Government Environment

Since 1995, the Texas Coastal Management Program (TCMP) has striven to mitigate coastal hazards in the state of Texas. The TCMP is federally approved and partially funded through $2.2 million in federal funds that are available to the program through the Coastal Zone Management Act (CZMA) of 1972 (Grants Program 1). Texas’ coastal management program is similar to a small group of unique states whose programs allocate large amounts of CZMA funds to coastal communities for coastal projects. Many states use the CZMA funds solely for administration, wages and other purposes. Texas has won praise from environmentalists and others because Texas allocates the highest amount of CZMA funds to coastal communities and projects. Texas allocates 90% of the CZMA funds for coastal projects through its Coastal Coordination Council (CCC) which was founded in 1996 and established the following priorities to mitigate coastal hazards:

Waterfront Revitalization and Ecotourism Development

Permit Streamlining/Assistance and Governmental Coordination

The TCMP acts as the coordinator and administrator among state, local, and federal programs designed to manage Texas coastal zones. Prior to the early 1980s, when there were coastal issues and problems f

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owever, stresses on coastal and ocean resources and management challenges also have increased, and continue to increase, dramatically. These challenges include: continued rapid population growth in coastal areas, increasing resource stresses and user conflicts, increase physical and psychological separation of coastal residents from natural resources, and other demands. (The Coastal Management, 2000, 1) The state of Texas strives to combat the challenges affecting its coastal resources. This is particularly true when it comes to life and property hazards such as erosion and natural disasters. The TCMP and CCC help coordinate many coastal projects that are designed to mitigate these kinds of hazards. For example, in Keith Lake Cut, Jefferson County, the existing shoreline has been eroded as has channel depth because of tidal movement and winds which have permitted salt-water to flow into the marshlands of Sea Rim State Park. The CCC is helping the coastal community help restore the natural flow of water through an inlet that bridges the Sabine River and over 75,000 acres of marshland and lakes. The modifications will “have a positive effect on fisher production and endangered migratory waterfowl habitat” (Coastal Erosion
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Some common words found in the essay are:
Coastal Erosion, Grant Cycle, Grants Program, Act CMEA, Coastal Management, Coast Newsletter, CMPs Texas, CEPRA CCC, Management Program, TCMP CCC, texas coastal, coastal management, coastal communities, coastal projects, management program, coastal management program, coastal erosion, texas coastal management, coastal resources, czma funds, coastal hazards, 2000 1, coastal erosion 2000, czma funds coastal, mitigate coastal hazards,
Approximate Word count = 2114
Approximate Pages = 8 (250 words per page)