351 



The Secretary of Housing 



AND Urban Development, 

 Wmhmgton, B.C., March 28, 1972. 

 Hon. Edward A. Garmatz, 



Chairman, Committee on Merchant Marine and Fisheries, 

 House of Representatives, Washington, D.G. 



Dear ]Mr. Chairman : This is in further response to your request 

 for our views on H.R. 2492, H.R. 2493, H.R. 3615, and H.R. 9229, all 

 of which relate to the establishment, development, protection, and 

 management of the Nation's estuarine and coastal zones. 



The four coastal zone bills in question are so broadly drawn as to 

 encompass most of the heavily populated areas along our coasts. In 

 this respect, it appears to us that enactment of any of the bills could 

 result in State programs dealing heavily with urban and metropoli- 

 tan land use and management issues as well as w4th issues peculiar to 

 the narrow er j^urpose of protecting coastal and estuarine areas from 

 development, pollution, and other adverse impacts. In our view, a 

 broad approach extending to a consideration of State and area wide 

 needs is desirable but should be provided through legislation which 

 is specifically designed for this purpose and which is not limited to 

 particular parts of the country. We would recommend, in this respect, 

 early enactment of the administration's proposed National Land Use 

 Policy Act (H.R. 4332). 



We would also like to point out that even if the above bills were 

 narrowed by amendments to their now broad definition of "coastal 

 zone," enactment of the resulting legislation might create an adverse 

 precedent in terms of approach and State organization should subse- 

 quent broader legislation be enacted. Also, the narrower legislation 

 appears to us unfair as to inland States which may also have critical 

 environmental and land use problems. 



Finally, two of the bills. H.R. 2493 and H.R. 9229, raise questions 

 relating \o Federal guarantees of State bond issues and loans. These 

 matters are of particular concern to the Department of the Treasury, 

 and we would invite the committee's attention to the testimony of 

 Secretary Connally on similar Senate legislation, S. 582, with respect 

 to these matters. 



The Office of Management and Budget has advised that there is no 

 objection to the presentation of this report from the standpoint of the 

 administration's program. 

 Sincerely, 



George Romney. 



General Counsel or the 

 Department of Commerce, 

 Washington, B.C., May 2, 1972. 

 Hon. Alton A. Lennon, 



Chairman., Siibcommittee on Oceanography, Committee on Merchant 



Marine and Fisheries, House of Representatives, Washington, 



B.C. 



Dear Mr. Chairman : This is in reply to your recent request for the 



Department of Commerce to provide you estimates of costs involved 



in H.R. 14146, a bill "to establish a "national^ policy and develop a 



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



