A draft paper on geographic areas of particular 
concern was produced this past grant year. The 
draft defines standards and criteria for four area 
categories, and specific sites will be identified with 
these criteria. The draft also produced a description 
of existing State laws that affect coastal areas. An 
analysis of existing State law will be used to supple- 
ment the State Council’s management authority. 
This analysis provides a good basis for the proposed 
networking mechanisms between the State’s Coastal 
Council and other State agencies. 
Authorities 
The State legislature in 1977 established the South 
Carolina Coastal Council and gave it permitting 
authority in critical areas, namely wetlands, beaches, 
and dune areas. The State legislature retained a 
measure of contro] over the State coastal manage- 
ment effort by requiring submission of the completed 
program to it for approval. Interim final Rules and 
Regulations were completed for the South Carolina 
Coastal Zone Act. The State is now working on 
identifying gaps in the management authority that 
must be filled to develop a Federally approved pro- 
gram. During this fourth year of program develop- 
ment, the State will present a draft coastal zone 
management plan for review. This draft plan will 
address the Section 305 planning requirements for 
energy facility planning. shorefront access, and shore 
erosion planning. 
Texas 
Federal Funding 
Program Preparation (Section 305) 
1974: $ 360,000 
1975: 920,000 
1976: 1,115,000 
1977: 940,996 
Total: 3,335,996 
Current Status 
Texas has begun its fourth year of coastal plan- 
ning with the preparation of a “Working Paper” on 
the Texas Coastal Management Program. The 
“Working Paper” establishes the issues that will be 
the focus of the Texas program: natural hazards 
protection, freshwater inflows to bays and estuaries, 
dredge material placement, industrial and energy 
siting, and shorefront access. A major part of the 
Texas program effort is the development and imple- 
mentation of an activity assessment routine; a sys- 
tematic process for assessing, in advance, the prob- 
able economic, environmental, and social effects of 
specific activities in the coastal zone. The “Working 
Paper” has been reviewed by Federal agencies and 
will be revised into a draft management program. 
The development of the Texas coastal management 
program has been the responsibility of the Texas 
General Land Office with the assistance of a State 
Advisory Committee. 
Authorities 
Implementation of the Texas coastal management 
program will rely primarily on pre-existing State 
authorities, especially the powers of the General 
Land Office, and the organizational and acquisition 
authorities that were enacted during the 1977 legis- 
lative session. The recently enacted legislation, 
which was developed by the Texas coastal manage- 
ment program, included bills creating a Natural Re- 
sources Council (NRC) made up of State resource 
agencies, another bill establishing the coastal coor- 
dination responsibilities of the NRC, as well as a 
Coastal Wetlands Acquisition Act and a Dredged 
Materials Act. 
Virgin Islands 
Federal Funding 
1974: $ 90,000 
1975: 
1976: 120,000 
1977: 180,000 
Total: 390,000 
Current Status 
The Virgin Islands is in its third year of funding 
for program development. During the early part of 
this grant year, the Virgin Islands began the formal 
public review and an informal Federal review of its 
draft management program. Later in the year, pub- 
lic hearings were held and comprehensive coastal 
zone management legislation was drafted and sub- 
mitted to the Senate. At the same time, the Office of 
Coastal Zone Management began the environmental 
impact statement review process on the Virgin Is- 
lands management program. In September 1977, the 
legislation failed to pass by one vote. The legislation 
has been redrafted based on comments from interest 
groups, legislators, and the coastal zone office. The 
legislation was to be resubmitted in February 1978. 
Authorities 
The proposed legislation provides for direct State 
control of the Virgin Islands coastal zone, a two-tier 
boundary encompassing the whole of the islands and 
surrounding territorial islands. Simplified permitting 
of all development in the first tier, and a set of 
comprehensive policies on which permit decisions 
are to be passed. The Department of Conservation 
and Cultural Affairs will be the implementing 
agency. 
Virginia 
Federal Funding 
Program Preparation (Section 305) 
1974: $ 251,044 
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