The Coastal States Organization represents the nation’s Coastal States, Territories, and Commonwealths on ocean, coastal, and Great Lakes resource issues.

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Source: New York Times

NOAA completed a regular 312 review of the California program last year but never released final findings. The reopened 312 evaluation was prompted by a Commerce Secretary letter responding to an August 2025 Executive Order directive to review and potentially revoke coastal programs as obstacles to the commercial space industry. The NOAA notice, tracking the Commerce Secretary letter, also raises issues of offshore oil production, pipeline maintenance, desalination projects, and undersea cables.

Although the letter and NOAA notice focus on one state’s program, the Department’s language raises concerns about this or future administrations imposing policy preferences on any coastal state. An irregular 312 evaluation leading to funding suspension or program revocation based on a top-down, policy-driven directive would set a damaging precedent.

CSO has concerns about the reopened evaluation’s process and nationwide implications for state coastal programs. The Executive Order directs the Commerce Department to seek means to revoke state CZMA programs that do not advance administration policy. The Commerce Secretary letter calls for an off-cycle review based on a rationale that NOAA has given coastal programs a “free pass” and that federal consistency objections constitute “evidence of bad faith and a failure to adequately consider the views of federal agencies…” and “economic needs.”

Written comments on the evaluation can be submitted to czma.california-evaluation@noaa.gov by Aug. 22, 2026.

Read the full Federal Register notice here.

We need your help! Please sign on to the Coastal Zone Management (CZM) Program support statement, asking the Administration and Congress to fund CZM programs. We are actively seeking signatures from businesses and local governments, and will also include community-based organizations, academic institutions, land trusts, tribal nations, and non-profits. Individual citizens can sign on too to share their support.

Please sign on to this important statement showing your support, and share this opportunity with other businesses, local governments, and organizations that may be willing to sign on!

The work of citizen scientists will help biologists with the S.C. Department of Natural Resources study local blue crab movement. “We’re kind of killing two birds with one stone,” said Pamela Corwin, the saltwater recreational fishing outreach biologist with DNR. “It allows people to be able to get that experience crabbing and understanding regulations while also getting to do a citizen science project.” What set DNR’s recent crabbing clinic at Oyster Landing in Murrells Inlet apart from others is that attendees were able to attach a tag before releasing it. The crustacean group with the Marine Resources Research Institute had extra orange tags, and DNR needed some extra hands, Corwin said. Once a blue crab was caught, the attendees had to determine its sex, maturity and molt stage to be tagged. They used chicken drumsticks to bait the crabs. Only mature crabs are tagged. Read more here.

Maryland – $31.5 Million for Ecological Restoration Projects to Improve Water Quality in Local Waterways and the Chesapeake Bay

The Maryland Department of Natural Resources is awarding $31.5 million in grants from the Chesapeake and Atlantic Coastal Bays Trust Fund for 25 ecological restoration projects encompassing 188 sites throughout the state that will improve water quality and wildlife habitats. The Fiscal Year 2027 environmental restoration projects were selected based on their ability to improve water quality and provide other benefits such as resilience to climate impacts, habitat enhancement, and environmental justice. DNR estimates the projects will reduce about 45,100 pounds of nitrogen, 6,400 pounds of phosphorus, and nearly 8,900 tons of sediment each year. In waterways, nitrogen and phosphorus fuel algae blooms that cloud the water and reduce dissolved oxygen when they die off, making it difficult for marine life to thrive. This year’s suite of projects include plans to plant 1,054 acres of trees, restore 55 acres of wetlands, implement 32,000 linear feet of stream restoration, install or retrofit 11 stormwater reduction practices, add 40 rain gardens in communities, create 2,165 linear feet of living shoreline, reduce agricultural runoff, and treat 960 impervious acres to reduce stormwater runoff in counties. Read more here.

The Gulf of America Alliance is investing $2.2 million in funding from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Office for Coastal Management to increase regional collaboration and advance priorities identified by the five Gulf states. The funds are being used to increase capacity and implement projects that address priority issues for the region. Six new projects located across the Gulf states will focus on coastal community resilience, data accessibility and sharing, environmental education, habitat and water resources, and wildlife and fisheries. Each project was selected to achieve goals identified in the Alliance’s Governors’ Action Plan IV for Healthy and Resilient Coasts, a five-year strategic plan developed by the Gulf states in collaboration with federal agencies, universities, non-profit organizations, and industry partners. Projects will continue through November 2027. Read more here.

A Decade of Restoration: Coastal Alabama Marks 10 Years of Oyster Conservation Efforts

This year marks the 10th anniversary of the Alabama Coastal Foundation’s (ACF) Oyster Shell Recycling Program, which has collected nearly 29.7 million oyster shells since launching in 2016. The program partners with restaurants across coastal Alabama to collect discarded oyster shells that would otherwise be sent to landfills. After curing for six months, the shells are returned to Alabama waters, where they provide substrate for young oysters to attach and grow. According to foundation statistics, the program has collected 29,691,386 shells, enough to fill more than 471 dump trucks and weighing the equivalent of 625 elephants. The shells have contributed to the restoration of 120 acres of oyster reef habitat. Beyond their commercial value, oysters play a critical role in coastal ecosystems. Oyster reefs improve water quality, provide habitat for fish and shellfish and help buffer shorelines from erosion and storm impacts. Read more here.

