The Texas Coastal Management Program
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 facing Texas a piecemeal approach to resolving them was pursued. During thew 1980s, coastal communities united in a call for a more coordinated approach to issues affecting coastal regions. Traditional approaches were fragmented, little responsibility was assigned, and problems often arose that were beyond the power or reach of single agencies. Created during the early 1990s, the CMP received federal approval in January of 1997 in accordance with the following: “The TCMP established the Coastal Coordination Council as the forum for coordinating state, federal, and local programs and activities on the coast. The TCMP was designed to meet requirements for...