816 



Again with pressure from Congress, funds were finally made avail- 

 able in late 1973 so the States could get on with the job of putting to- 

 gether their individual approaches on how their coastal lands and 

 waters should be used in the future. 



The value of this program was seen and endorsed by President Ford 

 in November 1974. Facing coastal State Governors concerned about 

 administration plans for a vast OCS development program, the Presi- 

 dent recommended — and Congress later agree — that additional, sup- 

 plemental funds should be made available to the States to help them 

 prepare for the onshore impacts which an expanded OCS program 

 will bring. 



^Miile our committee was working throughout last year on how to 

 enable the coastal management program to cope with new develop- 

 ments like expanded OCS leasing, the administration provided little 

 assistance. In fact, it did not develop a position until 1 month ago, 

 just after the Merchant Marine and Fisheries Committee adopted 

 H.R. 3981 by a bipartisan 36 to vote. 



Although it has taken the administration a long time in coming to 

 it. I am pleased to be able to report to you today that the Office of 

 Management and Budget is not opposed to this measure before you 

 now. 



The administration does have some serious resen^ations about por- 

 tions of the bill. We have told administration officials we will give 

 their views every consideration in the conference with our Senate 

 colleagues. The Senate passed its version of the legislation before you 

 today by a 73 to 15 vote. I am confident that, working together in a 

 cooperative spirit and with the aim of providing equitable treatment 

 for the critical coastal areas, we can arrive at a final version of H.R. 

 3981 of which this body, the Senate, and the administration can be 

 proud. 



I want to praise my colleagues on the Oceanoarraphv Subcommittee. 

 Under the leadership of the gentleman from New York (Mr. Mur- 

 phy) , they have labored long on this bill and have come up with what 

 I think is a splendid product. 



I might take a moment to say that the judgment of this body in 

 refusing to go along with attempts to eliminate the Merchant Marine 

 and Fisheries Committee is validated by the work of this subcommit- 

 tee. Throughout the history of tliis legislation, it has been the Ocean- 

 ography Subcommittee of the IVIercliant Marine and Fisheries Com- 

 mittee, together with its counterpart in the Senate, which have focused 

 the attention of this Nation on critical ocean and coastal issues. Time 

 and again, we have been ahead of a series of administrations in com- 

 ing to grips, not only with coastal zone management, but ocean dump- 

 ing, the need to protect our domestic fishing industry, law of the sea 

 questions, and a host of other marine matters that the country now 

 recognizes are of major importance. 



I am proud of the record of my committee in this area and say to 

 you, my colleagues, that, in the years ahead. I will miss very much 

 havinff the privilege of working with people like the gentleman from 

 New York (Mr. Murphy) and the gentleman from Ohio (Mr. 

 Mosher). I am confident that the fine record of the Oceanography 



