On Thursday, July 17th the Senate Appropriations Committee passed a bipartisan Commerce, Justice and Science (CJS) Appropriations bill for fiscal year 2026. The bill, which funds the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), includes critical funding to support coastal zone management and related efforts. The legislation provides $81,500,000 for coastal management grants, equal to the amount appropriated by Congress in FY 2024 and the amount allocated by NOAA in FY2025. Draft report language for FY 2026 released in the House of Representatives appropriations committee follows suit by also recommending flat funding for coastal management grants.
These grants are the primary source of federal funding for state and territory coastal zone management programs (CZMPs). These funds, which are matched dollar-for-dollar by states and territories, support the core functions of coastal zone management programs. To be eligible to receive these funds, states and territories, must have federally approved coastal zone management plans. Currently, 34 coastal states and territories receive annual federal funds for coastal management.
For the past fifty years, CZMPs have balanced competing uses of the coastal zone, including economic development, coastal resource use, and conservation, as well protecting coastal communities from the unique natural hazards they face. Through these efforts our nation’s coasts remain economic drivers, producing more than $10 trillion in goods and services annually and employing 54.6 million people. Additionally, coastal ecosystems like beaches, coral reefs and wetlands help to bring in tens of millions of dollars in tourism each year. Today, more than 40% of all American’s call coastal communities home.
The passage of the CJS appropriations bill by the committee and release of draft language in the House, comes just two and a half weeks after the Trump Administration released details of their proposed NOAA budget for FY 2026. The Administration, as part of their ongoing efforts to shrink the federal government, proposed the elimination of all coastal management grants along with several other programs within the National Ocean Service. In response, to the Trump administration’s proposal to eliminate these programs, more than one thousand coastal stakeholders, including ports, harbormasters, local government officials, national and local businesses and organizations, and coastal community residents called on Congress to fund coastal zone management efforts.
The decision by Congressional appropriators to set aside the President’s proposal and maintain funding for these programs is recognition of the value CZMPs bring to their communities, states and the nation as a whole. While the passage of the Senate bill in committee is promising, CZMPs still have a long funding fight ahead. The bill has not been considered by the full Senate yet and the House of Representatives will not take up their bill until Congress returns from August recess. From there, both chambers will have to negotiate a final funding level for these programs as part of an omnibus appropriations bill or fall back to yet another year-long continuing resolution.