The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration awarded a $2,924,000 grant to the Washington State Department of Ecology to continue the administration of its Coastal Zone Management Program. NOAA is an agency of the U.S. Department of Commerce.

The grant will support the state’s federally approved management plan, which covers Washington’s 3,026 miles of coast. The Washington CZMP balances the demands of industries such as fishing, shellfishing, shipping and tourism, with the need to protect the long-term health of the environment. It also provides state programs to conserve coastal habitat, improve coastal water quality and counter coastal erosion, flooding, and the degradation of wetlands. In addition to these programs, the Washington CZMP gives grants to local governments for shoreline planning. The 34 states and territories with federally approved coastal management programs have the flexibility to make day-to-day management at the state level.

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 Washington government to manage its coastal resources while actively supporting NOAA’s and the Bush Administration’s commitment to the environment.”

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. 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.

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