Yet, public support for the environment remains strong. Development advocates assert that an EIS is unnecessary because the state has a comprehensive coastal wetlands plan known as the Mississippi Coastal Program. This long range plan was prepared in cooperation with, and funded by, federal agencies. The plan included input from local government, regional planners, industries and the public. The overriding goal was to promote decisions that balance development with the environment.
Maps classify the uses for every segment of coastal wetlands.
Like any plan, however, the Coastal Program is only as effective as those who implement it. Casinos, backed by local politicians, have a nearly unbroken string of victories in rezoning residential or recreational areas into industrial sites, a trend jeopardizing the Program's integrity. The Sea Grant report was delivered in 1996, but OCRM found in 1997 that no changes had yet been made. Several major problems hamper state regulation of casinos. A casino does not fit any category of water-dependent industry in the Coastal Program, which predates dockside gambling.