JOINT EXPLANATORY STATEMENT OF THE 

 COMMITTEE OF CONFERENCE 



The managers on the part of the House and the Senate at the con- 

 ference on the disagreeing votes of the two Houses on the amendment 

 of the House to the bill (S. 3507), to establish a national policy and 

 develop a national program for the management, beneficial use, pro- 

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

 tion's coastal zones, and for other purposes, submit the following joint 

 statement to the House and the Senate in explanation of the effect of 

 the action agreed upon by the managers and recommended in the ac- 

 companying conference report : 



The House struck out all of the Senate bill after the enacting clause 

 and inserted a substitute amendment. The committee of conference 

 has agreed to a substitute for both the Senate bill and the House 

 amendment. Except for technical, clarifying, and conforming changes, 

 the following statement explains, as appropriate, the differences be- 

 tween the Senate bill, and the House amendment thereto, together with 

 an explanation of the conference substitute. 



PROVISIONS OF THE CONFERENCE SUBSTITUTE 



Sec. 304. The managers agreed to adopt the House language as to 

 the seaward extent of the coastal zone, because of its clarity and brev- 

 ity. At the same time, it should be made clear that the provisions of 

 this definition are not in any way intended to affect the litigation now 

 pending between the United States and the Atlantic coastal States as to 

 the extent of State jurisdiction. Nor does the seaward limit of the 

 coastal zone in any way change the State or Federal interests in re- 

 sources of the territorial waters or Continental Shelf, as provided for 

 in the Submerged Lands Act and the Outer Continental Shelf Lands 

 Act. The conferees also adopted the Senate language in this section 

 which made it clear that Federal lands are not included within a State's 

 coastal zone. As to the use of such lands which would affect a State's 

 coastal zone, the provisions of section 307 (c) would apply. 



The conferees adopted the Senate definition of "Secretary" to 

 mean the Secretary of Commerce. As the bill was passed by the Senate, 

 and as a companion bill was reported to the House, it was provided 

 that the administration of the Coastal Zone Management Act should 

 be the responsibility of the Secretary of Commerce, and it was expected 

 that actual administration would be delegated to the Administrator of 

 the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. The rationale 

 behind this decision, as discussed in both Senate Report 92-753 and 

 House Report 92-1049, was based in large part on NOAA's capability 



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65-319 — 70 30 



