732 



areas and for assistance to the States in their manageinent activities." ^ 

 A second Interior Department study of estuaries, this one done by 

 the Fish and Wildlife Service, added additional impetus for action in 

 1970. The survey of the Nation's estuaries found that — with the ex- 

 ception of a few locations in Alaska — all estuarine areas in the Nation 

 had already been modified by man's activities, with 23 percent "severe- 

 ly modified." The report focused on the "urgent need to preserve and 

 restore in the estuaries fish and wildlife resources, associated com- 

 mercial fishing and outdoor recreation activities, esthetics and natural 

 area preservation * * *." The report concluded: 



It is in the national interest that the Federal Government 

 help to provide leadership and incentive for estuary preserva- 

 tion and restoration for the benefit of all the people. As a 

 first step the coastal zone management system bill should be 

 enacted promptly.* 



While the foregoing reports found existing State and local coastal 

 protection measures inadequate, some States acted during the late 

 1960's and early 1970's to ameliorate the problems described in the re- 

 ports. Most of these States acted to protect natural areas of special 

 value such as dunes, barrier beaches or wetlands. Other States sought 

 to assure public access to beaches. In the Great Lakes region, attention 

 focused on the problems of flooding and shoreline erosion due to high 

 water levels, and several States enacted shoreline control measures. 

 More recently. States, such as Washington, California, and Hawaii, 

 have tried to (Jeal with the controversial issue of siting large energy 

 facilities or, in the case of Delaware, even to bar heavy industry from 

 coastal areas. A few States, such as Rhode Island, Washington and 

 California have enacted comprehensive coastal zone management 

 legislation. 



Congressional action leading to passage of- the Coastal Zone Man- 

 agement Act of 1972 [Public Law 92-583] began with tlie 89th Con- 

 gress which created the Commission on Marine Science, Engineering 

 and Resources by the act of June 17, 1966 [80 Stat. 203, 33 U.S.C. 

 1101], and its subsequent recommendation for legislation (described 

 above). Bills in response to the Commission's recommendation were 

 introduced in the first session of the 91st Congress, and the Committee 

 on Commerce conducted its first hearing in De<?ember 1969. Additional 

 bills were introduced in the second session. Exhaustive hearings were 

 conducted by the committee in 1970, published as serial No. 91-59. A 

 redrafted version of S. 2802 was ordered reported by the Subcommittee 

 on Oceanography to the full committee late in the 91st Congress, but 

 too late for final consideration before the Congress adjourned sine die. 

 Early in the 92d Congress, Senator Hollings introduced the subcom- 

 mittee bill, S. 582, and 3 additional days of hearings were conducted 

 during May 1971, published as serial No. 92-15. The bill was redrafted 

 by the subcommittee — redesignated the Subcommittee on Oceans 

 and Atmosphere — drawing significantly on recommendations from the 

 President's Council on Environmental Quality, as well as additional 



'U.S. Department of the Interior, The Natiorrnl Estuarine Pollution Studt/, Federal 

 Water Pollution Control Administration. 1963. 



■• U.S. Department of the Interior, National Estuary Study, U.S. Fi.sh and Wildlife 

 Service, 1970. 



