1081 



31 



dred^ino; and fillino; operations. Thus, separate consistency determi- 

 nations on each activity, described in detail in an exploration, devel- 

 opment or production plan, will not be necessary. 



The conference substitute additionally provides that any amend- 

 ment to an OCS exploration, development or production plan requires 

 a consistency determination within three months ( rather than the pres- 

 ent requirement of six months) by the coastal states. 



The conference substitute also amends section 307 to direct the Secre- 

 tary to seek, in cooperation with the Executive Order of the Presi- 

 dent, to mediate any serious disa<jreement between any Federal agency 

 and a coastal state with respect to the initial implementation of a 

 management program or to the administration of an approved man- 

 agement program. 



During their deliberations, the conferees raised a number of ques- 

 tions regarding the advisability and workability of the present Federal 

 consistency provision in the 1972 Act. Particular attention was focused 

 on certain ambiguities in critical procedural determinations and the 

 necessity of the six-month period for conclusive presumption. It was 

 detemiined that these matters will be the subject of subsequent in- 

 depth oversight hearings on the coastal zone management program 

 in the next Congress. 



Section 7. Coastal Energy Impact Program, 



Section 7 of the conference substitute follows the Senate bill and 

 the House amendment by adding a new section 308 to the Coastal Zone 

 Management Act of 1972. This new section 308, which is entitled 

 "Coastal Energy Impact Program'', follows the content of the new 

 section 308 added by the Senate bill and the new section 308 added 

 by the House amendment and also the content of the new section 319 

 added by the Senate bill and the House amendment. 



Subsection (a) of the new section 308 directs the Secretary of Com- 

 merce to administer and coordinate, as part of the coastal zone 

 management activities of the Federal Government, the various 

 forms of financial assistance which are authorized to be provided 

 under this section to coastal states or to units of geiieral purpose local 

 government therein, or to both as a coastal energy impact program. 



Subsection (b) of the conference substitute follows new section 308 

 (k) and (1) of the Senate bill and new section 308(a) of the House 

 amendment in providing for formula grants to coastal states. Para- 

 graph (1) of this subsection requires the Secretary to make grants 

 annually imder this subsection. 



Paragraph (2) sets forth the rules to be applied in calculating each 

 coastal state's share of the amount appropriated for purposes of 

 grants under this subsection. (The conference substitute follows the 

 House amendment in authorizing the appropriation of a total of $400 

 million for the purpose of these formula j^rants.) 



The formula follows both the Senate bill and the House amendment 

 in making the state's share dependent upon (1) the volume of oil and 

 natural gas produced from the outer Continental Shelf acreage ad- 

 jacent to the coastal state involved bv comparison with the amount 

 ))T'oduced from all such acreage, during the immediately pi-eceding 

 fiscal year; and (2) the volume of oil and natural cas produced from 

 outer Continental Shelf acreage leased by the Federal Government 



