Court Opinion

ID: 9842057
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-09-22 20:12:33.494697+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T09:09:28.626693
License: Public Domain

*344Justice Stevens,
with whom Justice Brennan, Justice Marshall, and Justice Blackmun join,
dissenting.
In these eases, the State of California is attempting to enforce a federal statutory right. Its coastal zone management program was approved by the Federal Government pursuant to a statute enacted in 1972. In § 307(c)(1) of that statute, the Coastal Zone Management Act (CZMA), the Federal Government made a promise to California:
“Each Federal agency conducting or supporting activities directly affecting the coastal zone shall conduct or support those activities in a manner which is, to the maximum extent practicable, consistent with approved state management programs.” 86 Stat. 1285,16 U. S. C. § 1456(c)(1) (1982 ed.).
The question in these cases is whether the Secretary of the Interior was conducting an activity directly affecting the California Coastal Zone when he sold oil and gas leases in the Pacific Ocean area immediately adjacent to that zone. One would think that this question could be easily answered simply by reference to a question of fact — does this sale of leases directly affect the coastal zone? The District Court made a finding that it did, which the Court of Appeals affirmed, and which is not disturbed by the Court. Based on a straightforward reading of the statute, one would think that that would be the end of the cases.
The Court reaches a contrary conclusion, however, based on either or both of these two theories: (1) § 307(c)(1) only applies to federal activities that take place within the coastal zone itself or in a federal enclave within the zone — it is wholly inapplicable to federal activities on the Outer Continental Shelf (OCS) no matter how seriously they may affect the coastal zone; (2) even if the sale of oil leases by the Secretary of the Interior would have been covered by § 307(c)(1) when the CZMA was enacted in 1972, amendments to an entirely *345different statute adopted in 1978 mean that the leases cannot directly affect the coastal zone notwithstanding the fact that those amendments merely imposed additional obligations on private lessees and did not purport to cut back on any obligation previously imposed on federal agencies.
The Court’s first theory is refuted by the plain language of the 1972 Act, its legislative history, the basic purpose of the Act, and the findings of the District Court. The Court’s second theory, which looks at post-1972 legislative developments, is simply overwhelmed by a series of unambiguous legislative pronouncements that consistently belie the Court’s interpretation of the intent of Congress.
H
Because there is so much material refuting the Court’s reading of the 1972 Act, an index of what is to follow may be useful. I shall first note that the plain language of § 307(c)(1) draws no distinction between activities that take place outside the coastal zone and those that occur within the zone; it is the effect of the activities rather than their location that is relevant. I shall then review the legislative history which demonstrates that the words “directly affecting” were included in the section to make sure that the statute covered activities occurring outside the coastal zone if they are the functional equivalent of activities occurring within the zone. I shall then identify some of the statutory provisions indicating that Congress intended to require long-range, advance planning. I shall conclude Part I with a description of the findings that bring these cases squarely within the congressional purpose.

Plain Language

In statutory construction cases, the Court generally begins its analysis by noting that “[t]he starting point in every case involving construction of a statute is the language itself.” E. g., Watt v. Alaska. 451 U. S. 259, 265 (1981). Not much *346is said, however, about the plain language of § 307(c)(1) in the opinion of the Court, and no wonder. The words “activities directly affecting the coastal zone” make it clear that § 307(c)(1) applies to activities that take place outside the zone itself as well as to activities conducted within the zone. There are federal enclaves inside the boundaries of the coastal zone that, as a matter of statutory definition, are excluded from the zone itself.1 Moreover, the ocean areas on the OCS that are adjacent to, and seaward of, the coastal zone are subject to the exclusive jurisdiction of the Federal Government.2 Quite plainly, the federal activities that may directly affect the coastal zone can be conducted in the zone itself, in a federal enclave, or in an adjacent federal area. The plain meaning of the words thus indicates that the words “directly affecting” were intended to enlarge the coverage of § 307(c)(1) to encompass activities conducted outside as well as inside the zone. In light of this language it is hard to see how the Court can hold, as it does, that federal activities in the OCS can never fall within the statute because they are outside the outer boundaries of the coastal zone.

