1080 

 30 



before such state's management program, can be approved under 

 section 306. 



The state's coastal zone management agency is required, before 

 implementing a management program decision which would conflict 

 with any local zoning ordinance, decision or other related zoning 

 action, to send a notice of such management program decision to 

 any local government whose zoning authority would be affected. The 

 local government would have the right to submit comments to the 

 management agency within a thirty-day period following such gov- 

 ernment's receipt of the notice of management program decision, and 

 no action can be taken during such period which would interfere 

 or conflict with such program decision. The management agency is 

 required to consider any comments submitted and is authorized to 

 conduct a public hearing thereon. During the thirty-day comment 

 period, the management agency may not take any action to implement 

 the decision, unless any local government affected waives its right to 

 comment. 



The conference substitute follows the Senate bill and the House 

 amendment in amending subsection (c) (8) of section 306 to require 

 the Secretary to find, as part of a state's mandatory consideration of 

 the national interest involved in the planning and siting of energy fa- 

 cilities, that such state has given consideration to any applicable inter- 

 state energy plan or program promulgated by an interstate entity 

 which is established under the new section 309 added by the conference 

 substitute. 



As a conforming change, subsection (g) (on amendments to ap- 

 proved management plan) is amended to permit section 306 adminis- 

 trative grants to be made to states whose plans are approved prior to 

 October 1, 1978, but whose 305(b) (7), (8), and (9) processes are not 

 approved as of this date. 



Section 6. Consistency and Mediation 



The conference substitute follows the Senate bill in amending the 

 Federal consistency requirement to section 307(c)(3) of the Coastal 

 Zone Management Act of 1972. The Senate bill required that each Fed- 

 eral lease (for example, offshore oil and gas leases) had to be submitted 

 to each state with an approved coastal zone management program for a 

 determination by that state as to whether or not the lease was consist- 

 ent with its program. The conference substitute further elaborates 

 on this provision and specifically applies the consistency requirement 

 to the basic steps in the OCS leasing process — namely, the exploration, 

 development and production plans submitted to the Secretary of the 

 Interior. This provision will satisfy state needs for complete informa- 

 tion, on a timely basis, about the details of the oil industry's offshore 

 plans. 



Also, under the substitute, any subsequent OCS Federal license or 

 permit required for activities specified in any exploration, develop- 

 ment, and production plan are presumed to be consistent once the plan 

 is certified as being so consistent. This important change will signifi- 

 cantly expedite OCS oil and gas development. Under present De- 

 partment of Interior regulations, Federal permits are required for a 

 large number of individual activities, including geophysical explora- 

 tion, bottom sampling, well drilling for exploration or production, 

 pipeline right-of-way, structure placement, waste discharge, and 



