Chapter 10 A National Program for the Management and Development of 

 Coastal Waters and Lands 



In Chapter 9 and in earUer chapters we have 

 presented the need for effective management of 

 our coastal and lakeshore zOnes. In this chapter we 

 recommend a program involving a Federal-State 

 partnership to manage and develop the coastal 

 zone. The goal of this program is: 



To achieve in our coastal waters a quality of 

 environment which will ensure economic develop- 

 ment, and sensible utilization of our resources 

 through Federal-State cooperation in sound plan- 

 ning and management. 



The program developed here envisions manage- 

 ment vested in a State Authority or in a State 

 established local or regional authority. The general 

 role of this authority would be to undertake, in 

 participation with other State and local authori- 

 ties, the planning, regulation, and acquisition of 

 coastal and lakeshore waters and lands. 



Implementation of this program requires Fed- 

 eral legislation to define National objectives, set 

 forth policy guidelines, and authorize funds for 

 Federal assistance. It is not feasible that legislation 

 be binding on any State. However, the legislation 

 should encourage States to participate. A State 

 which benefits from Federal funding incident to 

 this program would be a participating member of 

 the program. 



A "participating" State means that the State 

 has established a State Coastal Zone Authority 

 subject to the review and approval of the Federal 

 Government. The form and detailed functions of 

 the State organization are at the discretion of the 

 State concerned. The agency could vary from a 

 powerful Statewide central authority to a local 

 bi-county regional authority dedicated to a single 

 coastal or estuarine region. Although more 

 modest, the latter would allow an area-by-area 

 implementation and at the same time preserve the 

 balance of local powers. 



The role of the Coastal Zone Authority would 

 be: 



—To plan for multiple uses of the coastal and 

 lakeshore waters and lands 



—To resolve conflicting actions through regulation, 

 zoning, and/ or acquisition 



—To maintain a continuing inventory and studies 

 and to sponsor and conduct research as a contri- 

 buting link in decision making processes 



The Federal role following enactment of legisla- 

 tion would be to provide assistance in the form of 

 a broad National inventory, funding grants, and 

 review of State and local effectiveness to establish 

 the basis for continued Federal funding. Under 

 this program the Federal Government has available 

 two mechanisms to induce positive and progressive 

 State and local action: withholding Federal grants 

 and acquiring and managing areas determined by 

 the Federal Government to be endangered and 

 critical to the National interests but not protected 

 adequately. 



Areas under Federal jurisdiction should be 

 under Federal management and development ex- 

 cept where the Federal Government has expressly 

 ceded jurisdiction to a State or government unit 

 under State authority. 



s 



Figure 1. The coastal zone is a National re- 

 source and its use should be administered in 

 the public interest. (National Park Service 

 photo) 



I. NATIONAL INTERESTS 



National interests are the aggregate objectives, 

 policies, and activities through which we seek to 

 accomplish the goal. Objectives of a coastal man- 

 agement program can be expressed in the follow- 

 ing terms: 



-To understand the natural processes occuning in 

 the nearshore environment and thus to predict 

 man's effects on this envirormient 



111-148 



