On May 15, 1974, the House Rules Committee reversed itself and voted 8-7 to clear the National Land Use Policy Act¹ for consideration by the full House. The bill, which would provide $800 million to the states over eight years to develop land use plans in accordance with federal guidelines, has already passed the Senate. A floor fight is expected, as conservatives of both parties will press for enactment of a weak substitute bill.

In late February, passage of the bill seemed near, as it enjoyed broad bipartisan support in the House and had the backing of the White House. Only the month before, the president had called enactment of the bill a "high priority" of his Administration. But with the impeachment crisis making his continued tenure in office more and more dependent on the continued backing of conservative Republicans who oppose the measure, the president executed a behind-the-scenes about face, and House Republicans were instructed to scuttle the bill. By a 9-4 vote, the Rules Committee refused to let the bill reach the House floor. Rep. Sam Steiger (R-Ariz.) took credit for the switch; he had, he said, explained the bill's features to Mr. Nixon in the course of a recent visit to the White House. Since the Administration had supported the concept of the bill for three years, the implication that the president was unaware of its provisions until the eve of its passage was not accorded wide credence. Subsequently, the White House announced its support of a substitute measure, sponsored by Representative Steiger, to provide $40 million over four years for state land use planning, without the detailed federal guidelines called for in Senator Udall's bill.