401 



prehensive plan must include sufficiently strong regulator}^ authori- 

 ties — licensing, permits, leasing, and restrictive use provisions — so 

 that the implementation of the plan by the central agency will be truly 

 effective. The effective tying together of these three points (organiza- 

 tion-plan-authority) depends on coordination, 



THE ORGANIZATION 



Details on the structure of the States' central organizational focal 

 points can be gained from the preceding case studies. The specific 

 structure would of course, vary with the size, scope, development, 

 population, political atmosphere, and financial capabilities of the par- 

 ticular State. No one organizational format can be presented as being 

 representative of all the coastal States ; nor should one type of format 

 be imposed on all of them. 



Fanning out from an organizational entity are the various other 

 State agencies which have responsibilities dealing with particular as- 

 pects of estuarine management; for example, the fish and wildlife 

 agency issues hunting and fishing permits, the park service manages 

 the State parks, and the port authorities handle the harbors. These in- 

 dividual agency responsibilities are generally not, and need not be, 

 merged or included in the specific estuarine organization. This would 

 often create additional difficulties and needless duplication, because 

 estuarine activities cut across all facets of a coastal State government. 

 However to be effective these individual responsibilities and activities 

 must be effectively coordinated through a conscientious spirit of coop- 

 eration. More often than not, these activities are not sufficiently 

 coordinated. 



THE PLAN 



The State organizational entity, when effective, is backed up by and 

 empowered to develop, approve, and/or implement a comprehensive 

 statewide estuarine management plan or concept. In respect to these 

 management plans, the States generally do not have approved compre- 

 hensive statewide management plans to guide or provide a basis for 

 the activities of the organizational framework. When existent they are 

 often very flexible, nebulous, incomplete, confusing, and rely more 

 on the individual experts to solve problems, as they arise, than on 

 preplanning, 



THE REGULATIONS 



The comprehensive management plan and the corresponding orga- 

 nization entity, when existent, are empowered or strengthened, directly 

 or indirectly through coordination mechanisms, by regulations, provi- 

 sions, statutes, and procedures for use control either through zoning, 

 acquisition, restrictive covenants, or State ownership of submerged 

 lands. This lack of organizational frameworks, coordination, planning, 

 and regulatory authorities is evidenced by the plight of our coastal 

 areas and by the numerous responses from coastal States for the varied 

 types of Federal assistance and coordination as described in the fol- 

 lowing section. Details on the range of State laws, which also vary 

 based on the characteristics of the State can be gained from the pre- 



