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7345089
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Statement of the President in regard to signing into law S. 586, the Coastal Zone Management Act Amendments of 1976 [Signing Statements and Announcements]
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7345089
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Statement of the President in regard to signing into law S. 586, the Coastal Zone Management Act Amendments of 1976 [Signing Statements and Announcements]
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White House Press Releases (Ford Administration)
Press Releases
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U.S. Senate. (03/04/1789 - )
Legislation
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26
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1976-07-26
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7
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1976
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Digitized from Box 29 of the White House Press Releases at the Gerald R. Ford Presidential Library
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
JULY 26, 1976
Office of the White House Press Secretary
THE WHITE HOUSE
STATEMENT BY THE PRESIDENT
I am pleased to sign into law today S. 586, the
Coastal Zone Management Act Amendments of 1976. This
legislation fills a critical need in the development of
our domestic energy resources and the improved manage-
ment of the Nation's valuable coastal zones.
The bill recognizes a national responsibility to
assist coastal states and communities that will be affected
by the accelerated exploration and production of oil and
gas from the Federal outer continental shelf. It incorporates
for coastal states the principal elements of the Energy
Development Impact Assistance Program which I recommended
to Congress in February of this year.
Specifically the bill creates a Coastal Energy Impact
Program with an authorization level of $1.2 billion over
the next ten years. The principal form of the assistance
will be loans and loan guarantees to assist communities in
developing the additional public facilities needed to cope
with the expanding population associated with new OCS and
coastal dependent energy activities. In addition, Federal
grants are authorized to assist states and communities in
planning for these impacts, in ameliorating unavoidable
environmental losses, and in providing public facilities
and public services for limited time periods to the extent
adequate credit under the bill is available.
The legislation has been carefully designed to insure
that Federal assistance is limited to those situations where
the assistance is needed and only for those specified proj
ects or activities directly related to increased coastal
energy activity. Clearly, the national taxpayer should not
be asked to underwrite costs normally covered by ordinary
state and local taxes; similarly, the energy industry should
bear its normal tax load and the usual costs of doing business.
Under the bill, loans and loan guarantees will be pro-
vided for public facilities needed because of new or expanded
coastal energy activity in recognition that such facilities
would normally be financed through State and local bonding.
Grants for public facilities can only be used if the Secre-
tary of Commerce finds that the loans and loan guarantees
are not available. Grants may also be used for planning and
for the prevention, reduction, or amelioration of unavoidable
environmental losses if the Secretary determines that the
loss is not attributable to, or assessable against, any
specific person and cannot be paid for through other Federal
programs.
The bill also appropriately limits the extent to which
the Federal Government will become involved in decisions
that should be made at State and local levels. The individual
states and localities will determine whether their principal
more
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need is for schools, roads, hospitals, new parks or other
similar facilities. The Secretary of Commerce will have
responsibilities which are limited to those areas where
Federal involvement is necessary.
Prior to the disbursement of funds, the Secretary of
Commerce must make certain that States which are entitled
to receive loans or grants will expend or commit the proceeds
in accordance with authorized purposes, and that Federal loan
grants will not subsidize public services for an unreasonable
length of time. The Secretary must also determine prior to
the disbursement of funds that particular environmental losses
cannot be attributed to identifiable persons, and that grants
for public facilities are used only to the extent that loans
or loan guarantee assistance is not available.
The Secretary of Commerce will act expeditiously to
implement the energy development impact provisions so that
we can accelerate OCS energy development to meet our Nation's
energy needs in an environmentally responsible manner and to
work closely with the thirty coastal States which are now
participating in the Coastal Zone Management Program.
It is appropriate that this new program, established
by this major innovative piece of legislation, is being
signed in the first year of our Nation's Third Century.
The issues of energy and our environment --- to which this
bill is directed will surely be high on our Nation's
list of priority concerns throughout the decades ahead.
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