The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration awarded $2,940,000 to the North Carolina Department of Environmental and Natural Resources to continue the administration and execution of its coastal management program. NOAA is an agency of the U.S. Department of Commerce.

The North Carolina coastal management program balances the demands of industries such as tourism, shipping, agriculture, forestry and fishing, with the need to protect the long-term health of the environment. It also provides funding for state activities such as permitting, enforcement, federal consistency, land use planning, coastal hazards planning and wetlands protection. In addition, the North Carolina CMP gives grants to local governments in the coastal area to support new beach access points and development of local land use plans. NOAA leaves day-to-day management decisions regarding coastal management at the state level in the 34 states and territories with federally-approved CZMPs.

“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 the state of North Carolina to manage its coastal resources while actively supporting efforts that reinforce NOAA’s and the Bush Administration’s commitment to the environment.”

The national Coastal Zone 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. For more information, visit: http://www.ocrm.nos.noaa.gov/czm/.

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.

**Editor’s Note - An audio clip of the NOAA Administrator discussing this grant award is available on the Web site: http://www.noaa.gov/lautenbacher/audio/czm_nocar.mp3.

On the Web:

NOAA: http://www.noaa.gov