NOAA AWARDS NEARLY $3 MILLION TO MASSACHUSETTS
COASTAL ZONE MANAGEMENT PROGRAM

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) has awarded a grant of more than $2.99 million to the Massachusetts Coastal Zone Management Program. NOAA is an agency of the Commerce Department.

This award will help fund the Massachusetts Coastal Zone Management Program and continue implementation of the state’s federally approved coastal zone management program, including state program administration and implementation; coordination of state and federal agency programs; public outreach; special projects and the Coastal Nonpoint Pollution Control Program. The mission of the Massachusetts Coastal Zone Management Program is to balance the impacts of human activity with the protection of coastal and marine resources.

“NOAA and the Bush Administration continue to support and help create programs that reinforce our commitment to the environment in Massachusetts and throughout the United States,” said retired Navy Vice Adm. Conrad C. Lautenbacher, Ph.D., undersecretary of commerce for oceans and atmosphere and NOAA administrator. “We are proud to be sponsor programs, such as Coastal Zone Management, which allow states to manage their coastal resources.”

NOAA’s 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 Coastal Zone Management Program (CZMP) is authorized by the Coastal Zone Management Act of 1972 and administered at the federal level by the Coastal Programs Division (CPD) within NOAA.

"Many of the funds that NOAA provides to our office go straight to services for municipalities," said Tom Skinner, director of the Massachusetts Office of Coastal Zone Management. "For example, we use NOAA funds for municipal grants to control pollution in sensitive estuaries, to provide technical advice on reducing damage from storms and on harbor planning services. Statewide, these funds are used for activities, such as supporting Governor Mitt Romney's Ocean Management Initiative and guarding against aquatic nuisance species."

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 goals and programs reflect a commitment to these basic responsibilities of science and service to the nation for the past 33 years.

The Commerce Department’s National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (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. To learn more about NOAA, please visit http://www.noaa.gov.

On the Web:

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration: http://www.noaa.gov.

Massachusetts Coastal Zone Management Program: http://www.state.ma.us/czm/

Coastal Nonpoint Pollution Control Program: http://www.ocrm.nos.noaa.gov/czm/6217/

Conrad C. Lautenbacher: http://www.noaa.gov/lautenbacher.html

NOAA’s Coastal Management Program: http://www.ocrm.nos.noaa.gov/czm/

Coastal Zone Management Act of 1972: http://www.ocrm.nos.noaa.gov/czm/czm_act.html