J. MILLARD TAWES, Governor                     1215

Whereas, clear and fixed boundaries cannot be drawn for the
administration of each of these natural resources; and

Whereas, the administration of these interrelated resources is
shared by numerous State, Federal, interstate and local agencies;
and

Whereas, the activities of numerous natural resources agencies
inevitably overlap and result in the duplication or neglect of essential
programs; and

Whereas, there is a continuous and urgent need for a State agency
authorized and empowered to unify and coordinate all natural re-
sources policies and activities within the State without regard to
the artificial jurisdictional boundaries between the natural resources
agencies;

Section 1.                                                   

Now therefore, be it enacted by the General Assembly of Maryland,
That Section 1 and 2, 4(a), (b), (c), (d), and 5 of Article 66C of the
Annotated Code of Maryland, 1957 Edition and 1965 Cumulative
Supplement, title "Natural Resources," subtitle "Board of Natural
Resources" be and they are hereby repealed and that new Sections 1,
2, 4(a), (b), (c), (d), and 5 be and they are hereby enacted to stand
in the place of the sections and subsections repealed and to read as
follows:

1.

It is the intention of the General Assembly in the enactment of this
subtitle to establish a State agency which shall review and evaluate
all natural resources policies, plans, programs and practices of State,
county, regional and federal agencies and institutions; which shall
coordinate all natural resources activities within the State; which
shall be a center for collecting and organizing information on the
natural resources for the guidance of the Governor and the General
Assembly; and which shall otherwise unify and coordinate policies,
plans, programs and practices which will insure the preservation,
development, wise use and enjoyment of all the natural resources for
the greatest benefits to the State and its citizens.

For these purposes there is hereby created a board to be known as
the Board of Natural Resources, hereinafter referred to as the Board,
which shall consist of a chairman, five departmental members, three
ex officio members and eight appointive members.

4.

(a) The Chairman shall preside over all meetings of the Board,
shall serve as a member of the Governor's Advisory Council as pro-
vided in Article 4.1 of this Code, and shall represent the Board of
Natural Resources at hearings or meetings of the Congress of the
United States and the General Assembly of Maryland, State and
interstate conferences and at local meetings or hearings pertaining
to any matter of concern to the Board. The Chairman may, from