*347
Legislative History

The plain meaning of the Act is confirmed by its legislative history. Both the House and the Senate versions of the CZMA originally applied only to federal agencies conducting “activities in the coastal zone.”3 At the same time, Congress clearly recognized that the most fundamental purpose of the CZMA was “to preserve, protect, develop, and where possible, to restore or enhance, the resources of the Nation’s coastal zone for this and succeeding generations.” 86 Stat. 1281, 16 U. S. C. § 1452(1) (1982 ed.). In writing the versions of the CZMA that went to conference, both Houses stated that their purpose was to prevent adverse effects on the coastal zone.4 Yet it plainly would have been impossible to achieve this purpose without considering activities outside of the zone which nevertheless could have a devastating impact on it — activities such as those that led to the 1969 Santa *348Barbara, Cal., oil spill, which occurred in the OCS but which had a devastating impact on the adjacent California coast.5 When the Conferees adopted the definition of “coastal zone” that excluded federal enclaves, they recognized the need to expand the description of federal activities that should be conducted in a manner that is consistent with an approved state program. The substitution of the words “directly affecting” for the word “in” accomplished this purpose. Thus, if an activity outside the zone has the same kind of effect on the zone as if it had been conducted in the zone, it is covered by § 307(c)(1).6
The Court’s position seems to be that since neither the Senate nor House versions covered federal activities outside of the coastal zone, the bill that emerged from the Conference Committee could not have either. See ante, at 322-324. To construe the Conference substitute otherwise would be to find a “surprising, unexplained, and subsequently unnoticed expansion in the scope of § 307(c)(1),” ante, at 322. Not only does that construction ignore the “directly affecting” language used by Congress, but it rests on a demonstrably incorrect assumption as to the scope of the earlier versions of the CZMA.
*349The House version of the CZMA clearly recognized that activities outside the coastal zone could have a critical impact upon the coastal zone, and therefore had to be covered by management plans. It defined the coastal zone to extend inland to areas which could have an impact on it, see H. R. 14146, 92d Cong., 2d Sess., §304(a) (1972), reprinted in 118 Cong. Rec. 26501 (1972), in order to enable the CZMA to achieve “its basic underlying purpose, that is the management and the protection of the coastal waters. It would not be possible to accomplish that purpose without to some degree extending the coverage to the shorelands which have an impact on those waters.” H. R. Rep. No. 92-1049, p. 14 (1972). The House bill did not extend the zone seaward because it instead required the Secretary of Commerce to develop a management program for activities on the OCS that was consistent with the management program of the adjacent State. H. R. 14146, 92d Cong., 2d Sess., §313 (1972), reprinted in 118 Cong. Rec. 26503 (1972); H. R. Rep. No. 92-1049, p. 23 (1972).7 Section 313 was thus specifically premised on the recognition that federal activities in the OCS, particularly the sale of oil and gas leases, could have a direct impact on the coastal zone.8 The House further recog*350nized the need to regulate federal OCS activities to protect the coastal zone in §312 of its bill, which provided for the expansion of coastal zone marine sanctuaries established by state management plans into the OCS, in order to fully protect the coastal zone.9 The House showed its concern about the impact of federal activities in the OCS on the coastal zone by rejecting an amendment to § 312 which would have made it permissive rather than mandatory for the Federal Government to establish sanctuaries in areas adjacent to state sanctuaries, and another amendment that would have deleted §312 altogether. See 118 Cong. Rec. 26495-26496 (1972). *351Thus it is plainly evident that the House did wish to protect the integrity of state coastal zone management with respect to federal activities in the OCS.
The Senate shared the House’s concern that state management plans must apply to federal activities in areas adjacent to the coastal zone. The Senate Report on its version of the CZMA stated that its version was derived from a bill it had reported favorably during the previous year, S. 582.10 In particular, the 1971 Senate version of the CZMA used exactly the same language in framing the consistency obligation as did the 1972 version.11 The Report on the 1971 bill con*352strued this language to extend the consistency obligation to federal activities in waters outside of the coastal zone which functionally interact with the zone:
“[A]ny lands or waters under Federal jurisdiction and control, where the administering Federal agency determines them to have a functional interrelationship from an economic, social, or geographic standpoint with lands and waters within the territorial sea, should be administered consistent with approved State management programs except in cases of overriding national interest as determined by the President.” S. Rep. No. 92-526, p. 20 (1971).12
Since the 1972 Senate CZMA used identical language to describe the consistency requirement, and nothing in the 1972 Senate Report indicates that this language should be construed differently than the 1971 language, it follows that the 1972 Senate version placed a consistency obligation upon federal activities in the OCS which affect the coastal zone.
Thus, the Court is simply wrong to say that both versions of the CZMA sent to conference displayed no interest in regulating federal activities occurring outside of the exterior boundaries of the coastal zone. The Conferees’ adoption of the “directly affecting” language merely clarified the scope *353of the consistency obligation. The House surrendered the requirements that the Federal Government develop its own management plan for OCS activities and that federal lands within the coastal zone be included in the zone, but in return ensured that any federal activities “directly affecting” the coastal zone would be subject to the consistency requirement of § 307(c)(1). The only explanations of this compromise to be found in the legislative history can be briefly set out. The Conferees wrote:
“[A]s to Federal agencies involved in any activities directly affecting the state coastal zone and any Federal participation in development projects in the coastal zone, the Federal agencies must make certain that their activities are to the maximum extent practicable consistent with approved state management programs. In addition, similar consideration of state management programs must be given in the process of issuing Federal licenses or permits for activities affecting State coastal zones. The Conferees also adopted language which would make certain that there is no intent in this legislation to change Federal or state jurisdiction or rights in specified fields, including submerged lands.” H. R. Conf. Rep. No. 92-1544, p. 14 (1972) (emphasis supplied).
Senator Hollings, the floor manager of the CZMA, said when he presented the Conference Report to the Senate: “The bill provides States with national policy goals to control those land uses which have a direct and significant impact upon coastal waters.” 118 Cong. Rec. 35459 (1972). That is the entire history of the Conference compromise. There is not the slightest indication that Congress intended to adopt the strange rule which the Court announces today — that OCS leasing cannot be subject to consistency requirements. To the contrary, these statements indicate that any federal ac*354tivity is covered as long as it directly affects the coastal zone. The Conferees’ reference to federal rights in “submerged lands” further indicates that it recognized that the statute could be applied to the OCS. The inescapable conclusion is that §§ 312 and 313 were deleted precisely because § 307(c)(1) had been strengthened so as to protect the coastal zone from federal OCS activities, which obviated the need for these sections. There is no indication whatsoever that the deletion occurred because Congress rejected any application of state management plans to federal activities in the OCS.13
*355In sum, the substitution of the words “directly affecting the coastal zone” for the words “in the coastal zone” plainly effectuated the congressional intent to cover activities outside the zone that are the functional equivalent of activities within the zone, thereby addressing the concern of both Houses that the consistency requirement extend to federal OCS activities. There is simply no evidence that § 307(c)(1) was not intended to reach federal OCS activities which directly affect the coastal zone.

Purposes of the CZMA

An examination of the underlying purposes of the CZMA confirms that the most obvious reading of § 307(c)(1), which *356would apply its consistency obligation to federal OCS leasing that directly affects the coastal zone, is fully justified.
The congressional findings in § 802 of the CZMA first identify the “national interest in the effective management, beneficial use, protection, and development of the coastal zone,” 86 Stat. 1280,16 U. S. C. § 1451(a) (1982 ed.), and then recite the various conflicting demands on the valuable resources in such zones, including those occasioned by the “extraction of mineral resources and fossil fuels.” Congress found that special natural and scenic characteristics are “being damaged by ill-planned development” and that “present state and local institutional arrangements for planning and regulating land and water uses in such areas are inadequate.” §§ 1451(g) and (h). Finally, Congress found that the effective protection of resources in the coastal zone required the development of “land and water use programs for the coastal zone, including unified policies, criteria, standards, methods, and processes for dealing with land and water use decisions of more than local significance.” § 1451(i). The declaration of national policy in §303 of the 1972 CZMA unambiguously exhorted “all Federal agencies engaged in programs affecting the coastal zone to cooperate and participate with state and local governments and regional agencies in effectuating the purposes of this title.” 86 Stat. 1281. The policy declaration concluded:
“With respect to implementation of such management programs, it is the national policy to encourage cooperation among the various state and regional agencies including establishment of interstate and regional agreements, cooperative procedures, and joint action particularly regarding environmental problems.” Ibid.
These provisions surely indicate a congressional preference for long-range planning and for close cooperation between federal and state agencies in conducting or supporting activi*357ties that directly affect the coastal zone.14 Statutes should be construed in a manner consistent with their underlying policies and purposes. E. g., FBI v. Abramson, 456 U. S. 615, 625, and n. 7 (1982); Pennhurst State School and Hospital v. Halderman, 451 U. S. 1, 18-19 (1981); Philbrook v. Glodgett, 421 U. S. 707, 713 (1975). By applying the consistency obligation to the first critical step in OCS development, the decision to lease, the statute is construed in a manner consistent with its underlying purpose.
The majority’s construction of § 307(c)(1) is squarely at odds with this purpose. Orderly, long-range, cooperative planning dictates that the consistency requirement must apply to OCS leasing decisions. The sale of OCS leases involves the expenditure of millions of dollars.15 If exploration and development of the leased tracts cannot be squared with the requirements of the CZMA, it would be in everyone’s interest to determine that as early as possible. On the other *358hand, if exploration and development of the tracts would be consistent with the state management plan, a preleasing consistency determination would provide assurances to prospective purchasers and hence enhance the value of the tracts to the Federal Government and, concomitantly, the public. Advance planning can only minimize the risk of either loss or inconsistency that may ultimately confront all interested parties.16 It is directly contrary to the legislative scheme not to make a consistency determination at the earliest possible point.17 It is especially incongruous since the Court agrees that all federal activity “in” the coastal zone is subject to consistency review. If activity in the OCS directly affects the *359zone — if it is in fact the functional equivalent of activity “in” the zone — it is inconceivable that Congress would have wanted it to be treated any differently.
The only federal activity that ever occurs with respect to OCS oil and gas development is the decision to lease; all other activities in the process are conducted by lessees and not the Federal Government. If the leasing decision is not subject to consistency requirements, then the intent of Congress to apply consistency review to federal OCS activities would be defeated and this part of the statute rendered nugatory. Such a construction must be rejected. See American Textile Mfrs. Institute, Inc. v. Donovan, 452 U. S. 490, 513 (1981); Mercantile Nat. Bank v. Langdeau, 371 U. S. 555, 560 (1963); United States v. Shirey, 359 U. S. 255, 259-260 (1959); United States v. Harriss, 347 U. S. 612, 622-623 (1954); Sunshine Coal Co. v. Adkins, 310 U. S. 381, 392 (1940).18

