procedures, and joint action particularly regarding 
environmental problems. 
Thus, the objectives of the Act are to: (1) pre- 
serve, (2) protect, (3) develop, and (4) enhance and 
restore, where possible, the coastal resources. The 
mechanism to achieve these objectives is through 
“encouragement” and “‘assistance”’ to the States. Co- 
operation of the Federal agencies with the States is 
pledged to achieve the objectives of the Act. The 
general public is to be a participant in the develop- 
ment of coastal zone management programs. Inter- 
state and regional approaches to resource manage- 
ment are encouraged. 
Financial Assistance 
The Secretary of Commerce is authorized to 
award annual matching grants to the coastal States 
for the purpose of assisting in the development of 
coastal zone management programs. Financial as- 
sistance is provided in three tiers according to the 
progress of the States in meeting the Federal guide- 
lines: 
e Development Granis—Section 305 of the CZMA 
authorizes the award of four annual grants, up to 
80 percent, to the participating States to aid in 
preparing management programs. All of the 
coastal States (including the Great Lakes) and 
Guam, Puerto Rico, and the Virgin Islands have 
participated. 
e@ “305%” Grants—Interim grant authority was 
provided in the Coastal Zone Management Act 
Amendments of 1976 (P.L. 94-370) to allow 
two additional grants to States that have com- 
pleted the design of a management program, but 
require additional time to put it into effect. Two 
States received assistance under this provision 
through fiscal year 1977. 
® Administrative Grants—Eighty percent grants 
may be awarded to States for the operation 
and administration of an approved management 
program that meets the requirements of the 
regulations and has been formally submitted and 
approved by the Secretary of Commerce, (Sec. 
306). Three States—California, Oregon, and 
Washington—have been approved under Sec. 306 
through September 1977——California’s program is 
less than complete, because of a pending suit. 
States may pass through a portion of their admin- 
istrative grants to a local government, Statewide 
agency, regional agency, or an interstate agency to 
implement the State program with the approval of 
the Secretary of Commerce. Programs can be pro- 
posed for geographic segments of States. Strengthen- 
ing of local planning efforts is one of the principal 
accomplishments cited by the Office of Coastal Zone 
Management in the 5 years of the program’s exist- 
ence. This comes about in States where pass-through 
funding has taken place. Otherwise the effect has 
been to strengthen to a degree the planning capa- 
bility at the State level. 
Coastal Zone Program Requirements 
A coastal zone management program must have 
nine elements to meet the minimal substantive re- 
quirements under the Section 305 development grant 
process.** 
© identification of the boundaries of the coastal 
Management zone; 
© definition and identification of land and water uses 
that have a significant impact on coastal waters 
and that will be permitted in the coastal zone; 
® designation and inventory of areas of particular 
environmental concern; 
© setting priorities for uses, especially those of re- 
gional, Statewide, or national significance, in par- 
ticular areas of the coastal zone; 
® establishing procedures and organizational struc- 
ture for managing the coastal zone; 
® identification of the authorities the State will use 
to exercise control over land and water uses; 
e description of the State organizational structure 
that will operate the management program once 
it is approved; 
e definition of “beach” and a planning process deal- 
ing with access to public coastal areas; and 
e planning of processes for dealing with energy 
facilities and their impacts, and for dealing with 
coastal erosion. 
The Coastal Zone Management Act was clearly 
intended by Congress to emphasize control of land 
and water use, and not mere planning without the 
capacity to implement the program and plans. The 
preamble of the CZMA ** says that States should: 
“ce 
. . exercise their full authority over the 
lands and waters of the coastal zone by 
. . . developing land and water use pro- 
grams for the coastal zone, including uni- 
fied policies, criteria, standards, methods, 
and processes for dealing with land and 
water use decisions of more than local 
significance.” 
To qualify for approval under the provisions of Sec- 
tion 306, a State program must meet five specific 
requirements: 
e The State must have a coordinating mechanism 
with affected local governments, which must in- 
clude provisions of a notice when a State decision 
would conflict with a local zoning ordinance and 
provide a 30-day comment period; 
32 Ibid., Sec. 1454(b). 
33 [bid., Sec. 1541(h). 
IV-—10 