The Illinois Conservation Foundation, Illinois Department of Natural Resources, Union Sportsmen’s Alliance, and project partners are celebrating the completion of a major public access and habitat improvement project at William W. Powers State Recreation Area, highlighted by a new accessible fishing pier and kayak launch on Wolf Lake. Located on Chicago’s southeast side, William W. Powers State Recreation Area is Illinois’ only state park within the city limits of Chicago. The park serves as Illinois’ gateway to Wolf Lake and welcomes more than 500,000 visitors each year. The new accessible fishing pier and kayak launch provide direct water access on Wolf Lake for anglers and paddlers of all abilities. The project includes 1,100 linear feet of new ADA-accessible concrete sidewalks and access paths, including a 500-linear-foot segment that completes a fully accessible circumferential trail, allowing visitors of all abilities to experience Wolf Lake by land as well as water. The project also converted 1.4 acres of turf grass into native pollinator gardens, restoring habitat in the heart of Chicago’s Southeast Side. The effort was made possible through a grant from the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation, with funding support from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, as well as a collaborative partnership involving the Illinois Conservation Foundation, Illinois Department of Natural Resources, Union Sportsmen’s Alliance, the IDNR Coastal Management Program, and numerous community and conservation partners. Read more here.

Indiana – Teams Build Inventory of Culverts’ Conditions

Crews hit the road this week to begin creating a database of conditions at culverts, bridges, dams, weirs and other manmade structures in Northwest Indiana streams. Their information will help the Indiana Department of Transportation and others know whether the culverts are working properly or need to be replaced. Often, when roads were put in there was no concern about fish and animals and their life cycles, Ducks Unlimited Regional GIS Manager Jes Skillman said. A trout might swim upstream, hit a culvert that it can’t get through or is too dark and scary, then turn around, she said. Barriers to streams’ flow can also affect upstream habitats and water quality, too. Volunteers used binders and laminated instruction sheets to help them enter the information into an online database. Read more here.

The Trump administration’s proposed 2027 budget for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration would slash more than $1 billion from the agency and eliminate dozens of programs, raising concerns across the Pacific islands where communities rely heavily on weather forecasting, fisheries management, and coastal conservation. For Guam and the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, the proposed cuts touch areas closely tied to daily life, from typhoon forecasting and marine observations to coral reef protection and coastal resilience. The budget documents call for terminating the Coral Reef Conservation Program, ending Integrated Ocean Acidification efforts, eliminating regional Integrated Ocean Observing System programs, and terminating Coastal Zone Management Grants. The proposal would also eliminate NOAA’s National Coastal Resilience Fund and reduce funding for ocean observations and monitoring. The proposal also includes cuts within the National Weather Service, including reductions to marine observations, high-performance computing and research grants related to streamflow and rainfall. The issue carries particular weight for Guam and the CNMI, where residents depend on NOAA forecasts and satellite data during typhoon season. Read more here.

California – Marin Audubon Society Closes Deal for 323 Acres of Baylands

The Marin Audubon Society has completed its purchase of two parcels spanning 323 acres in unincorporated Novato. The California Coastal Conservancy voted unanimously in February to award the nonprofit $2 million from the 2024 Climate Bond for the land purchase. The acquisition also was supported by a $1.4 million bequest from Marin Audubon Society supporter Maureen Groper. One property comprises 153 acres east of the Gnoss Field airport and is bordered by state-owned diked baylands to the north. It abuts the Petaluma Marsh, the largest tidal marsh in the state that has never been diked. The plan likely would involve introducing setback levees with ecotone slopes that not only would support native plants and endangered species, but provide flood protection for the airport and Binford Road. Read more here.

TNC and partners released a first‑of‑its‑kind Coastal Resilience methodology that quantifies, in U.S. dollars, the flood-protection value mangroves and tidal marshes deliver to coastal property and communities. Natural protections like mangroves and tidal marshes absorb incoming wave energy at higher rates, protect against storms at lower costs, and provide co-benefits like carbon absorption that mitigates future climate impacts. If a portion of our current protection spending was shifted toward nature‑based solutions, infrastructure needs would reduce, maintenance costs would lower and future flood damages could be avoided. Learn about the tool here.

NOAA Announces New High-Resolution Land Cover Data

NOAA has announced the availability of new high-resolution land cover data—used to document key geographic and landscape features covering Earth’s surface—for coastal communities in Puget Sound, Rhode Island, Northeast Ohio, Mississippi, and Alabama. This new data can be used to protect communities from flooding, inform wetland restoration projects, improve water quality, and more. The data are available from the Digital Coast website. Please reach out to Nate Herold (nate.herold@noaa.gov) if you have any questions.

Call for Abstracts ASBPA 100th Anniversary Conference

The American Shore and Beach Preservation Association (ASBPA) is pleased to announce a Call for Abstracts for the National Coastal Conference, celebrating 100 years of shore and beach preservation, to be held in New Jersey where in 1926 the first beach preservationists seeded a revolutionary idea for future coastal protection. The ASBPA National Coastal Conference, October 5-8, 2026 in Atlantic City, New Jersey, welcomes all coastal managers and stakeholders to learn the latest science, engineering, and policy needed to maintain and improve the health of our beachfront and estuarine shorelines and ecosystems, while developing collaborative networks to promote best management practices. Abstracts are due August 15th for Poster Presentations. View the call for abstracts here.

Funding Opportunity: Fiscal Year 2024 & 2025 Building Resilient Infrastructure and Communities

The Building Resilient Infrastructure and Communities (BRIC) grant program makes federal funds available to states, U.S. territories, federally recognized tribal governments, and local governments for hazard mitigation activities. It does so by recognizing the need to upgrade and modernize the nation’s infrastructure against the growing risks to communities and the need for natural hazard risk mitigation activities that promote resilience with respect to natural hazards. For this funding opportunity, the program prioritizes investment in infrastructure and construction projects that deliver immediate, measurable risk reduction to communities vulnerable to natural hazards. BRIC emphasizes the adoption and enforcement of modern building codes and limits capability- and capacity-building activities to those directly tied to infrastructure resilience, such as building code adoption and enforcement. Apply here.

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