*360
The Direct Effects

The lease sales at issue in these cases are in fact the functional equivalent of an activity conducted in the zone. There is no dispute about the fact that the Secretary’s selection of lease tracts and lease terms constituted decisions of major importance to the coastal zone. The District Court described some of the effects of those decisions:
“For example, a reading of the notice itself reveals some of the many consequences of leasing upon the coastal zone. The ‘Notice of Oil and Gas Lease Sale No. 53 (Partial Offering)’, as published in the Federal Register, announced ten stipulations to be applied to federal lessees. The activities permitted and/or required by the stipulations result in direct effects upon the coastal zone. Stipulation No. 4 sets forth the conditions for operation of boats and aircraft by lessees. Stipulation No. 6 states the conditions under which pipelines will be required; the Department of Interior, as lessor, specifically reserves the right to regulate the placement of ‘any pipeline used for transporting production to shore’. Lessees must agree, pursuant to stipulation No. 1, to preserve and protect biological resources discovered during the conduct of operations in the area.
“The Secretarial Issue Document (‘SID’), prepared in October 1980 by the Department of Interior to aid the Secretary in his decision, contains voluminous information indicative of the direct effects of this project on the coastal zone. For instance, the SID contains a table showing the overall probability of an oilspill impacting a point within the sea otter range during the life of the project in the northern portion of the Santa Maria Basin to be 52%. Both the SID and the EIS [Environmental Impact Statement] contain statistics showing the likelihood of oilspills during the life of the leases; based on the unrevised USGS estimates, 1.65 spills are expected during the project conducted in the Santa Maria subarea. *361According to the SID, the probability of an oilspill is even higher when the revised USGS figures are utilized.
. . Both documents refer to impacts upon air and water quality, marine and coastal ecosystems, commercial fisheries, recreation and sportfishing, navigation, cultural resources, and socio-economic factors. For instance, the EIS states that ‘[njormal offshore operations would have unavoidable effects ... on the quality of the surrounding water’. Pipelaying, drilling, and construction, chronic spills from platforms, and the discharge of treated sewage contribute to the degradation of water quality in the area. As to commercial fisheries, drilling muds and cuttings ‘could significantly affect fish and invertebrate populations’; the spot prawn fishery in the Santa Maria Basin is particularly vulnerable to this physical disruption. In reference to recreation and sport-fishing, the EIS indicates the possibility of adverse impacts as a result of the competition for land between recreation and OCS-related onshore facilities as a result of the temporary disruption of recreation areas caused by pipeline burial. There are the additional risks of ‘the degradation of the aesthetic environment conducive to recreation and the damage to recreational sites as a result of an oil spill’. Another impact on the coastal zone will occur as a result of the migration of labor into the area during the early years of oil and gas operations. Impacts on the level of employment and the size of the population in the coastal region are also predicted.
“The SID notes that there are artifacts of historic interest as well as aboriginal archaeological sites reported in the area of the Santa Maria tracts. The FWS and NMFS biological opinions, appended to the SID, indicate the likelihood that development and production activities may jeopardize the existence of the southern sea otter and the gray whale.
“These effects constitute only a partial list. Further enumeration is unnecessary. The threshold test under *362§ 307(c)(1) would in fact be satisfied by a finding of a single direct effect upon the coastal zone. Although the evidence of direct effects is substantial, such a showing is not required by the CZMA.” 520 F. Supp. 1359,1380-1382 (CD Cal. 1981) (footnotes and citations omitted).
The Court of Appeals predicated its conclusion that the lease sale in these cases directly affects the coastal zone on these findings. It wrote:
“We agree that the lease sale in this case directly affects the coastal zone. These direct effects of Lease Sale 53 on California’s coastal zone are detailed by the district court. We need not repeat them here. It is enough to point out that decisions made at the lease sale stage in this case establish the basic scope and charter for subsequent development and production. Prior to the sale of leases, critical decisions are made as to the size and location of the tracts, the timing of the sale, and the stipulations to which the leases would be subject. These choices determine, or at least influence, whether oil will be transported by pipeline or ship, which areas of the coastal zone will be exposed to danger, the flow of vessel traffic, and the siting of on-shore construction.
“Under these circumstances Lease Sale 53 established the first link in a chain of events which could lead to production and development of oil and gas on the individual tracts leased. This is a particularly significant link because at this stage all the tracts can be considered together, taking into account the cumulative effects of the entire lease sale, whereas at the later stages consistency determinations would be made on a tract-by-tract basis under section 307(c)(3).” 683 F. 2d 1253, 1260 (CA9 1982) (citations omitted).
Neither petitioners nor the Court challenges these findings, which clearly state that the oil and gas lease sale at issue here *363will directly affect the coastal zone. Oil and gas exploration and development are the expected and desired results of the leasing decision which respondents seek to have reviewed under § 307(c)(1), and their impact on the coastal zone will be undeniably significant. Moreover, the findings indicate some of those impacts will occur almost immediately, prior to review under the Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act (OCSLA), and can never be reviewed adequately if they are not reviewed now.19
In my judgment these rather sensible appraisals of the probable consequences of the lease sale are entirely consistent with the congressional intent reflected in § 307(c)(1). It cannot be denied that in reality OCS oil and gas leasing “directly” looks toward development of the OCS, and the consequences for the coastal zone that the District Court found development would entail. Development is the expected consequence of leasing; if it were not, purchasers would *364never commit millions of dollars to the acquisition of leases. Congress views leasing in exactly this way; it has defined the lease acquired by purchasers as a “form of authorization . . . which authorizes exploration for, and development and production of, minerals . . . .” 92 Stat. 632, 43 U. S. C. § 1331(c) (1976 ed., Supp. V). As the Court of Appeals observed, leasing sets into motion a chain of events designed and intended to lead to exploration and development. When the intended and most probable consequence of a federal activity is oil and gas production that will dramatically affect the adjacent coastal zone, that activity is one “directly affecting” the coastal zone within the meaning of § 307(c)(1).
I-H I — I
The Court’s holding rests, m part, on selections from legislative developments subsequent to the enactment of the CZMA in 1972. In my view the 1978 amendment to the OCSLA on which the Court relies lends no support to its reading of § 307(e)(1) of the CZMA. On the contrary, a fair review of the post-1972 history reveals such a dramatically different congressional understanding of the meaning of its own work product that it merits a rather detailed treatment. I shall comment on this history in chronological order.

