Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton

Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC), a senior member of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, has introduced a bill to amend the Coastal Zone Management Act of 1972 (CMZA) in order to include the District of Columbia in the definition of a coastal state, which would make D.C. eligible for federal coastal zone management funding. Norton’s bill would also give the District oversight for federally issued permits/facilities/actions that affect the coastal waters of the District. Norton said she believes the District’s omission from the CMZA was an unintentional oversight, as the CMZA was passed in 1972—before the District achieved home rule—and the territories were included.