534 



justify, or not participate in the program at all. That problem can 

 be resolved by requiring a waiver of the minimum limitation whenever 

 any affected State requests such a waiver. This will leave each State 

 with all the protection it needs but will remove any protection that 

 it does not need nor desire. The third problem area identified was 

 that related to estuarine sanctuaries grants, under Section 312 of the 

 Act. The authorization under the Act was for a single fiscal year. 

 During the past fiscal year, one grant of $825,000 was made to the 

 State of Oregon, out of an appropriation of $4 million. While a few 

 more applications may be made during the present fiscal year, it is 

 not anticipated that many of the States will be prepared to make such 

 applications until their program development has moved further. 

 However, it is apparent that many estuarine areas have been identi- 

 fied and that as many as 20 States will be interested in participating 

 in this aspect of the program during the next few fiscal years. There- 

 fore, it is considered desirable to extend the authorization through the 

 same period, fiscal year 1977, as for other authorizations under the 

 Act, the exact amount of actual funding to depend upon the speed 

 with which the States can move in developing their programs and 

 making decisions related to the estuarine sanctuaries. 



Committee Consideration 



Hearings were held by the Subcommittee on Oceanography on H.R. 

 16215 on September 18, 1974, and testimony was heard from the Di- 

 rector, Office of Coastal Zone Management, NOAA, representing the 

 Department of Commerce. Testimony was also received from an offi- 

 cial of the State of Michigan Department of Natural Eesources, repre- 

 senting the State of Michigan and the Coastal States Organization, 

 of which the witness is a member of the Executive Committee. The 

 Administration witness supported that part of the bill related to 

 changes in allocation limitations, opposed the increase of authoriza- 

 tion for program development grants as undesirable in view of the 

 present fiscal constraints, and opposed the extension of authorization 

 for estuarine sanctuaries grants as premature. Subsequently, the Ad- 

 ministration changed its position on the development grant authoriza- 

 tion increase and addressed a letter to the Connnittee supporting such 

 a concept, particularly in view of the critical energy needs and im- 

 pacts from the development of Continental Shelf oil resources. The 

 Avitness for the Coastal States Organization, also representing the 

 State of Michigan, testified in full support of the bill. Subsequently, 

 the Committee received a letter from the Chairman of the Coastal 

 States Organization, Senator A. R., Schwartz of the State of Texas, 

 who reiterated that Organization's support of the bill. An additional 

 endorsement was received from the States of Georgia and Louisiana 

 and from the National Advisory Committee on Oceans and Atmos- 

 phere, by letter from its Vice Chairman. That Committee particularly 

 endorsed the extension of the authorization for estuarine sanctuaries 

 grants. 



The Subcommittee on Oceanography met for mark-up on Novem- 

 ber 26, 1974, and approved the bill, with the additional provision per- 

 mitting States to request waivers, as appropriate, of the minimum 

 grant requirement. 



