Washington is one of twenty-eight states with a federally-approved Coastal Zone Management Program under the Coastal Zone Management Act (CZMA) of 1972. Washington s Coastal Zone Management Program, approved in 1976, applies to the fifteen coastal counties as shown at the right.
The federal Coastal Zone Management Act section 309 improvement grants program was initiated by Congress in its 1990 reauthorization of the CZMA, and expanded in its 1995 reauthorization of the CZMA. Congress has set aside special funding to encourage the states to make improvements to their federally approved coastal zone management programs in one or more of nine specific improvement areas. Every five years, or so, the states are required to prepare an assessment of their coastal zone, and propose a strategy for making improvements to their coastal zone program. During 2000-2001 Washington is required to update its assessment and prepare new strategies.
The Section 309 Improvement Grants Program is a voluntary program which encourages the states to make improvements to their coastal management program in one or more of the following areas:
1. Attaining increased opportunities for public access, taking into account current and future public access needs, to coastal areas of recreational, historical, aesthetic, ecological, or cultural value.
2. Preventing or significantly reducing threats to life and destruction of property be eliminating development and redevelopment in coastal high hazard areas, managing development in other hazard areas, and anticipating and managing the effects of potential sea level rise.
3. Planning for the use of ocean resources.
4. Protection, restoration, or enhancement of the existing coastal wetlands base, or creation of new coastal wetlands.
5. Development and adoption of procedures to assess, consider, and control cumulative and secondary impacts of coastal growth and development, including the collective effect on various individual uses or activities on coastal resources, such as coastal wetlands and fishery resources.
6. Reducing marine debris entering the Nation s coastal and ocean environment by managing uses and activities that contribute to the entry of such debris.
7. Preparing and implementing special area management plans for important coastal areas.
8. Adoption of procedures and enforceable policies to help facilitate the siting of energy and government facilities which may be of greater than local significance.
9. Enhance existing procedures and planning processes for siting marine aquaculture facilit ies while maintaining current levels of coastal resource protection.
Each state must assess their status for each of the nine improvement areas, and prioritize two or three areas for work during the following five years.
Not all enhancement goals necessarily apply to each state. Some issues may be a low priority, irrelevant, or already addressed satisfactorily by a state s existing CZM Program. Since 1992, Washington has used Section 309 grant funds to address cumulative and secondary effects of growth, and coastal hazards issues. During 2000- 01 the states are required to assess their progress under past 309 program grants, and identify future improvement goals for the next five years. The Department of Ecology has completed its draft 309 Assessment report which is now available for public review and comment.
You may acquire a review copy of the Draft 309 Assessment report in one of three ways:
You made view or print the report on our web site at:
http://www.ecy.wa.gov/biblio/0106003.html
You may send an e-mail to Douglas Canning at dcan461@ecy.wa.gov and request a paper copy. Please be sure and provide your full name and postal mailing address, and request the 309 draft Assessment. .
You may return the mail-back coupon on page 3 to request a paper copy.
You may comment on the Draft 309 Assessment in one of two ways:
You may send an e-mail to Douglas Canning at dcan461@ecy.wa.gov. Please use the subject line: Comments on Draft 309 Assessment.
You may send a letter to:
Douglas Canning Draft 309 Assessment Comments Washington Department of Ecology PO Box 47600 Olympia, WA 98504-7600 The deadline for comments is February 12, 2001.
If you have any questions about the CZMA 309 Improvements program you may send an e-mail to Douglas Canning at dcan461@ecy.wa.gov or telephone him at 360-407-6781.
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