Chapter 9 What Needs To Be Done 



The preceding chapters have presented the 

 activities and pressures on the coastal zone. The 

 conflicts have been identified and the conse- 

 quences discussed. We have seen that man's past 

 actions affecting estuaries and shorelines have been 

 poorly and incompletely planned, often unimagi- 

 native, and frequently destructive. In view of the 

 many important uses served by these waters, and 

 the growing pressures on them, intelligent manage- 

 ment of this vital National resource is imperative. 

 It will require appUcation of many kinds of tools 

 and techniques, ranging from original, funda- 

 mental research to regulatory changes and public 

 education. 



A National policy for the management of our 

 coastal environment is urgently needed. This pro- 

 gram is presented in Chapter 10. 



Based upon the many pubUc contacts, inter- 

 views, correspondence, reports, and information 

 available to the panel, we have established what we 

 believe are the "National Needs." They are pre- 

 sented in this chapter under five general headings: 



—The Need for Immediate Action 



—The Need for Federal Surveys and Projects 



—The Need for Research and Training 



—The Need for Planning and Management 



—The Need for a Systematic Approach to Waste 

 Management 



The first two "needs" emerge from the Com- 

 mission's role to review existing programs. They 

 are not new or long range, but simply need to be 

 done and done soon. The second two "needs" are 

 clearly within the role of the Commission in 

 planning for the future. They contribute to a 

 proposed National program. The last— while of 

 vital importance to the coastal zone— encompasses 

 far more than the marine environment. 



I. THE NEED FOR IMMEDIATE ACTION 



Pressures are mounting on coastal and estuarine 

 area use to make physical modifications and 

 economic commitments which are virtually irre- 



versible. It is in the National interest, however, to 

 preserve as much as possible the options which are 

 open to us. It is therefore advisable to err on the 

 side of conservation. 



Figure 1. Storm damage at Rehoboth Beach, 

 Delaware. Federal surveys are needed to assess 

 the use of coastal areas and their protection. 

 (U.S. Army Corps of Engineers photo) 



All available existing legislation. Executive 

 Orders, and regulations should be utilized by the 

 Federal Government and by State and local 

 governments to achieve this aim as rapidly as 

 possible; additional legislation should be adopted 

 where necessary. For example. State goverrmients 

 should strictly enforce their water quality stand- 

 ards for their coastal zone waters; pollution 

 abatement action should be initiated whenever 

 cause exists. States should be encouraged to adopt 

 appropriate tidelands legislation (following model 

 legislation, such as in Massachusetts and New 

 Hampshire'). Estuary construction projects re- 

 quiring permits from the Corps of Engineers 

 should be scrutinized more severely by both State 

 and Federal agencies. Permit requirements should 

 be rigidly enforced. States should be encouraged 

 to consider the feasibility of a total or partial 

 moratorium until an overall plan is developed (as 

 done under California law by the San Francisco 

 Bay Commission^). All Federal agencies involved 

 in granting licenses (e.g., AEC, FPC) or in granting 

 planning or construction funds to municipaUties or 

 States (FWPCA, HUD, USDA, EDA, and others) 



See Chapter 8 and Appendix D. 



2 



See Appendix D. 



III-133 



