The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration granted $1,391,000 to the New Hampshire Office of Energy and Planning to continue the administration and execution of its Coastal Zone Management Program. NOAA is an agency of the U. S. Department of Commerce.

The grant will fund New Hampshire’s Coastal Zone Management Program, which is dedicated to preserving the coast while addressing the economic and social needs of the community. The program also protects and monitors water quality, wetlands, and coastal resource use. NOAA approved the New Hampshire coastal program’s expansion of its inland coastal boundary in February 2004. The federally approved inland coastal boundary now includes the full geographic jurisdiction of the state’s 17 coastal municipalities.

“Balancing the need for sustainable development with the protection and management of coastal resources is a core principle within NOAA,” said retired Navy Vice Adm. Conrad C. Lautenbacher, Ph.D., undersecretary of commerce for oceans and atmosphere and NOAA administrator. “This grant allows New Hampshire’s government to manage its coastal resources while actively supporting efforts that reinforce NOAA and the Bush Administration’s commitment to the environment.”

Currently, 95,376 national shoreline miles (99.9 percent) are managed by the larger, national CZMP. State and federal coastal zone management efforts are guided by the CZMP's Strategic Framework, which is organized around three major themes: sustain coastal communities, sustain coastal ecosystems, and improve government efficiency.

The Coastal Management Program is a federal-state partnership dedicated to comprehensive management of the nation’s coastal resources, ensuring their protection for future generations while balancing competing national economic, cultural and environmental interests. The CZMP is authorized by the Coastal Zone Management Act of 1972 and administered at the federal level by the Coastal Programs Division within NOAA.

Each year, NOAA awards approximately $900 million in grants to members of the academic, scientific and business communities to assist the agency in fulfilling its mission to study the Earth’s natural systems in order to predict environmental change, manage ocean resources, protect life and property, and provide decision makers with reliable scientific information. NOAA’s goals and programs reflect a commitment to these basic responsibilities of science and service to the nation for the past 34 years.

NOAA is dedicated to enhancing economic security and national safety through the prediction and research of weather and climate-related events and providing environmental stewardship of our nation’s coastal and marine resources.

On the Web:

NOAA: http://www.noaa.gov

Coastal Zone Management: http://www.ocrm.nos.noaa.gov/czm/