A Local-State-Federal 

 Partnership 



Management 



Conference: The 



Umbrella for Action 



Management Conference 

 Process 



Starting in the Right 

 Direction 



As a local-state-federal partnership, the framework must also take 

 into account differences in how state and local governments are 

 organized. The division of responsibilities among resource, water, 

 and commerce agencies, and the degree of centralization in en- 

 vironmental planning, are equally important considerations. There- 

 fore, program planning and management for each estuary will 

 probably involve a somewhat different mix of public agencies and 

 different levels of representation. Flexibility ensures a dynamic 

 program that allows both structure and strategy to be modified in 

 response to successes, failures, political realities, and unforeseen 

 problems. 



Many of the strategies considered in the estuary program will 

 require new laws, regulations, and policies. It may be necessary to 

 create institutions or to modify the mission of existing ones. Funding 

 to implement selected actions will certainly need to be identified. In 

 addition, each state and local government has its own rulemaking 

 process. It is, therefore, essential to understand how the systems 

 work in the jurisdictions participating in an estuary program. 



The recommendations in this chapter stem from EPA's experience 

 with current estuary programs and the suggestions of their parti- 

 cipants. They are offered only as guidelines, since the character of 

 each program is different. 



As Chapter I described, the Water Quality Act established the 

 National Estuary Program to promote comprehensive planning for 

 estuaries of "national significance" that are threatened by pollution, 

 development, or overuse. The EPA Administrator, who decides 

 which estuaries will be part of the program in response to nomina- 

 tions submitted by state governors, assumes significant respon- 

 sibility. The Administrator may convene Management Conferences 

 for estuaries with boundaries in more than one state. The Act relies 

 on state implementation of its programs. Accordingly, the states 

 are responsible for most estuary program activities. 



The Management Conference, authorized by Section 320 of the 

 Act, is the organizational umbrella under which each estuary pro- 

 gram is conducted. Initially convened for up to five years, the 

 Conference may be extended or reconvened to oversee imple- 

 mentation and to redirect or adopt new strategies. 



The Conference's first major task is to build the management 

 framework for identifying and solving problems in the estuary. 

 Remembering the two themes driving an estuary program — 

 progressive phases for identifying and solving problems and col- 

 laborative decision making — the Conference initiators begin to 

 identify or build a constituency for the estuary. 



A kickoff meeting is a good way to start because it serves a number 

 of purposes. As a media event, it can make the public aware that 



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