account in large measure for the proportionately high increase in that year's program budget. The emphasis on energy-related programs will continue in fiscal year 1976. Department of the Interior (DOI) funds allocated to nonliving resource programs will be augmented by $32 million, most of which will be expended on Outer-Continental-Shelf (OCS) environmental assessment programs to determine the impact of fossil-fuel development. Another prominent program designed to resolve problems between environmental protection and the use of marine resources is the Coastal Zone Management program of NOAA. The funds made available through this program for coastal management grants to U.S. coastal States and territories will be increased significantly. A major use of the grants is expected to be the support of projects to minimize adverse impacts of OCS oil and gas development on the coastal zone. In related efforts, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is expanding its studies of the environmental effects of energy development. The Energy Research and Development Administration (ERDA) is accelerating its efforts to determine the best sites for coastal powerplants, to understand the environmental effects of nuclear-power use, and to develop new methods of generating energy from the ocean's dynamic processes. Funds allocated to the development of mineral resources have been comparatively small, but are being substantially augmented in fiscal year 1976. NOAA's new Deep Ocean Mining Environmental Study (DOMES), conducted at prospective manganese nodule mining sites, will be quadrupled by an increment of $3 million. Expenditures for living-resource conservation and management programs will also rise significantly. The major increases in this category will be for the assessment of commercial fishery stocks, research directed to the protection of marine mammals and endangered species, and for the enforcement of fishery treaties by the U.S. Coast Guard, (USCG). Other areas of the marine program have not been subject to the same compelling pressures for expanded activity. Expenditures in these areas, however, are being maintained at levels necessary to assure the Nation's security and to provide essential support for future development and environmental preservation. For example, budgets for national security programs, ocean observation and prediction, mapping and charting, and ocean research will all be modestly increased. The SEASAT project of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) for the design and construction of an ocean-observation satellite is entering its fabrication phase and will receive a substantial increment. Considering the fiscal year 1976 program as a whole and the national economic framework within which it was developed, the program 226-817 O-77-2 level requested is a realistic attempt to advance toward immediate as well as long-term goals. About This Report This report features Federal Ocean Program thrusts to preserve the ocean environment while developing its nonliving resources. Included in this theme is a chapter on geological and geophysical research programs, which, in addition to expanding our knowledge of the earth's evolutionary processes, are providing practical information useful in locating sea-floor oil and mineral deposits, in selecting sits for structures resting on the seabed, and in research on climate changes. The report also includes, for the first time, Federal agency programs to enhance opportunities for ocean-related recreational activities. Programs of marine environmental observation, prediction, mapping and research needed in support of shipping, coastal zone management, and almost all other oceanrelated activities are described in the final chapter. Appendices A, B, C, and D consist, respectively, of ocean program budget tables, a summary of Sea Grant program activities, the status of the research fleet, and a selection of laws enacted in 1974 affecting marine activities. Chapter II OFF SHORE ENERGY-RELATED ACTIVITIES The Oil Embargo of late 1973 and early 1974 and the ensuing increases in the costs of imported oil gave a dramatic boost to public interest in offshore energy-related activities. Among these activities, the greatest attention has been focused on OCS oil and gas resources. The development of these resources offers the best prospects for reducing U.S. dependence on foreign petroleum imports in the foreseeable future. With the high priority for accelerating development, every attempt is being made to minimize threats to the marine environment resulting from development operations. Although not so well publicized, several other efforts are also underway to augment our energy supplies. Superport legislation has been enacted that aims at lowering petroleum import costs and preventing damage to the ocean environment from port operations. An intensified effort is being made to harness the dynamic and thermal processes of the oceans to provide energy. Yet another part of the accelerating Federal program devoted to OCS energy-related activities consists of environmental assessments to establish the information base needed in selecting sites for offshore power facilities. Accelerated Leasing of the Outer Continental Shelf The need to explore and develop OCS petroleum resources in support of the Nation's growing economy became increasingly evident during the late 1960's. In a 1971 energy message to Congress, the President noted a need to accelerate OCS oil and gas leasing. He subsequently directed to the Secretary of the Interior to initiate steps to triple annual OCS lease offerings by 1979, from about 1 million acres at the time to 3 million each year. With the advent of the embargo, the President called for still further acceleration of the lease offerings as part of a program to attain greater energy self sufficiency. The goal of the present program is to provide a maximum sustainable level of leasing consistent with industry capability for exploration and efficient development. The Secretary of the Interior has responsibility for the conservation and development of mineral resources on Federal lands of the United States, including those of the Nation's OCS. Under his direction DOI's Bureau of Land Management (BLM) has general responsibility for administration of the OCS lease system, including all aspects of planning and preparation for lease sales, conducting them, issuing and terminating leases, and collecting associated revenues. The Department's U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) provides technical support to BLM for those phases of the lease system involving the assessment and classification of mineral values. The USGS also has responsibilities for regulating presale mineral exploration; for supervising postsale lease tract exploration, development, and production, and for collecting rents and royalties. The OCS activities of BLM and USGS parallel their responsibilities for mineral leasing and development of onshore Federal lands. OCS activities involve many aspects of the Federal Ocean Program, include many cooperative efforts, and are complemented by supporting services and regulatory programs of other Federal agencies. The goals of the BLM and USGS programs are (1) To provide for orderly and timely development of OCS mineral and energy resource potentials (2) To protect and maintain a clean OCS environment (3) To assure safety and maximum efficiency of industry operations (4) To obtain a fair return from industry operations for the Federal Government Components of the lease system, management program, and concurrent industry activities are summarized in table 1. Bureau responsibilities are indicated parenthetically. Figure 1 is the tentative lease schedule issued in late 1974 in response to the President's call for maximum acceleration of lease offerings. This schedule, based chiefly on general USGS resource assessments, technological considerations, and BLM economic analyses, is subject to continuing review and change. One purpose of releasing schedules, such as this one, is to solicit views for incorporation in revisions. One widely publicized example of a change in this schedule was the postponement of all activities relating to a proposed sale along the Mid-Atlantic coast pending the Supreme Court's decision on the claim of Atlantic States to OCS resource jurisdiction. |