This video examines the history and continued importance of the 1972 Federal Coastal Zone Management Act (CZMA).

This federal legislation was the first to collectively address environmental and land-use issues related to America's coastal and inland waterways by instituting a federal entity to coordinate land-use development efforts between states.

It is one of least known, yet most important pieces of federal legislation that involves 37 states, and protects over 100,000 miles of America's coastal and inland waterways.