617 



expected that existing interstate entities could do tlie job, but, wher- 

 ever the need exists, prior congressional consent should be given 

 to allow States to enter into interstate compacts i]i order to get the 

 job done properly. 



To encourage the individual States to deal with their coastal man- 

 agement problems which involve their neighboring States, we pro- 

 posed a new section 308 be added to the basic Coastal Zone Manage- 

 ment Act. This now section authorizes 100-percent grants to the States 

 to insure that high priority is given to the need to coordinate coastal 

 management efforts on an interstate basis. The amount of $5 million 

 is authorized for fiscal years 1976 to 1980 for this purpose. 



Finally, ]Mr. President, this bill recognizes the importance of as- 

 suring the protection and access to public beaches and the protection 

 of islands, areas which have been experiencing ever increasing devel- 

 opmental and recreational pressures in recent years. 



The Coastal Zone Management Act presently provides the frame- 

 work for assuring proper protection of these areas, since threatened 

 beach and island areas fall within the definition of '"coastal zone" 

 established by the act and are subject to being included in a State's 

 coast zone management program as an area of particular State con- 

 cern. However, States are not required to assure protection of beaches 

 and islands in order foi' tlie program to gain approval by the Secre- 

 tary of Commerce. What is needed — and what this amendment pro- 

 vides — is a requirement that each State coastal zone management 

 program include as a prerequisite to receiving management grants 

 under section 306, measures to facilitate protection and access to 

 public beaches for recreational, historic, or esthetic purposes, and to 

 assure protection of threatened coastal islands. 



A problem with beach-access proposals introduced in previous 

 Congresses is that they have attempted to impose a public right to 

 the Nation's beaches. The approach has generated charg-es of Federal 

 heavyhandedness or of unconstitutionality. Our amendment would 

 circumvent the issue of establishing a "right" of the public to use 

 the Nation's beaches, leaving this to the determination of each indi- 

 vidual State. The amendment is purposely broad so that coastal 

 States can structure their beach access plans according to their indi- 

 vidual needs. 



Several States, such as Texas and Oregon, already have stringent 

 beach access laws that should easily meet the requirements of this 

 amendment. Other coastal States will be confronted with some diffi- 

 culties, especially with regard to payment of condemnation costs 

 necessary to assure access to beaches and island preservation. In order 

 to offset these difficulties, the bill authorized an amount of up to 

 $50 million per year to help State and local governments to pay the 

 necessary costs of acquisition of such land and water areas. 



