Source: https://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/16/1451
Timestamp: 2019-04-20 19:15:32+00:00

Document:
1990—Subsec. (d). Pub. L. 101–508, § 6203(a)(1), inserted “habitat areas of the” before “coastal zone”.
Subsec. (f). Pub. L. 101–508, § 6203(a)(2), inserted “exclusive economic zone,” after “territorial sea,”.
Subsecs. (k) to (m). Pub. L. 101–508, § 6203(a)(3), added subsecs. (k) to (m).
1980—Subsecs. (f) to (j). Pub. L. 96–464, § 2(1), (2), added subsec. (f) and redesignated former subsecs. (f) to (i) as (g) to (j), respectively.
1976—Subsec. (b). Pub. L. 94–370, § 2(1), inserted “ecological,” after “recreational,”.
Subsec. (i). Pub. L. 94–370, § 2(3), added subsec. (i).
Pub. L. 108–456, title I, § 101, Dec. 10, 2004, 118 Stat. 3630, formerly set out as a note under this section, was transferred and is set out as a note under section 4001 of Title 33, Navigation and Navigable Waters.
Pub. L. 108–456, title I, § 102 (part), Dec. 10, 2004, 118 Stat. 3630, formerly set out as a note under this section, was transferred to section 4001a of Title 33, Navigation and Navigable Waters.
Pub. L. 105–383, title VI, Nov. 13, 1998, 112 Stat. 3447, as amended by Pub. L. 108–456, title I, §§ 102–105, Dec. 10, 2004, 118 Stat. 3630–3633; Pub. L. 110–161, div. B, title V, § 528, Dec. 26, 2007, 121 Stat. 1930, formerly set out as a note under this section, was transferred to chapter 53 (§ 4001 et seq.) of Title 33, Navigation and Navigable Waters.
Our oceans, coastal waters, and estuaries constitute a unique resource. The condition of the water quality in and around the coastal areas is significantly declining. Growing human pressures on the coastal ecosystem will continue to degrade this resource until adequate actions and policies are implemented.
Almost one-half of our total population now lives in coastal areas. By 2010, the coastal population will have grown from 80,000,000 in 1960 to 127,000,000 people, an increase of approximately 60 percent, and population density in coastal counties will be among the highest in the Nation.
Marine resources contribute to the Nation’s economic stability. Commercial and recreational fishery activities support an industry with an estimated value of $12,000,000,000 a year.
Wetlands play a vital role in sustaining the coastal economy and environment. Wetlands support and nourish fishery and marine resources. They also protect the Nation’s shores from storm and wave damage. Coastal wetlands contribute an estimated $5,000,000,000 to the production of fish and shellfish in the United States coastal waters. Yet, 50 percent of the Nation’s coastal wetlands have been destroyed, and more are likely to decline in the near future.
Nonpoint source pollution is increasingly recognized as a significant factor in coastal water degradation. In urban areas, storm water and combined sewer overflow are linked to major coastal problems, and in rural areas, run-off from agricultural activities may add to coastal pollution.
Coastal planning and development control measures are essential to protect coastal water quality, which is subject to continued ongoing stresses. Currently, not enough is being done to manage and protect our coastal resources.
Global warming results from the accumulation of man-made gases, released into the atmosphere from such activities as the burning of fossil fuels, deforestation, and the production of chlorofluorocarbons, which trap solar heat in the atmosphere and raise temperatures worldwide. Global warming could result in significant global sea level rise by 2050 resulting from ocean expansion, the melting of snow and ice, and the gradual melting of the polar ice cap. Sea level rise will result in the loss of natural resources such as beaches, dunes, estuaries, and wetlands, and will contribute to the salinization of drinking water supplies. Sea level rise will also result in damage to properties, infrastructures, and public works. There is a growing need to plan for sea level rise.
There is a clear link between coastal water quality and land use activities along the shore. State management programs under the Coastal Zone Management Act of 1972 (16 U.S.C. 1451 et seq.) are among the best tools for protecting coastal resources and must play a larger role, particularly in improving coastal zone water quality.
All coastal States should have coastal zone management programs in place that conform to the Coastal Zone Management Act of 1972, as amended by this Act.
Pub. L. 94–370, § 15(c), July 26, 1976, 90 Stat. 1032, related to establishment and compensation of four new positions without regard to the provisions of chapter 51 of Title 5, Government Organization and Employees, prior to repeal by Pub. L. 99–272, title VI, § 6045(3), Apr. 7, 1986, 100 Stat. 127.
Ex. Ord. No. 13554, Oct. 5, 2010, 75 F.R. 62313, which established the Gulf Coast Ecosystem Restoration Task Force, was revoked, concurrent with the termination of the Task Force, by Ex. Ord. No. 13626, § 6(d), Sept. 10, 2012, 77 F.R. 56752, set out as a note under section 1321 of Title 33, Navigation and Navigable Waters.

References: § 6203
 § 6203
 § 6203
 § 2
 § 2
 § 2
 § 101
 § 102
 § 528
 § 15
 § 6045
 § 6