Coastal Zone Management Act
The U.S. Congress recognized the importance of meeting the challenge of continued growth in the coastal zone by passing the Coastal Zone Management Act (CZMA) in 1972. This act, administered by NOAA, provides for the management of the nation’s coastal resources, including the Great Lakes. The goal is to “preserve, protect, develop, and where possible, to restore or enhance the resources of the nation’s coastal zone.”
The CZMA outlines three national programs, the National Coastal Zone Management Program, the National Estuarine Research Reserve System, and the Coastal and Estuarine Land Conservation Program (CELCP). The National Coastal Zone Management Program aims to balance competing land and water issues through state and territorial coastal management programs, the reserves serve as field laboratories that provide a greater understanding of estuaries and how humans impact them, and CELCP provides matching funds to state and local governments to purchase threatened coastal and estuarine lands or obtain conservation easements.
Coastal Zone Management Act of 1972
Coastal Zone Management Act by Section
- Section 302 - Congressional findings
- Section 303 - Congressional declaration of policy
- Section 304 - Definitions
- Section 305 - Management program development grants
- Section 306 - Administrative grants
- Section 306A - Coastal resource improvement program
- Section 6217 - Protecting coastal waters
- Section 307 - Coordination and cooperation
- Section 307A - Coastal and Estuarine Land Conservation Program
- Section 308 - Coastal Zone Management Fund
- Section 309 - Coastal Zone Enhancement Grants
- Section 310 - Technical assistance
- Section 311 - Public hearings
- Section 312 - Review of performance
- Section 313 - Records and audit
- Section 314 - Walter B. Jones Excellence in Coastal Zone Management Awards
- Section 315 - National Estuarine Research Reserve System
- Section 316 - Coastal Zone Management Reports
- Section 317 - Rules and Regulations
- Section 318 - Authorization of appropriations
- Section 319 - Appeals to the Secretary
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