391 



Mr. Vanik. Mr. Chairman. I would like to commend the Committee 

 on Merchant Marine and Fisheries for the fine work on this bill. Be- 

 cause I represent a district with a long coastal zone on Lake Erie, I 

 am well aware of the need for a Coastal Zone IManagement Act as the 

 one under discussion. 



I am particularly happy to note that the committee has included 

 flood control and shoreline erosion prevention as items which it ex- 

 pects to see included in the comprehensive State programs which must 

 be approved prior to the allocation of Federal funds. Certainly no bill 

 whose purpose is to protect, preserve, develop, and, where possible, to 

 restore or enhance the resources of the coastal zone would be complete 

 without addressing the problem of shoreline erosion prevention, a 

 problem which endangers the very existence of much of the present 

 coastal zone. In this sense, the improved coastal zone management 

 which will result from the enactment of this bill will be an important 

 first step in the fight against shortline erosion; but, it will only be a 

 first step. 



What really is needed is a comprehensive national program for the 

 prevention of the shoreline erosion of both public and private lands 

 where the benefit-cost ratio justifies such protection. Because of the 

 high percentage of shoreline property which is held in private hands, 

 a program which only attempts to protect public lands, such as the one 

 currently administered by the Army Corps of Engineers, simply is not 

 sufficient. For example, in the Great Lakes region, 150 miles of the 

 216 miles of critically eroding shoreline are held in private hands and 

 are not, therefore, eligible for Federal funds for shoreline erosion 

 prevention. 



In the Lake Covmty area of my own district, the problem of shore- 

 line erosion on private land, and the helplessness of the private land- 

 owner, was tragically brought to light when four houses tumbled into 

 the lake as a result of the crashing waves and high water levels caused 

 by tropic storm Agnes. In this area of high bluffs composed of soft 

 glacial till and clay, the shoreline has been eroding at a fantastic pace, 

 in some spots as much as 30 feet per year, and, theref oie, the occurrence 

 of some type of a catastrophe was simply inevitable. But, because the 

 residents of this area did not have the financial resources to undertake 

 an effective shoreline erosion prevention program, they had no choice 

 but to live with the constant fear of losing their homes in an unpre- 

 dictable and life-threatening manner. This is an intolerable situation, 

 and I believe it ought not to be allowed to persist. 



In sum, Mr. Chairman, the inclusion of shoreline erosion prevention 

 plans in coastal zone management programs will hopefully do much to 

 make both State and Federal officials more aware of the existence of 

 this important problem, But, to bring shortline erosion really under 

 control, far more must be done for both our public and our private 

 coastal shorelines. If much more is not done, we must anticipate the 

 loss of not only many more houses, and the tax revenue from those 

 houses, but also the loss of streets and public utilities. Surely, the time 

 to act on this problem is now. 



Mr. Leggett. Mr. Chairman, our continental coastal areas are re- 

 markable for their beauty, for their economic importance, and for the 

 degree to which we have neglected them. 



65 319— 7C 