The 1976 Amendment to CZMA

The CZMA was amended in 1976. One of the primary purposes for this legislation was the recognition that OCS leasing has a dramatic impact on the coastal zone. The 1976 legislation created a program of federal financial aid to coastal areas in order to help them deal with the impact of OCS leasing. The amount of money each State received was keyed to the amount of adjacent OCS acreage that had been leased by the Federal Government. 90 Stat. 1019-1028, 16 U. S. C. § 1456a (1982 ed.). This provision was added pre*365cisely because Congress recognized that OCS leasing could dramatically affect the adjacent coastal zone, not only environmentally but socially and economically. See S. Rep. No. 94-277, pp. 10-19 (1975); H. R. Rep. No. 94-878, pp. 13, 15-17 (1976);20121 Cong. Rec. 23055-23056 (1975) (remarks of Sen. Stevens); id., at 23060 (remarks of Sen. Jackson); id., at 23065 (remarks of Sen. Magnuson); 122 Cong. Rec. 6111-6112 (1976) (remarks of Rep. Sullivan); id., at 6112 (remarks of Rep. Du Pont); id., at 6113 (remarks of Rep. Mosher); id., at 6114 (remarks of Rep. Murphy); id., at 6117 (remarks of Rep. Young); id., at 6119 (remarks of Rep. Lago-marsino); id., at 6120 (remarks of Rep. Hughes); id., at 6121-6122 (remarks of Rep. Drinan).21 This congressional recognition completely undermines the Court’s position that OCS oil and gas leasing can never directly affect the coastal zone.
Both the Senate and House versions of the 1976 amendments reported out of committee explicitly applied the consistency requirement of § 307 to OCS oil and gas leasing. See S. 586, 94th Cong., 1st Sess., §102(12) (1975), reprinted in S. Rep. No. 94-277, p. 59 (1975);22 H. R. 3981, 94th Cong., 2d Sess., §2(15) (1976), reprinted in H. R. Rep. No. 94-878, p. 4 (1976). The significant point here is that at every opportunity, Congress indicated that all it was doing by these provi*366sions was restating what had been its original intent in the 1972 CZMA. For example, the Senate Report stated:
“Section 307 is the portion of the Act which has come to be known as the ‘Federal consistency’ section. It assures that once State coastal zone management programs are approved and a rational management system for protecting, preserving, and developing the State’s coastal zone is in place (approved), the Federal departments, agencies, and instrumentalities will not violate such system but will, instead, conduct themselves in a manner consistent with the States’ approved management program. This includes conducting or supporting activities in or out of the coastal zone which affect that area. ... As energy facilities have been focused upon more closely recently, the provisions of section 307 for the consistency of Federal actions with the State coastal zone management programs has [sic] provided assurance to those concerned with the coastal zone that the law already provides an effective mechanism for guaranteeing that Federal activities, including those supported by, and those carried on pursuant to, Federal authority (license, lease, or permit) will accord with a rational management plan for protection, preservation and development of the coastal zone. One of the specific federally related energy problem areas for the coastal zone is, of course, the potential effects of Federal activities on the Outer Continental Shelf beyond the State’s coastal zones, including Federal authorizations for non-Federal activity, but under the act as it presently exists, as well as the S. 586 amendments, if the activity may affect the State coastal zone and it has an approved management program, the consistency requirements do apply.” S. Rep. No. 94-277, supra, at 36-37 (emphasis supplied).23
*367Similarly, the House Report states:
“Specifically what the section does is add the word ‘lease’ to ‘licenses and permits’ in section 307(c)(3). This clarifies the scope of the coverage of those federal actions which must be certified as complying with a state’s approved coastal management program. The Committee felt, because of the intense interest in the matter on the part of a number of states, it would make explicit its view that federal leasing is an activity already covered by section 307 of the Act.
“To argue otherwise would be to maintain that a federal permit for a wastewater discharge, for example, must be certified by the applicant to be in compliance with a state program, the state being given an opportunity to approve or disapprove of the proposal, while a federal lease for an Outer Continental Shelf tract does not have to so certify. Given the obvious impacts on coastal lands and waters which will result from the federal action to permit exploration and development of offshore petroleum resources, it is difficult to imagine that the original intent of the Act was not to include such a major federal coastal action within the coverage of federal consistency.’” H. R. Rep. No. 94-878, supra, at 52 (emphasis supplied).24
Along the same lines, the Report also stated that “the Committee wants to assure coastal states in frontier areas that the OCS leasing process is indeed a federal action that un~ *368doubtedly has the potential for affecting a state’s coastal zone and, hence, must conform with approved state coastal management programs.” Id., at 37. Statements to similar effect were made by sponsors of the legislation on the floors of both Houses.25
Though the explicit reference to OCS leasing was deleted by the Conferees, their Report indicates that the reason for the deletion was not disagreement with the concept of applying § 307 to OCS leasing, but rather to supplement that requirement by applying consistency to other stages in the process as well.26 The subsequent debates on the Conference Report evince no retreat from the position that OCS leasing should be consistent with state management programs. In light of the widespread agreement by Congress in 1976 that OCS leasing was already subject to consistency review under the 1972 CZMA, the logical explanation for the Conferees’ action is simply that they saw no need to amend the CZMA since everyone agreed that it already applied to OCS oil and gas leasing. The only need was to further ex*369tend consistency review to subsequent stages in the process. This view is explicitly supported by the House’s consideration of the amendments, where it was made clear that Congress believed that OCS leasing was subject to consistency requirements. Representative Hughes said:
“I am disappointed, however, that the amendment offered by Mr. DU Pont to delete the provision requiring that Federal offshore leasing be consistent with State coastal zone management plans has been agreed to. I nevertheless rely upon the record established during today’s debate to show that it is the intent of this legislation that offshore leasing not be in conflict with State management plans.” 122 Cong. Rec. 6120 (1976) (emphasis supplied).27
The failure of the Conferees to include the proposed language in the CZMA is all the more illuminating in light of the fact that the proposal before the Conferees was to amend § 307(c)(3), which details the consistency obligations of private lessees. This proposal was entirely irrelevant to the obligations of the Secretary of the Interior since that subsection does not apply to the Secretary. Thus, the Conferees simply saw no reason to add language covering OCS leasing to subsection (c)(3) when there was agreement that it was already covered by (c)(1).28 In any event, whatever the ex*370planation for the Conferees’ failure to amend § 307(c)(3), the legislative history contains no ambiguities on one point— everyone to address the issue agreed that § 307(c)(1) already applied to federal OCS oil and gas leasing decisions. This is not merely “postenactment” legislative history, for this was a central premise on which Congress legislated when it decided that § 307 need be extended only to subsequent stages in the process of oil and gas development.

