949 

 63 



"grant" so that the coastal state impact payments under section 308 

 (a) of the bill would be included in the auditing process. The amend- 

 atory language would also specifically pemiit the auditing process to 

 be undertaken by the Secretary or the Comptroller General for up to 

 three years after the termination of any grant or payment program 

 authorized under the Act. 



Beach access provision 



(19) This section makes a major addition to the estuarine sanc- 

 tuary provision of the original Act. This is accomplished first by 

 renaming the section "Estuarine Sanctuaries and Beach Access" 

 rather than referring only to the sanctuaries. 



Subsection (b) authorizes the Secretary to make 50 percent match- 

 ing grants, the same percentage as with grants to acquire estuarine 

 sanctuaries, for the purchase of means of access to public beaches and 

 other publicly-lield attractions along the coast. 



This provision is in response to the needs identified by a number of 

 states for early action to protect the public's access to areas already 

 in public owTiership but in danger of being blocked from ready use by 

 property development nearby. 



In addition to beach properties for which access would be pro- 

 vided, access to other public areas of interest could be purchased. 

 These areas include those of environmental, recreational, historical, 

 esthetic, ecological, and cultural value. These are the identical areas 

 which state programs must include in the new planning requirement 

 added to the development of state management programs under sec- 

 tion 305. 



In the case of public areas of ecological or esthetic interest, for ex- 

 ample, the access which would be permitted by the use of matching 

 funds under this subsection would naturally be limited. The Commit- 

 tee understands that access to such precious areas will h% strictly 

 limited according to the sound management principles which state 

 management programs are to include. 



Although not stipulated in H.E. 3981, it is understood that states 

 must have substantially completed the public area protection and 

 access planning process required under section 305(b) (7) before being 

 eligible to receive grants under subsection 315(b). This is to insure that 

 purchases made pursuant to this subsection are in harmony with the 

 overall state management program and that they are in keeping with 

 the balanced approach contemplated in subsection 305(b)(7). The 

 planning process mandated there is to provide both protection of and 

 access to public areas; the purchase of means of access to these same 

 public areas should conform to this process. 



New sections for the annual report 



(20) This section adds two now requirements for inclusion in the 

 coverage of the annual report which the Act requires the Secretary to 

 prepare. The pui'pose of the report is to provide Congress with an 

 account of the administration of the coastal management program. 

 The Secretary submits the report each year to the President who in 

 turn transmits the document to Congress. At present, eight specific 

 areas of coverage are specified for inclusion in the report. 



II.R. 3981 specifies two additional areas for inclusion. One is a 

 description of the socio-economic and environmental impacts from 



