843 



H.R. 3981 will help to achieve these objectives, and it deserves our 

 full support. 



Mr. Drinax. Mr. Chairman, I rise in support of the Coastal Zone 

 Management Act, H.R. 3981, a bill wliich will assist coastal States 

 which experience adverse impacts as a result of Outer Continental 

 Shelf activities. The energy crisis of the 1970's has served to bring into 

 focus more sharply than in the past the tremendous pressures that fall 

 upon the coastal zone. Without this type of legislation, it is quite pos- 

 sible that rash planning and insufficient State input will severely and 

 adversely affect many of this country's coastal regions. 



It is quite evident, Mr. Chairman, that coastal areas will be under 

 great pressure to develop their underseas resources. As this Nation 

 becomes increasingly dependent on foreign oil supplies, the de- 

 sirability of having offshore development will become increasingly 

 apparent. And we are not talking just about offshore drilling. Termi- 

 nals will be needed to serve the increasingly large supertankers, new 

 facilities will be needed to handle liquefied natural gas imports, and 

 refineries will have to be located in nearby locations. 



It is impossible for us to state at this point wdiat the full ramifica- 

 tions will be of this Outer Continental Shelf activity. The economic 

 and sociological eventualities cannot be predicted with certainty at 

 this time. However, the Presidential Connnission on Marine Science 

 and Resources provided some instructive insights into what we can 

 expect in the coming years. 



In its major 2-year study of ocean issues. "Our Nation and the Sea," 

 the Commission stated that the coasts were endangered from excessive 

 uses, some of which were incompatible with the continued health of the 

 coastal region. The report pointed out that the coastal area was less 

 than 10 percent of the total land area of the country, but already had 

 over 40 percent of the population and w^as growing at a faster rate 

 than the rest of the country. Indeed, a 3-year study of the Nation's 

 most populous State determined that 85 percent of California's 20 

 million people live Avithin 30 miles of the coast. 



Mr. Chairman, we must take pains now to insure that our coastlines 

 are adequately protected against ill-advised or environmentally risky 

 development. This is whv it behooves the Congress to enact the Coastal 

 Zone INIanagement Act. The present legislation will amend the Coastal 

 Zone INIanagement Act of 1972, a bill which made a worthy beginning 

 in this area. But the act of 1972 could not have accurately predicted 

 the energy crisis which would soon follow and, as a result, new pro- 

 tection is needed. 



H.R. 3981 would authorize a large-scale program for new and con- 

 tinuing assistance for coastal States which may soon be affected by off- 

 shore development. This assistance take the form of automatic grants, 

 adverse impact grants, and State and local bond guarantees. 



First, the bill would require the Secretary of Commerce to make au- 

 tomatic annual payments to States based upon a six-part formula that 

 determines the extent of OCS energy activity in each of the States. 

 The Secretary would determine this OCS activity by assessing the 

 mount of acreage leased, wells drilled, oil and gas produced, oil and 

 gas land, number of energy-related employees, and tlie amount of capi- 

 tal invested. From the formula derived, the grants would then be made 

 available in prorata shares according to tlie money whicli is available. 