The 1978 Amendments to OCSLA

In 1978, Congress passed the Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act Amendments, 92 Stat. 629. The majority relies on these Amendments, concluding that since they require federal approval prior to exploration or development by OCS lessees, they make it clear that mere OCS leasing cannot invoke the consistency requirement of § 307(c)(1) of the CZMA. Ante, at 337-340. After all, as the Court recites, these leases are subject to cancellation and most of the specific activities contemplated by the leases must be approved before they take place. At most, however, this simply raises a factual question that the District Court has answered in these cases — does the necessity for approval of exploration and development under OCSLA mean that the leasing decision does not “directly affect” the coastal zone because of the contingent nature of the leasing? Posing that question in no sense obviates the need for the factual analysis demanded by § 307(c)(1). The question whether the leasing decision “directly affects” the coastal zone must still be confronted.
This is made clear by the text of the OCSLA Amendments, which explicitly preserves the pre-existing provisions of the *371CZMA. “Except as otherwise expressly provided in this Act, nothing in this Act shall be contraed to amend, modify, or repeal any provision of the Coastal Zone Management Act of 1972 _” 92 Stat. 698, 43 U. S. C. § 1866(a) (1976 ed., Supp. V). Moreover, the legislative history of this provision indicates that it was intended to require consistency review of federal OCS leasing activity. In the only discussion of this question during the entire consideration of the OCSL A Amendments, the House Report29 made it clear that the consistency obligation of the CZMA would continue to apply to OCS leasing decisions.
“The committee is aware that under the Coastal Zone Management Act of 1972, as amended in 1976 (16 U. S. C. 1451 et seq.), certain OCS activities including lease sales and approval of development and production plans must comply with ‘consistency’ requirements as to coastal zone management plans approved by the Secretary of Commerce. Except for specific changes made by Titles IV and V of the 1977 Amendments, nothing in this act is intended to amend, modify, or repeal any provision of the Coastal Zone Management Act. Specifically, nothing is intended to alter procedures under that Act for consistency once a State has an approved Coastal Zone Management Plan.” H. R. Rep. No. 95-590, p. 153, n. 52 (1977) (emphasis supplied).30
One could not ask for a more explicit indication of legislative intent. The Court can find no indication of any intent to the *372contrary. Thus, the premise of the 1978 legislation, like the 1976 amendment to the CZMA, was that consistency review would be applied to OCS leasing.
Even more important is § 18 of the OCSLA, 92 Stat. 649, 43 U. S. C. §1344 (1976 ed., Supp. V), which governs the OCS leasing program. Subsection (f) provides, in pertinent part: “The Secretary shall, by regulation, establish procedures for . . . consideration of the coastal zone management program being developed or administered by an affected coastal State pursuant to Section 1454 or 1455 of title 16 [the CZMA].” This provision was added “for coordination of the [leasing] program with management programs and consistency requirements established pursuant to the Coastal Zone Management Act of 1972.” H. R. Rep. No. 95-590, supra, at 151; S. Rep. No. 95-284, p. 77 (1977).31 Section 18 of the OCSLA makes it clear, if it were not previously, that state coastal management plans must be considered by the Secretary at the OCS leasing stage.32 Thus, both the saving clause and § 18(f) establish that Congress intended that consistency determination under the CZMA be made for OCS leasing decisions when it enacted the 1978 OCSLA Amendments.
In any event, the fact that additional licensing is required under the OCSLA scheme for exploration and development hardly makes those steps “indirect” consequences of leasing in the sense that any effect on the coastal zone is the result of intervening causes, which is the definition of “indirect” urged by petitioners.33 Approval for exploration and development *373by the lessee is obviously the expected and intended result of leasing; if it were not, the Secretary would not bother to lease and the lessees would not bother to bid. Subsequent exploration and development is hardly an intervening cause; it is the natural and expected consequence of the original lease, and hence the “direct” effect of leasing. It would be disapproval of exploration and development that would constitute an intervening cause, not the expected approval.34

The 1980 Amendment to CZMA

In 1980, the CZMA was reauthorized and again amended. 94 Stat. 2060. In the course of considering the statute, Congress once again addressed the precise problem we are faced with today. Once again its answer was the same — OCS oil and gas leasing is subject to the consistency obligation of § 307(c)(1) of the CZMA. The House Report, for example, observed that the 1976 amendments had not altered this obligation. “The change did not alter Federal agency responsibility to provide States with a consistency determination related to OCS decisions which preceded issuance of leases.” H. R. Rep. No. 96-1012, p. 28 (1980). The Report then went on to consider whether § 307 needed to be amended, and declined to do so only after determining that it clearly applied to OCS leasing.
“Finally, the committee has not recommended any changes in the Federal consistency provision, section 307 of the existing act. During its oversight phase, the *374committee heard much testimony on these provisions. However, the consensus of witnesses advocated no change. .. .
“. . . Generally all consistency provisions have been properly construed. The only uncertainty that has arisen concerns the interpretation of section 307(c)(1), the threshold test of 'directly affecting’ the coastal zone. The committee points out that in the preamble to NOAA’s Federal consistency regulations, this threshold test was considered during earlier congressional deliberations and was determined to apply whenever a Federal activity had a functional interrelationship from an economic, geographic or social standpoint with a State coastal program’s land or water use policies. Under such circumstances, a State has a legitimate interest in reviewing a proposed Federal activity since the management program’s policies are likely to apply to the activity. Thus, when a Federal Agency initiates a series of events of coastal management consequence, the intergovernmental coordination provisions of the Federal consistency requirements should apply.” Id., at 34.
Similarly, the Senate Report described the 1976 amendments as having maintained the consistency obligation for OCS leasing:
“The Department of Interior’s activities which preceded OCS lease sales were to remain subject to the requirements of section 307(c)(1) [under the 1976 CZMA]. As a result, intergovernmental coordination for purposes of OCS development commences at the earliest practicable time in the opinion of the Committee, as the Department of the Interior sets in motion a series of events which have consequences in the coastal zone. Coordination must continue during the critical exploration, development, and production stages.
“The Committee see[s] no justification to depart from this point of view. The Committee hopes that through *375the rulemaking, future areas of disagreement over the application of Federal consistency will be substantially reduced, especially given the excellent record of application shown by the coastal States.” S. Rep. No. 96-783, p. 11 (1980).35
Thus, the 1980 legislative history indicates that when Congress reauthorized the CZMA it intended § 307(c)(1) to be applied to OCS leasing decisions. Congress unmistakably rejected the position embraced by the majority today.36

*376
Postscript in 1981

After the new administration took office in 1981, the Secretary of Commerce proposed a CZMA regulation which would have removed OCS leasing decisions from the scope of consistency review.37 The House Committee on Merchant Marine and Fisheries promptly considered whether to exercise a legislative veto over the regulations38 and overwhelmingly voted to veto the regulations. H. R. Rep. No. 97-269, pp. 7-8 (1981). The regulations were later -withdrawn, in an apparent administrative concession of error. 47 Fed. Reg. 4231 (1982). Apparently this is the last of a long series of congressional actions indicating that body’s intent that OCS leasing be subject to consistency review under § 307(c)(1) of the CZMA.
In sum, the intent of Congress expressed in the plain language of the statute and in its long legislative history unambiguously requires consistency review if an OCS lease sale directly affects the coastal zone. The affirmative findings of fact made by the lower courts on that score are amply supported and are not disturbed by the Court today.
I therefore respectfully dissent.

 Section 304(a) defines the coastal zone as follows:
“(a) The term ‘coastal zone’ means the coastal waters (including the lands therein and thereunder) and the adjacent shorelands (including the waters therein and thereunder), strongly influenced by each other and in proximity to the shorelines of the several coastal states, and includes islands, transitional and intertidal areas, salt marshes, wetlands, and beaches. The zone extends, in Great Lakes waters, to the international boundary between the United States and Canada and, in other areas, seaward to the outer limit of the United States territorial sea. The zone extends inland from the shorelines only to the extent necessary to control shorelands, the uses of which have a direct and significant impact on the coastal waters. Excluded from the coastal zone are lands the use of which is by law subject solely to the discretion of or which is held in trust by the Federal Government, its officers or agents.” 86 Stat. 1281, as amended, 16 U. S. C. § 1453(1) (1982 ed.).

 See United States v. Maine, 420 U. S. 515 (1975); 43 U. S. C. §§1302, 1332(1) (1976 ed. and Supp. V).

