Managing the coast

A federal program that helps Maine and other states develop and preserve their coastlines has undergone heavy weather this year in Congress. A hurricane of House budget cuts has eroded the budget of the Coastal Zone Management Act, and threatens to knock down development in Maine.

The act’s goal — to encourage cooperation among federal, state and local managers of coastal reources and to preserve the integrity of coastal waters in the Gulf of Maine — has made a distinct difference to the state since Gov. James Longley signed Maine on to the program in 1978. Maine has received about $25 million in federal funds since then, and would receive $2.3 million under level funding this year.

Projects from Kittery to Calais have benefited from the act. Bangor, for instance, received funds to upgrade its waterfront. Machias was able to turn an old hydro plant and a grist mill into a waterfront park. The Maine Coastal Program helped Ellsworth property owners get land use permits for development. All the federal dollars must be matched by state dollars, but as the State Planning Office discovered, each federal dollar actually leverages more than 11 state, local and private dollars. The program is a terrific catalyst for investment.

Rep. John Baldacci has co-sponsored a bill to reauthorize the act, which was approved for funding at a lower level after, at one point, being eliminated entirely. It will be a fight to return the program to level funding, even considering that 29 of the 35 states eligible to participate in it have done so, and another five have been making plans to join.

The Coastal Zone Management Act can work as both an aid to development and a support to preservation because it helps states take a broader view of their coastlines, allowing them to make informed decisions about the best way to treat them. Congress should protect this important investment tool for Maine and for all coastal states.