Chapter IV: Coastal Resources 
introduction 
The region bounded by the shorelands, estuaries, 
nearshore ocean, and the Great Lakes is referred to 
as the coastal region. As the place where the land 
meets the sea, this region 1s recognized as a unique 
geographical unit deserving special consideration to 
protect its environment and enhance its usefulness. 
Awareness of the importance of the coastal region 
was aided by three Government-sponsored studies 
published in 1969 and 1970. The first was the report 
Our Nation and The Sea, compiled by the Strat- 
ton Commission and released in January 1969." 
The Commission recommended the enactment of 
a “Coastal Management Act,” which would provide 
financial and technical support for States to encour- 
age better use of coastal resources. The cther two 
studies were made by the Department of the Interior 
and published in late 1969 and 1970. In the first of 
these reports, the Interior Departnient recommended 
legislation similar to that proposed by the Stratton 
Commission and stressed the effects of pollution on 
the estuaries and interrelations between the activities 
that take place on land and the impacts that occur 
in the coastal waters.* The second Interior Depart- 
ment study documented the effect of man-induced 
activities on estuarine areas.° 
The Coastal Zone Management Act of 1972 was 
approved October 27, 1972. Since that time, national 
awareness of the importance of the coastal region has 
been raised by events associated with the accelerated 
development of oil and gas on the Outer Continental 
Shelf, siting of energy facilities both onshore and 
offshore in the coastal region, deepwater port pro- 
1 Repert of the Commission on Marine Science, Engineering, 
and Resources to the President of the United States and the 
U.S. Congress, by Julius A. Stratten, Chairman. Our Nation 
and The Sea—A Plan for National Action. Washington, D.C., 
Government Printing Office, 1969. A more detailed treatment is 
given in the Panel Reports of the Commission. Volume 1, 
Science and Environment, Part IJJ, Report of the Panel on 
Management and Development of the Coastal Zone. Washing- 
ton, D.C., Government Printing Office, 1969, ITI-1 to JII-187. 
2U. S. Department of the Interior, The National Estuarine 
Pollution Study. Washington, D.C., Government Printing Office, 
1969. 
3U.S. Department of the Interior, National Estuary Study, 
Washington, D.C., Government Printing Office, 1970. 
posals, oil spills, nearshore ocean dumping, con- 
tamination of estuaries, and increasing recreational 
pressure on the shoreline. 
The roots of the Nation’s history are in the coastal 
region. Most major population centers are on or 
near the coasts. Continued economic expansion at- 
tracts increasing numbers of people to many of these 
metropolitan areas. The abundance of cooling water 
and the proximity to centers of heavy energy 
usage make the coastal region ideal for siting 
nuclear and fossil-fueled powerplants. Offshore oil 
and gas deposits contain the major remaining re- 
serves of domestic oil and gas apart from Alaska; 
in addition, imported petroleum, which makes up 
nearly one-half of present domestic consumption, 
enters through ports and is refined, processed, and 
transported in and through the coastal region. In- 
creased volumes of imported liquefied natural gas 
(LNG) are anticipated to meet projected shortfalls 
of domestic natural gas, thus requiring further expan- 
sion of energy-processing facilities in the coastal 
region. The coastal region also attracts chemical in- 
dustries, which depend on petroleum feedstocks, and 
heavy industry, much of which is closely linked with 
ocean-borne transportation. In the present absence 
of acceptable land-based disposal methods, coastal 
communities and industries turn to the near offshore 
areas for disposal of sewage and industrial wastes. 
On the other hand, the coast is a unique recrea- 
tional resource. Its attractions bring millions of tran- 
sient vacationers to the beaches from the interior of 
the country. Recreational fishing takes about 
800,000 tons of fish a year from coastal waters. 
Coastal attractions lure second-home developments, 
condominium high rises, marinas, and supporting 
Services. 
Because the coastal region represents many differ= 
ent things to many different people, the public rarely 
considers the coasts as an entity. The concept of a 
coastal region or coastal zone may be sound scienti- 
fically, but it is unrecognizable to the general public 
in a functional sense. The public at large is affected 
by specific instances such as oil on the beaches or 
sewage driven ashore by winds and currents. Like- 
wise, the closing of shellfish bec: »ccause of pesticide 
IV-1 
