to Marine Sanctuaries (title IV of the proposed legis- 

 lation), the Smithsonian firmly believes that serious consideration 



