On the coast, a state's plan can bind the federal government. Under a provision of the Coastal Zone Management Act called federal consistency, the federal government must comply with a state's Coastal Management Program when it takes actions likely to affect coastal resources.
The California coast. Federal consistency helps keep government projects from harming coastal environments. Credit: NOAA.
The law behind it
The Coastal Zone Management Act (CZMA), passed in 1972 and administered by NOAA's Office for Coastal Management, manages the nation's coastal resources by balancing economic development with environmental conservation. Its goal is to "preserve, protect, develop, and where possible, to restore or enhance the resources of the nation's coastal zone."
What it covers
Federal consistency applies to many kinds of federal action:
- activities of federal agencies
- activities that need a federal license or permit
- outer continental shelf plans
- state projects that receive federal assistance
How it works
A state agency reviews programs the federal government is carrying out. Alongside that review, NOAA's National Ocean Service interprets the CZMA, oversees how federal consistency is applied, gives management and legal help to coastal states and federal agencies, and mediates disputes under the law. The result is cooperation between the states and the federal government in protecting the nation's coastal resources.
Sources
Based on "What is federal consistency?" from NOAA's National Ocean Service, a work of the United States government in the public domain.
Licence: CC0 1.0 (public domain) · Adapted from oceanservice.noaa.gov
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