824 



Four years ago, we provided balance betAveen development needs and 

 environmental concerns. In the bill before you today, we build on that 

 foundation and provide balance between our energy requirements and 

 our need to protect the coasts. We further provide balance among the 

 basic units of our Federal system of Government, where each level is 

 brought into play in a coordinated manner. 



Our bill will help our system work. The result, if my colleaguer join 

 with us today in adopting H.R. 3981, will be an expedited search for 

 new sources of oil and gas off our shores, more ready acceptance in 

 coastal areas of their responsibility to provide facilities the Xation 

 needs to meet our energy requirements, and the provision of such 

 needed facilities where it will not damage the ecology of the coasts. 



Some will say, but what about inland States ? Why are we not help- 

 ing them ? 



I remind my colleagues that this Congress has already found that 

 the coastal areas merit special treatment. In our 1972 action, we 

 declared : 



The coast of the United States, together with the immediately adjacent land 

 and water areas, is in a general sense the Nation's most valuable geographic 

 asset. At the same time, it is probably the area most threatened with deterioration 

 and irreparable damage. 



The coasts and the coastal waters have played a major role in the Nation's 

 development, growth, and defense since its earliest days. In recent years it has 

 become increasingly apparent, however, that the coastal area has been undergo- 

 ing drastic changes which, irreversible damage to many of the area's features 

 upon which its values largely depend. 



Furthermore, we are, in H.R. 3981, restricting our assistance to only 

 those energy-related activities which are, by their nature and technical 

 requirements, necessarily located on the coasts. 



And third, remember that to participate in this program and to be 

 eligible for the impact assistance we provide in H.R. 3981, States and 

 local governments must undergo the discipline of coming up with 

 comprehensive coastal zone management programs which meet the 

 strong Federal criteria. Inland States are not subject to this discipline 

 and have not undertaken the development of comprehensive programs 

 comparable to those now being prepared in the 30 coastal States — and 

 3 territories. 



To our colleagues from the inland States, we say — join with us today 

 in protecting the coasts the entire Nation depends on. Use the experi- 

 ence of the coastal program and its balanced approach as a model to 

 provide planning and impact assistance for inland States. Upon prep- 

 aration of a separate bill dealing with the inland States, you will have 

 our support. 



It is the Outer Continental Shelf oil and eras issue that led us to 

 bring H.R. 3981 before you today. We are all familiar with the energy 

 crisis, the inflationary spiral stemming from suddenly increasing fuel 

 costs and our resulting need to speed up provision of domestic sources 

 of petroleum. 



Unfortunately, the administration proposed a crash 10-million acre 

 lease program which, frankly, frightened the State and local govern- 

 ments which would ibe faced -w^ith the offshore industry for the first 

 time. The States and communities felt totally left out of the process by 

 which the administration arrived at its accelerated leasing program — 

 and in fact, they were. 



