NATIONAL, STATE AND LOCAL EFFORTS NEEDED TO PREVENT IRREVERSIBLE ENVIRONMENTAL PROBLEMS ON U.S. COASTS CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va., Dec. 22 -- The United States is increasingly becoming a coast-oriented nation, with a soaring seaboard population placing the coastline's natural environment and its life-giving resources under severe long-term threat, a team of environmental planners from the University of Virginia and the University of North Carolina warns in a newly published book. The federal government urgently needs to modify its existing coastal management program to encourage a "sustainable" environment along the coasts, say planners Timothy Beatley of U.Va. and David J. Brower and Anna K. Schwab of U.N.C. Individual states, localities and regions also have key roles to play to protect the future of U.S. shorelines as they continue to absorb population growth, the authors say. Their book, "An Introduction to Coastal Zone Management," published by Island Press and aimed at policy-makers, planners, graduate students and anyone interested in the future of coasts, is the first comprehensive overview of U.S. coastal management efforts. Without proper management, the authors maintain, the very attributes that make coasts attractive to millions of people could well be destroyed, and important resources such as water supplies and marine life irreversibly lost. Major improvements in the overall coastal planning framework must occur if fragile and irreplaceable coastal environments are to survive, Beatley said. "We believe that all future coastal management decisions must assume sustainability as their primary goal," he said. "Sustainability must be the centerpiece of coastal management efforts at federal, state, regional and local levels." Sustainable development is "development that allows present generations to meet their needs without prejudicing the ability of future generations to meet their needs," Brower said. Among the authors' recommendations to help create a sustainable U.S. coastline: ¥ A national coastal management program should make protection of the coasts a key national goal and help coordinate the policies of the many different agencies involved. Coastal planning should cover a time-frame of at least 100 years and perhaps 500 years. ¥ Subsidies for dangerous and destructive coastal development patterns should be eliminated or sharply reduced, including eliminating national flood insurance in high-risk coastal locations. Coastal property-owners should be asked to assume as closely as possible the full costs of locating where they choose, the authors recommend. ¥ The protective concepts of the Coastal Barrier Resources Act should be expanded to cover other sensitive coastal areas such as wetlands and special habitat areas. ¥ Federal acquisition of sensitive coastal areas should be expanded to ensure their full protection. ¥ At the state level, minimum coastal development and planning standards need to be established. Development-inducing investments such as roads and utilities into sensitive or high-risk areas should be reduced. ¥ Each coastal locality should have a community plan that moves in the direction of sustainable development, including an audit of such resources as water supplies and important habitats. ### December 21, 1994 For additional information or interviews Timothy Beatley may be reached at (804) 924-6459 or (804) 974-1306. David Brower may be reached at (919) 919-962-3983 and Anna Schwab at (919) 942-5439.