Title 16 › Chapter 55— COASTAL BARRIER RESOURCES › § 3502
Defines key words used in the chapter. Coastal barrier: a natural sand or rock feature (like a barrier island, spit, tombolo, or bluff) that faces waves, tides, and wind and helps protect inland waters, and it also includes nearby wetlands, marshes, estuaries, inlets, and nearshore waters. Committees: the House Committee on Natural Resources and the Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works. Financial assistance: federal loans, grants, guarantees, insurance, payments, rebates, subsidies, or other direct or indirect help, but not bank deposit insurance, purchases of mortgages by GNMA/Fannie/Freddie, required environmental studies for permits, or programs unrelated to development; it also includes flood insurance described in section 4028 of title 42. Great Lakes: Lakes Ontario, Erie, Huron, St. Clair, Michigan, and Superior within U.S. jurisdiction. Otherwise Protected Area: a System unit that was mainly made up of lands already protected by law or held by a qualified organization for refuge, sanctuary, recreation, or conservation (see section 170(h)(3) of title 26 for “qualified organization”). Secretary: the Secretary of the Interior. System: the John H. Chafee Coastal Barrier Resources System. System unit: any undeveloped coastal barrier or group of closely related undeveloped barriers in the System. Undeveloped coastal barrier: a barrier with few manmade structures and little human activity so natural geological and ecological processes still operate. Official maps mentioned elsewhere in the chapter remain controlling.
Full Legal Text
Conservation, Source: USLM XML via OLRC
Legislative History
Reference
Citation
16 U.S.C. § 3502
Title 16, Conservation
Last Updated
Apr 5, 2026
Release point: 119-73not60