Response of coastal zone management programs to sea level rise in the United States

Abstract

State coastal zone management programs are responding to the potential impacts of accelerated sea level rise through a wide range of activities and policies. This article provides a brief overview of the Coastal Zone Management Act and other federal laws that provide the basis for coastal state regulatory activities. It surveys the level of response to sea level rise by state coastal management programs in 24 marines coastal states, from formal recognition to implementation of policies addressing the issue. Individual state CZMP responses and policies that have been implemented or proposed are categorized. The adaptation of sea level rise to ongoing institutional objectives is discussed and policy constraints and trends are summarized.     

The response of the legal system to technological innovation in aquaculture: A comparative study of mariculture legislation in California,Florida and Maine

This article examines salt‐water aquaculture (mariculture) legislation in California, Florida, and Maine, as illustrative of one generic response of the law to aquacultural innovation. Unlike aquacultural legislation in other states, generally drafted to restrict leasing of coastal waters for specific existing technologies, the legislation studied represents a more flexible approach which would accommodate new technologies. Analysis of specific provisions of the three laws indicates the complexity of the issues involved and a variety of mechanisms selected for regulating mariculture, and identifies different state priorities and goals. This report concludes that whereas broadly drafted legislation exemplified by the statutes under study is more likely to accommodate new mariculture technologies than piecemeal legislation, there are a number of complex issues that must be identified and resolved in order to achieve the desired results. The failure of each of the states to respond fully to the broad range of issues involved may inhibit aquacultural innovation or unduly restrict nonaquacultural uses of the coastal zone.