 See H. R. 14146, 92d Cong., 2d Sess., §307(c)(1) (1972), reprinted in 118 Cong. Rec. 26502 (1972) (“Each Federal agency conducting or supporting activities in the coastal zone shall conduct or support those activities in a manner which is, to the maximum extent practicable, consistent with approved state management programs”); S. 3507, 92d Cong., 2d Sess., § 314(b)(1) (1972), reprinted in 118 Cong. Rec. 14190 (1972) (“All Federal agencies conducting or supporting activities in the coastal zone shall administer their programs consistent with approved State management programs except in cases of overriding national interest as determined by the President”).

 The Senate’s version stated that the purpose of a state coastal zone management plan must be “to minimize direct, significant, and adverse impact on the coastal waters . . . .” S. 3507, 92d Cong., 2d Sess., § 304(g) (1972), reprinted in 118 Cong. Rec. 14188 (1972). Plans were required to state “what shall constitute permissible land and water uses within the coastal zone so as to prevent such uses which have a direct, significant, and adverse impact on the coastal waters . . . .” § 305(b)(2), reprinted in 118 Cong. Rec. 14188 (1972). The House bill contained similar language, see H. R. 14146, 92d Cong., 2d Sess., §305(b) (1972), reprinted in 118 Cong. Rec. 26501 (1972). See also S. Rep. No. 92-753, p. 10 (1972).

 The Santa Barbara incident was referred to on several occasions during the consideration of the CZMA. See 118 Cong. Rec. 14180 (1972) (remarks of Sen. Boggs); id., at 26484 (remarks of Rep. Anderson); id., at 26495 (same); ibid, (remarks of Rep. Teague); id., at 35550 (remarks of Rep. Anderson).

 The Court seems to read this history as indicating that only federal activities in the coastal zone or on federal enclaves may directly affect the zone. See ante, at 323-324. If that were a correct reading, § 307(c)(1) would have no application at all in the ocean area adjacent to the coastal zone. None of the litigants has advanced such an improbable construction of “directly affecting.” It is perfectly obvious that when Congress adopted language that excluded federal enclaves from the zone, it realized that activities which are conducted outside the zone itself can have the same kind of effect within the zone as an activity conducted in the zone. An oil well adjacent to the zone will affect the zone in precisely the same way whether it is in a federal enclave or in federal water just outside the zone.

 The House version provided that the Secretary’s management program “shall be coordinated with the [adjacent] coastal state involved.” H. R. 14146, 92d Cong., 2d Sess., § 313(b) (1972), reprinted in 118 Cong. Rec 26503 (1972). It further provided: “The Secretary shall, to the maximum extent practicable, apply the program developed pursuant to this section to waters which are adjacent to specific areas in the coastal zone which have been designated by the states for the purpose of preserving or restoring such areas for their conservation, recreational, ecological, or esthetic values.” § 313(e), reprinted in 118 Cong. Rec. 26503 (1972).

 “Mr. Chairman, of particular interest to me is a subsection, which I authored, designed to protect State-established coastal sanctuaries, such as exists off California, from federally authorized development.
“The State of California in 1955 created five marine sanctuaries to protect the beaches from oil spills. In 1963, two more sanctuaries were created.
“These State-established sanctuaries, which extend from the coastline *350seaward to 3 miles, account for nearly a fourth of the entire California coast.
“However, the Federal Government has jurisdiction outside the State area, from 3 miles to 12 miles at sea. All too often, the Federal Government has allowed development and drilling to the detriment of the State program.
“A case in point is Santa Barbara where California established a marine sanctuary banning the drilling of oil in the area under State authority.
“Yet outside the sanctuary — in the federally controlled area — the Federal Government authorized drilling which resulted in the January 1969 blowout. This dramatically illustrated the point that oil spills do not respect legal jurisdictional lines.
“In order to protect the desires of the citizens of the coastal States who wish to establish marine sanctuaries, I offered a provision which 'requires that the Secretary of Commerce shall, to the maximum extent practicable, apply the coastal zone program to waters immediately adjacent to the coastal waters of a State, which the State has designated for specific preservation purposes.’ The Merchant Marine and Fisheries Committee approved this provision.” Id., at 26484 (remarks of Rep. Anderson).

 “When an estuarine sanctuary is established by a coastal state . . . whether or not Federal funds have been made available for a part of the costs of acquisition, development, and operation, the Secretary, at the request of the state concerned, and after consultation with interested Federal departments and agencies and other interested parties, may extend the established estuarine sanctuary seaward beyond the coastal zone, to the extent necessary to effectuate the purposes for which the estuarine sanctuary was established.” H. R. 14146, 92d Cong., 2d Sess., § 312(b) (1972), reprinted in 118 Cong. Rec. 26503 (1972).

 “During the first session of the 92d Congress, the Subcommittee on Oceans and Atmosphere, formerly the Subcommittee on Oceanography, held an additional three days of hearings during May 1971. Fifteen witnesses were heard and 39 new letters, articles and publications were received for the record, which was published by the Committee as Serial No. 92-15.
“In the ensuing period, S. 582 was redrafted by the Subcommittee, incorporating additional ideas from S. 638 and S. 992, which the Subcommittee felt strengthened the bill. The Subcommittee also drew substantially upon ideas propounded by the Council on Environmental Quality, whose assistance was invaluable. The Subcommittee reported the bill favorably to the Committee on Commerce on August 4, 1971, and on September 30, 1971 the Committee ordered the bill reported favorably with amendments.
“On March 14, 1972, at the request of Senator Hollings, S. 582 wad recommitted to the Committee. Changes were made in the bill so as to clear up conflicting matters of jurisdiction, to place limitations on the coastal zone, and to broaden the participation of local governments, interstate agencies and areawide agencies in the preparation and operation of management programs. Additional changes were made to make the bill compatible with proposed land use policy legislation as proposed by the Administration. (See S. 992) Then, on Tuesday, April 11,1972, the Committee ordered S. 3507 be reported favorably as an original bill.” S. Rep. No. 92-753, p. 7 (1972).

 The 1971 bill stated: “All Federal agencies conducting or supporting activities in the coastal and estuarine zone shall administer their programs consistent with approved State management programs except in cases of *352overriding national interest as determined by the President.” S. 582, 92d Cong., 1st Sess., §313(b)(1) (1971), reprinted in S. Rep. No. 92-526, p. 7 (1971). The 1972 version is identical, except that what the 1971 version called the “coastal and estuarine zone” the 1972 version shortened to the “coastal zone.”

 The Report repeated itself, apparently for emphasis: “As noted previously, it is intended that any lands or waters under Federal jurisdiction and control, within or adjacent to the coastal and estuarine zone, where the administering Federal agency determines them to have a functional interrelationship from an economic, social, or geographic standpoint with lands and waters within the coastal and estuarine zone, should be administered consistent with approved State management programs.” Id., at 30.

