533 



less than one year ago. Therefore, the Committee has not, as yet, 

 undertaken a complete and thorough oversight review. However, 

 during the course of general reviews of the various programs of the 

 National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, including testi- 

 mony relating to the activities of the Office of Coastal Zone Manage- 

 ment, it developed that there were certain changes in the Act which 

 should be considered in order that the intent of the basic Act could 

 best be carried out. Without awaiting a thorough going detailed review 

 of the Act, H.R. 16215 was introduced to make those minor changes 

 which would meet needs already identifiable. 



With implementation less than a year old, 31 of the 34 States and 

 territories eligible for grants have already applied for and received 

 such grants and are moving forward to develop management pi'ograms 

 so urgently needed in their coastal zones. With an appropriation of 

 $7.2 million in fiscal year 1974, the entire appropriation was utilized, 

 and grants for three States amounting to $890,000 were postponed 

 until fiscal year 1975, because sufficient funds were not available. In 

 addition. State demonstrated needs of an additional $2 million could 

 not be met because of the limitation of funding. While the appropria- 

 tion for fiscal year 1975 was increased to $9 million, the authorization 

 limit of the basic Act, it is clear that during the present fiscal year, 

 there will be further unmet needs, particularly since almost $1 million 

 of the appropriation has been expended to provide for the three grants 

 postponed from fiscal year 1974. Since the States have accepted the 

 program so enthusiastically and have demonstrated their own inten- 

 tions, in many cases, by providing funding in excess of their matching 

 grant requirements, some additional authorization is badly needed. 

 Because of the delay in final enactment of the Act, and the subsequent 

 delay in funding for implementation, problems relating to coastal 

 zone have become even more pressing and completion of management 

 plans even more important. Coastal zone management needs have 

 become even more critical recently by plans to construct offshore deep 

 water ports, to develop additional energy resources on the Outer 

 Continental Shelf, and to site power plants and other facilities along 

 the shorelines, all of which will have major impacts on the coastal 

 zones of the States involved. 



As to the maximum and minimum allocation provisions under botii 

 development and administrative grants, it became apparent to the 

 Committee that the Act, in its present foi-m, is somewhat more 

 restrictive than necessary and should be made more flexible. Wiile 

 no funding has been authorized under the Act for administrative 

 agents, since tlie development process has not been completed in any 

 State, it is anticipated that such funding will be needed eai'ly in 

 fiscal year 1976, and immediate problems will be created if fewer 

 than 10 States are ready to make application for such grants, since 

 the present maximum allocation limits any State to 10 per centum 

 of appropriated funds. Tliat problem can be solved, however, by 

 changing the limitation from an expression in percentage terms to 

 an expression in monetary terms. Secondly, as to the mininuim limi- 

 tation, which requires at least 1 per centum of appropriated funds 

 for each grant, it will sei've, \n some cases, to I'equire smaller States 

 and territories to apply for grants which they neither need nor can 



