798 



The first of my two bills will establish a policy for the management 

 of oil and gas resources on the Outer Continental Shelf so as to protect 

 the marine and coastal environment and establish policies and pro- 

 cedures governing OCS operations that are environmentally, socially, 

 and economically compatible with the coastal zone management pro- 

 grams of affected States funded under Public Law 92-583. The bill 

 also provides that the Department of the Interior proceed with its own 

 exploratory drilling program off the coasts. Until now, only industry 

 has acquired detailed information of offshore resources. This has meant 

 it is only industry which knows in detail the likely value of individual 

 tracts. The information in the hands of the Government, some of it 

 supplied by industry, is inadequate to protect the public interest. My 

 bill directs the Secretary of the Interior to make available to the 

 public the results of such exploratory work. 



The bill also provides that the Interior Department file a detailed 

 development plan with the Governors of the affected States and with 

 the coastal zone management authorities of those States. This is a 

 major improvement on the present situation where the development 

 plan of industry is given the Interior Department in a somewhat 

 informal fashion and without the specificity that the states and local 

 governments need to gauge the impact the development will have on 

 coastal communities. 



In order for local communiities to have sufficient time to prepare, my 

 legislation provides that either the House or the Senate can veto an 

 offshore leasing program and that the Governor of an affected State 

 can call for a 3-year delay. These safeguards are necessary to prevent 

 offshore activity to take place in precipitous fashion. At the same 

 time, there is nothing in either of the bills I introduce today which 

 will cause unnecessary delay or undue burdens on the petroleum 

 industry. 



My second measure is the Coastal Zone Environment Act of 1975 

 which has as its major provision the establishment of a coastal impact 

 fund of $200 million annually to help compensate States and local 

 governments for major energy facilities of various types. 



We know new powerplants and new or expanded refineries are 

 needed to provide the Nation with the energy it needs. At the same 

 time, these facilities mean permanent commitment of land, the danger 

 of pollution, and perhaps upsetting the social and economic fabric of 

 rural communities. 



The coastal impact fund will provide funds to help alleviate the 

 impact of such major new facilities and will enable local governments 

 to build the necessary facilities for the families which will suddenly 

 appear to operate the new plants, the taxes on which may well be insuf- 

 ficient to provide the needed services. 



This legislation also has other significant improvements to the 

 Coastal Zone Management Act, namely, the provision of matching aid 

 for the acquisition of lands for beach access and island protection, 

 provision of funds for needed short term coastal zone research and 

 funds to encouraa:e States to f^Qt together on a regional basis to prepare 

 comprehensive plans in the coasts. 



Mr. Speaker, the Oceanography Subcommittee of the House Mer- 

 chant Marine and Fisheries Committee, plans to give early considera- 

 tion to these measures improving the Coastal Zone Management Act 

 and similar suggestions of my colleagues. 



