Public demand for a clean and productive environment and a robust coastal economy requires that local, state and federal governments and concerned groups and individuals find better ways of working together. It allows us to cut through bureaucratic red tape, establishes the state of Texas as an equal partner with Washington and ensures local control over programs to protect and enhance the coast. What's more, the CMP makes funds available so that we can implement the programs that Texans believe are necessary for the health and well-being of their gulf coast. The bedrock principle on which the CMP is built is that the coastal economy and the coastal environment are interdependent. The size of the commercial fisheries catch depends largely on the quality and abundance of coastal wetlands and seagrasses and the health of our bays and estuaries.
Clean water is essential to the health and prosperity of our citizens.
Our CMP helps us maintain the balance we need so that both the coastal economy and the coastal environment thrive. It also underscores the fact that the Texas Gulf Coast belongs not to bureaucrats or special interests, but to the people of Texas. This Owner's Manual reflects the commitment of a great many Texans who worked for a long time to develop and implement a program that allows us to wisely manage our priceless coastal assets. I salute them. I salute all my fellow Texans who have worked for many years, in many different ways, to protect and preserve a bountiful natural resource.