The Shoreline between Nature and Society, a Changing Heritage - Vulnerability of Coastal Ecosystems and Adaptation - page 202

The American text is innovative on many fronts: it solemnly states
that the coastal zone is resource rich, from the point of view of
natural, commercial, recreational, ecological, industrial and landscape
resources, and at the same time subject to growing pressures with
measurable effects (depletion of marine biological resources, constant
and “regrettable” ecosystem change, of the spaces accessible to the
public, coastal erosion, etc.), ecologically fragile and therefore very
sensitive to human pressure. In summary, it is a heritage that is crucial
to the survival of the Nation, and should be managed with rigor. The
Coastal Zone Management Act was supposed to fill a gap left by the
absence of regulation framework to solve coastal problems and to
encourage the coastal States to exercise their full authority on the
environments and habitats forming the coastline. On its own, it is
an “open” federal text that encourages local initiatives. In practice and
in the long run, the Act is a real success story that reinforces protection
without halting development. Furthermore, it is ground-breaking in
that it recognizes the singularity of the environment and, on the
political front, the authority of the States.
About 20 years were needed for every single coastal State to
adhere to the Act , not without some level of reluctance but,
sometimes, with the intelligence and pragmatism necessary to
understand what was at stake. Adherence to the Act brought federal
aid that provided support to local initiatives, in an effective balance
between central authority and the structures put in place in each of the
States. At the center, collaborative practices, all based on the lobbying
allowed by the American law between the Office of Ocean and
Coastal Resource Management (today known as National
Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration - NOAA), where
politicians appointed by the President and officers convinced of the
importance of their mission, such as organizations for the protection
of the environment, professional groups ( National Association of
Homebuilders , US Corps of Engineers, American Petroleum Institute ,
etc.), sections of the Congress responsible for coastal issues and of
course coastal States, some of which were pioneers in implementing
strong protectionist measures (the State of Washington, California and
Maryland), all work together.