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From the Arctic, Pacific and Atlantic oceans to the Great Lakes and Gulf of Mexico, Americans have enjoyed and prospered from an abundance of ocean and coastal resources, activities and opportunities. The U.S. coastal zone houses more than 50 percent of the nation’s population and most of our largest cities and serves as the foundational resource for many sectors of the economy. The coastal zone also provides energy, transportation, commerce, recreation, quality of life and habitat for fisheries and thousands of species of plants and animals.
The Coastal Zone Management Act (CZMA) of 1972 authorized the framework for the wise stewardship of the nation’s coastal resources by establishing a unique partnership among federal, state and local governments to ensure balanced consideration among the myriad of competing coastal resource uses. CZMA encourages coastal states to develop coastal management programs, subject to review and approval by the federal government. To date, the partnership established by CZMA has been remarkably productive: more than 99 percent of national coastal areas now fall under a state coastal zone management plan, and thirty-four of thirty-five eligible coastal states and territories have instituted these programs.
In addition to ocean and coastal management, effective fisheries management aims to maintain the integrity of aquatic ecosystems and maximize the value of fisheries resources by managing commercial and recreational harvests at sustainable levels and providing desirable seafood-producing and recreational fishing opportunities and other tourism-related benefits. The states have compelling interests and roles in how the federal government carries out its fisheries conservation and management responsibilities because ultimately federal regulations affect state fisheries management programs.
NGA Position
NGA supports the concept of a both a national ocean council and regional ocean partnerships to provide enhanced leadership and coordination for oceans and coasts and calls for representation on the U.S. Commission on Ocean Policy. To meet current and next-generation coastal and ocean challenges, governors support the passage of an act for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) that codifies its existence and strengthens the agency’s capacity to fulfill its multiple missions through an improved organizational structure.
Governors believe that Congress should reauthorize CZMA and provide stable and adequate funding to help states meet their obligations under the act. Funding for new program requirements should be in addition to, not from, base CZMA funding. Governors also urge Congress to retain all provisions of the act that ensure all federal activities that may affect the coastal zone (either within or outside the coastal zone) are subject to the consistency review process. Additionally, all federal actions in the coastal zone should be fully consistent with approved state coastal zone management plans, and any legislation or rulemaking should preserve state sovereignty over coastal zone management and consistency review authority.
With regards to fisheries management, governors support full implementation of the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act (Magnuson-Stevens), which Congress reauthorized and updated in 2006, and call for adequate funding for state and federal efforts to fulfill the mandates outlined in the act. Governors also support the expanded use of Joint Enforcement Agreements to implement cooperative fisheries enforcement programs with state agencies as authorized under Magnuson-Stevens.
Official NGA Policy
Committee Letters
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