 There is not a word in the Conference Report on the CZMA indicating that the Conferees rejected the concept that the coastal zone be protected from federal OCS activities through consistency review. The Court relies on Representative Anderson’s statement concerning the Conference Report, ante, at 328, but in fact he spoke only with reference to the “provision [that] would have required the Secretary to apply the coastal zone program to waters immediately adjacent to the coastal waters of a State, which that State has designated for specific preservation purposes.” 118 Cong. Rec. 35549-35550 (1972). His remarks did not concern the scope of § 307(c)(1). Moreover, with respect to § 313 the Conferees indicated that it was deleted only because “the provisions relating thereto did not prescribe sufficient standards or criteria [for coastal management] and would create potential conflicts with legislation already in existence concerning Continental Shelf resources.” H. R. Conf. Rep. No. 92-1544, p. 15 (1972). As for §312, the objection to it was not that it applied state management plans to the OCS; in fact it did not. The objections were of a much different nature— concern that § 312 might automatically foreclose OCS development without judicial or administrative review, see 118 Cong. Rec. 26495 (1972) (remarks of Rep. Clark), and that it duplicated existing programs which already achieved the same purpose. Id., at 26495-26496 (remarks of Rep. Kyi). All the Conferees said about their reasons for rejecting § 312 was: “[T]he need for such provisions appears to be rather remote and could cause problems since they would extend beyond the territorial limits of the United States.” H. R. Conf. Rep. No. 92-1544, pp. 14-15 (1972).
The Court also relies on the Senate’s rejection of an amendment which would have required the Federal Government to submit leasing proposals to affected States for approval, and the Conferees’ rejection of a provision of the Senate version of the CZMA providing for a study of the environmental hazards attendant to drilling in the Atlantic OCS. Ante, at 329-330, *355n. 14. As for the Senate amendment, the objection to it had nothing to do with whether consistency obligations applied to federal OCS activity. The objections centered around the veto it gave to the States. Senator Hol-lings said: “This amendment provides the Governor would have a veto over such matters. I do not think the Senate wants to go that far. The amendment comes without public hearing and full consideration, which we have not had the benefit of.” 118 Cong. Rec. 14184 (1972). Then, Senator Moss pointed out that a study of this problem was then underway in the Committee on Interior and Insular Affairs. Ibid. It was for that reason, and that reason alone, that the sponsor of the amendment voluntarily withdrew it: “I am happy that these hearings and studies are continuing. I believe and hope they will shed full light on this important subject so that the Senate can give the fullest consideration in light of these hearings and further studies. Mr. President, with the chairman’s permission, I ask unanimous consent to withdraw the amendment.” Ibid, (remarks of Sen. Boggs). As for the study in the Senate version, S. 3507, 92d Cong., 2d Sess., § 316(c)(1) (1972), reprinted in 118 Cong. Rec. 14191 (1972), it was deleted in conference for no other reason than that it was nongermane. Id., at 35547 (remarks of Rep. Downing). Moreover, the Court misstates the objections to this provision. Senators Stevens and Moss objected only because they thought the study should also produce recommendations as to how to eliminate the environmental hazards posed by OCS drilling. See id., at 14180 (remarks of Sen. Stevens). The sponsor, Senator Pell, offered an amendment providing for such recommendations, and then both Senators withdrew their objections to the study. See id., at 14181 (remarks of Sen. Stevens); id., at 14181-14182 (remarks of Sen. Moss).

 Construing the CZMA to begin federal-state cooperation at the OCS leasing stage enhances such long-range planning and maximizes cooperation. Indeed, the 1980 House Report on the CZMA stated that Congress intended consistency review to apply at the OCS leasing stage for precisely this reason:
“The benefits of this [construction] are significant. First, it fosters consultation between Federal and State agencies at the earliest practicable time. This, in turn, enhances the ability of the States to plan for and manage the coastal zone effects which are directly linked to Federal commitment of resources for Federal activities likely to lead to results inconsistent with the requirements of approved State programs.
“Secondly, broad opportunities for States to influence Federal activities enhances the incentive of the consistency provisions, thereby reinforcing voluntary State participation in the national program. Finally, an expansive interpretation of the threshold test is compatible with the amendment to section 303 calling for Federal agencies and others to participate and cooperate in carrying out the purposes of the act.” H. R. Rep. No. 96-1012, pp. 34-35 (1980).

 In the lease sale at issue in this case, $220 million was bid on the disputed tracts.

 Petitioners complain that at the leasing stage there may be inadequate information on which to base a consistency determination. The applicable regulations dispose of this objection. While they require a consistency determination at the earliest possible time, the determination need not be made until sufficient information is developed to make a consistency determination practicable. See 15 CFR § 930.34(b) (1983). The regulations also permit consistency determinations to be made in phases as new information develops. See § 930.37(c).

 In this connection the arrangement of the four subparagraphs of § 307 is instructive. That section obligates four categories of parties to conform their activities, to the maximum extent practicable, with approved state management programs. The four categories are (1) federal agencies conducting or supporting activities directly affecting the coastal zone; (2) federal agencies undertaking development projects in the coastal zone; (3) private parties who apply for a license or permit to conduct activities in the coastal zone; and (4) state and local governments submitting applications for federal assistance under programs affecting the coastal zone. Neither subparagraph (2) nor (4) has any application to the case before us. It is subparagraph (3), that requires private parties to comply with state programs. Unless subparagraph (1) applies to the Secretary of the Interior, Congress simply omitted entirely the federal activity of selecting the tracts that will be leased from the conformity requirement. If lessees must ultimately conform their activities, to the maximum extent practicable, with the approved state programs, it is difficult to understand why Congress would not have wanted the original planning that preceded the lease sales also to be consistent with the approved program.

 My view, unlike the Court’s, is consistent with that of the agency charged by Congress with administering the CZMA, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). While the majority correctly points out that NOAA has waffled on the specific issue of whether there should be a special rule for OCS oil and gas leasing, ante, at 320-321, n. 6, it has consistently rejected the majority’s position that federal activities in the OCS need not be evaluated to see if they directly affect the coastal zone. To the contrary; NOAA has agreed with the position formerly taken by the Department of Justice (which itself later waffled on this issue, see n. 35, infra), that the question whether OCS leasing activity is subject to consistency review is one of fact to be decided on a ease-by-case basis. See 44 Fed. Reg. 37142 (1979). The NOAA regulation on this subject (which remains in effect) states: “Federal activities outside of the coastal zone (e. g., on excluded Federal lands, on the Outer Continental Shelf, or landward of the coastal zone) are subject to Federal agency review to determine whether they directly affect the coastal zone.” 15 CFR § 930.33(c) (1983). NOAA also urged federal agencies “to construe liberally the ‘directly affecting’ test in borderline cases so as to favor inclusion of Federal activities subject to consistency review.” 44 Fed. Reg. 37146-37147 (1979).

 The California Coastal Commission, the state agency responsible for the administration of the state management plan, made this same point in objecting to the lease sale at issue here. “The Commission’s objections to Lease Sale 53 cannot be resolved later at the plan of exploration stage because they involve such major concerns as the lack of onshore facilities, land, and population that can accommodate oil development.” App. 118. The Commission believed that inclusion of four specific areas in the sale is inconsistent with its management plan because (1) it leases tracts that are close to areas considered marine sanctuaries or marine resource areas which must be protected from development under the state plan, (2) it will require transportation of oil through the range of the endangered sea otter, which is an environmentally sensitive area that must be protected from such transportation under the state plan, (3) it would affect the scenic and visual qualities of protected recreational areas, (4) it will require the construction of facilities that are not sufficiently justified in terms of the “public welfare” as defined by the plan, and (5) there was not sufficient planning for future demands on coastal resources as required by the state plan. Id., at 120-132. The area of dispute involves 29 of 111 tracts proposed for leasing containing about 8 percent of the oil reserves projected from the sale area. Id., at 148. Prior to this sale, the Commission had concurred in 26 out of 27 OCS lease sales proposed by the Department of the Interior. Id., at 117-120. 154.

