817 



Subcommittee and the full Merchant Marine and Fisheries Committee 

 in the ocean and coastal policy area will be carried on in my absence. 



Mr. DU Pont. My. Chairman, I yield myself such time as I may 

 consume. 



(INIr. DU Pont asked and was given permission to revise and extend 

 his remarks.) 



]Mr. DU Pont. Mr, Chairman, as my colleague and chairman of the 

 committee, the gentlewoman from Missouri, has pointed out to us, 

 this is a very important piece of legislation; and I would like to make 

 some general remarks about it. But before I do that, I would like to 

 take just a brief moment, if I might, and speak of our chairman, who, 

 unfortunately, made an announcement the other day that she was 

 leaving this vale of tears to move on to greener pastures. I want to 

 say that I have been here only 6 years, but in my dealings with Mem- 

 bers of Congress I have never come across an individual who has given 

 fairer treatment to the newer ]\Iembers of Congress or who has done 

 a better job in organizing and running a committee than the gentle- 

 woman from Missouri (Mrs. Sullivan). 



I shall not be here next year to see how this organization operates 

 without the gentlewoman from INIissouri, but my guess is that it will 

 not operate as well. We appreciate all of the fine work the gentle- 

 woman has done on behalf of the coastal zone programs and other 

 maritime programs. 



Mr. Chairman, as my colleagues have pointed out, the Coastal Zone 

 Management Act Amendments of 1975 would benefit our entire Nation 

 by expediting development of needed offshore energy resources. All 

 coastal States are progressing toward the development of coastal zone 

 management plans. Once these plans are fully developed and ap- 

 proved, each State will have an adequate mechanism in place which 

 will give them a "voice" in federally initiated energy projects. 



A provision in the Coastal Zone Act of 1972 gave a very unique 

 protective device to coastal States. Once a State has an approved 

 coastal zone management plan in place, all subsequent Federal activi- 

 ties Avhich affect the coastal zone must be found to be consistent with 

 adopted State management programs. Many States recognize this 

 "Federal consistency" provision to be of greater potential value than 

 any otlier assistance program in the original act. In order to provide 

 this mechanism to States in time to adequately deal with the acceler- 

 ated energy programs of the Federal Government, I feel that it is 

 essential that we provide the additional financial commitments and 

 incentives incorporated in H.R. 3981. 



Much publicity was given to the energy crisis occurring in this 

 country a few years ago when our citizens had to wait at gasoline 

 stations for hours, and many folks in the New England area had 

 difficulty obtaining fuel oil to heat their homes. 



Even though we do not have the same problems as we experienced 

 during that crisis, it is clear that we have not been able to remedy the 

 problems related to our energy needs. One of the best prospects for 

 major new sources of energy in this country lies offshore, particularly 

 in such previously unexplored areas as off the coasts of Alaska and the 

 Atlantic coast. These proposed developments will result in unavoid- 

 able pressures on coastal areas. The States have been reluctant to allow 

 offshore development without due consideration being given to their 



