A Second Chance for the Coastal Zone Management Act

The Coastal Zone Management Act has critically faltered over the last nine years due to the Reagan Administration's lack of support and interest. As the Act faces amendment and reauthorization, however, there is substantial momentum building in the 101st Congress to pass a law to reinvigorate the program and make it more successful in enabling the states to protect their coastal zones. Within luck, Congress will amend and reauthorize the CZMA by the end of the year. Meanwhile, the nature and extent of the changes to the Act are being closely scrutinized and hotly debated; the pending reauthorization bills face a number of hurdles before any bill will be passed in either the House or the Senate.