 In fact, the House Report contains an attachment which details at some length the impacts of OCS oil and gas leasing on the coastal zone. See H. R. Rep. No. 94-878, pp. 119-126 (1976).

 For additional statements demonstrating the effects of leasing decisions on the coastal zone, see Congressional Research Service, Effects of Offshore Oil and Natural Gas Development on the Coastal Zone, A Study Prepared for the Ad Hoc Select Committee on Outer Continental Shelf, 94th Cong., 2d Sess., 93 (Comm. Print 1976); Office of Technology Assessment, Offshore Oil and Gas Development, A Study for the Ad Hoc Select House Committee on Outer Continental Shelf, 95th Cong., 1st Sess., 155-157 (Comm. Print 1977).

 See also S. Rep. No. 94-277, pp. 19-20 (1975).

 See also id., at 52-53.

 The Senate Report also stated: “There is very little coordination or communication between Federal agencies and the affected coastal States prior to major energy resource development decisions, such as the decision to lease large tracts of the OCS for oil and gas .... Full implementation of the Coastal Zone Management Act of 1972 and recognition of its capability to solve energy-related conflicts could go far to institute the broad objectives of Federal-State cooperative planning envisioned by the framers of the act.” Id., at 3 (emphasis supplied).

 See 121 Cong. Rec. 23075 (1975) (remarks of Sen. Tunney); id., at 23082 (remarks of Sen. Kennedy); id., at 23084 (remarks of Sen. Williams); 122 Cong. Rec. 6117 (1976) (remarks of Rep. Forsythe). Similar statements were made emphasizing the breadth of the consistency requirement. See, e. g., id., at 6112 (remarks of Rep. Du Pont) (“Once a State has an approved coastal zone management plan in place, all subsequent Federal activities which affect the coastal zone must be found to be consistent with adopted State management programs”); id., at 6113 (remarks of Rep. Lent) (The 1972 CZMA “provides for the representation of local, State, and regional interests ... in the making of decisions affecting the coastal zone areas”).

 “The Senate bill required that each Federal lease (for example, offshore oil and gas leases) had to be submitted to each state with an approved coastal zone management program for a determination by that state as to whether or not the lease was consistent with its program. The conference substitute further elaborates on this provision and specifically applies the consistency requirement to the basic steps in the OCS leasing process — namely, the exploration, development and production plans submitted to the Secretary of the Interior.” H. R. Conf. Rep. No. 94-1298, p. 30 (1976).

 Representative Du Pont himself stated that he also believed that OCS leasing was subject to consistency requirements. See 122 Cong. Rec. 6128 (1976).

 This observation was later made in a statement signed by one of the principal sponsors of the 1976 legislation, Representative Studds. “Nowhere, in this entire set of deliberations [in 1976], was there any explilct [sic] or implicit reference to consistency decisions by the Department of the Interior in its pre-lease activity pursuant to Section 307(e)(1). The focus was on the proper time for a state to certify a private company’s activity — not on the federal agency’s obligations under Section 307(c)(1).
“The deletion of ‘lease’ from Section 3[0]7(e)(3) was an agreement by the Congress that a State would have better information on which to base a *370307(c)(3) decision later in the process — i. e., at the exploration and development stage — than when the oil company simply had been awarded a lease. Such deletion, however, had absolutely no reference to the range of pre-leasing decisions made by the Interior Department and no implication is warranted with respect to the Section 307(c)(1) issue here.” H. R. Rep. No. 97-269, p. 14 (1981) (additional views of Reps. Studds and D’Amours).

 The Report also incorporates by reference the earlier Congressional Research Service report, cited in n. 21, supra, detailing the impact of OCS leasing decisions on the coastal zone. See H. R. Rep. No. 95-590, p. 55, n. 1 (1977).

 See also 124 Cong. Rec. 2057-2058 (1978) (remarks of Rep. Murphy) (“I want to assure my colleagues that we are simply making sure that the provisions of the 1976 Coastal Zone Management Act consistency amendments will continue to operate in these revised OCS procedures”).

 See also S. Rep. No. 95-284, pp. 43-44 (1977); S. Conf. Rep. No. 95-1091, p. 105 (1978).

 Regulations have been issued governing oil and gas leasing which implement this requirement by requiring consideration of state coastal zone management plans. See 43 CFR § 3310.4 (1982).

 The Court does not offer a definition of the term “directly” for purposes of § 307(c)(1) since it takes the position that the statute does not extend to OCS activities. Therefore, I address only petitioners’ definition.

 Moreover, petitioners argue only that any “physical” impacts on the coastal zone depend on future licensing and hence are indirect. Petitioners cannot address the economic or social impacts of the leasing decision, however, which are not dependent upon subsequent approval, and which may well result in direct effects on the coastal zone, as Congress recognized both in the 1971 Senate Report and the 1976 CZMA amendments. As noted above, the findings of fact made by the lower courts indicate that the proposed lease sale at issue here would have had direct economic and social effects on the coastal zone.

 To make sure of the correct construction of the Act, two sponsors of the 1980 amendments conducted a colloquy on the floor of the House in which they indicated that the intent of Congress was to apply § 307(c)(1) to OCS leasing decisions if as a factual matter they affected the coastal zone.
“[Mr. McCloskey.] Do any portions of the Coastal Zone Management Improvement Act or the report language change the provisions of section 307 of the Coastal Zone Management Act on coordination and cooperation, the so-called Federal consistency provision?
“Mr. Studds. I would like to assure my colleague that nothing in H. R. 6979 nor its accompanying report changes the intent of the Federal consistency provision. In testimony before the Subcommittee on Oceanography, we heard from many witnesses that this section is critical for the effective implementation of State management programs. Since the consistency provisions are important to the act and appear to be working, no changes were made to section 307 of the act.
“Mr. McCloskey. I assume that this means also that there are no changes in the bill or the report language which further modify the term ‘directly affecting’ which occurs in section 307(c)(1) of the original statute.
“Mr. Studds. The gentleman from Washington is correct. The term ‘directly affecting is essentially one of fact’ as the Department of Justice has previously concluded.” 126 Cong. Rec. 28458 (1980).
Representative Studds’ reference was to the Department of Justice’s previously stated position that § 307(c)(1) did apply to OCS leasing activity if, in fact, a given leasing decision could be said to directly affect the coastal zone. See App. 35-47.

 Even if the Court were correct to view the 1980 history as not part of the legislative history ofthe CZMA, despite thefact that Congress infact reauthorized the CZMA in 1980 and explicitly stated its view as to the correct construction of § 307(c)(1), this nevertheless qualifies as the view of a subsequent Congress and is not without persuasive value. See, e. g., Bell v. New Jersey, 461 U. S. 773, 784-785 (1983); Bob Jones Univ. v. United States, 461 U. S. 574, 599-602 (1983); Andrus v. Shell Oil Co., 446 U. S. 657, 666, n. 8 (1980).

 See 46 Fed. Reg. 26660 (1981).

 See 16 U. S. C. § 1463a (1982 ed.).