Statement of Administration Policy: S. 2782 - Coastal Zone Improvement Act of 1990

(Senate)
(Kerry (D) MA and 13 cosponsors)

The Administration supports reauthorization of the Coastal Zone Management Act (CZMA) and amendments to encourage States to improve management of the coastal zone. The Administration has submitted legislation to reauthorize and amend the CZMA. The Administration proposal would encourage States to meet specific high-priority national objectives to address more efficiently qoastal and ocean environmental problems.

However, if S. 2782 is presented to the President in its present form, the Secretaries of the Interior, Defense, Agriculture, and Energy, and the Attorney General, would recommend a veto because it would be likely to be interpreted to:

—  subject Outer Continental Shelf (OCS) lease sales to review for consistency with State coastal zone management programs; and

—  broadly expand the application of the CZMA's "consistency" provisions to encompass a wide range of Federal activities undertaken beyond the traditionally defined area of the coastal zone and impose new restrictive standards on Federal agencies in conducting those authorized activities.

The Administration would also oppose enactment of S. 2782 unless it is amended consistent with the Administration proposal to authorize appropriations at levels requested in the 1991 Budget, and to delete provisions that would imply a new, larger, but undefined, role for States with respect to the Federal resources within the exclusive economic zone (proposed new CZMA section 302(m)).

The Administration prefers the approach contained in the Administration proposal, which offers incentives and technical assistance to States to encourage voluntary compliance with the CZMA program. The Administration's competitive grant proposal would encourage States to assume a greater role than the formula grant approach in S. 2782.