The Corps Shoreline Management Program is one of the more controversial and complex programs within the natural resources management community. In the early 1940's and 1950's, the focus on recreation and the management of natural resources at Corps projects was minimal. The abundance of land, water and shoreline associated with Corps projects appeared to be more than what would ever be required for public use. However, the situation today is quite different from the conditions that existed when many of our projects were planned and constructed. The demand for outdoor recreational uses has grown from approximately 30 million visitors in 1952 to almost 375 million visitors in 2002. The growth of cities and towns these projects were designed to serve and protect has resulted in high density residential development adjacent to project boundaries. This development, coupled with heavy visitor use, is presenting unprecedented management challenges in order to balance resource protection with public use.
Two issues currently at the forefront of the Shoreline Management Program are:
1. Land Use Philosophy/Policy - Several recent cases of proposed shoreline development have revealed the need for review and development of national land use policies within the Corps. A project delivery team conducted this review. View the results of this review
2. Shoreline Use Permit Fees - In March 2004, the Corps was requested by the House Appropriations Committee to provide information regarding shoreline use fees and consistency with OMB Circular A-25. In part, the Circular states: "Where a service (or privilege) provides special benefits to an identifiable recipient above and beyond those which accrue to the public at large, a charge should be imposed to recover the full cost to the Federal Government of rendering that service." To ensure consistency with the Circular, a new fee structure would need to be implemented. The current fee structure to recover the administrative cost of the program has not changed since 1974 while the cost of administering the program has increased significantly over the past 30 years. In April 2004, HQUSACE submitted a Fact Sheet with the requested information on Shoreline Use Permit Fees back to the Committee.
