Section 910. Legislative findings

The  legislature  hereby finds that New
  York state's coastal area and inland waterways are unique with a variety
  of natural, recreational, industrial, commercial, ecological,  cultural,
  aesthetic and energy resources of statewide and national significance.
    The  resources  of  the state's coastal areas and inland waterways are
  increasingly subject to the pressures of population growth and  economic
  development,   which   include   requirements  for  industry,  commerce,
  residential development, recreation and for the  production  of  energy.
  These  competing  demands  result in the loss of living marine resources
  and wildlife, the diminution of open  space  areas,  shoreline  erosion,
  permanent,  adverse changes to ecological systems and a loss of economic
  opportunities.
    The social and economic well-being and  the  general  welfare  of  the
  people  of  the  state  are  critically dependent upon the preservation,
  enhancement, protection, development and use of the natural and man-made
  resources of the state's coastal area and inland waterways.
    The legislature further finds that it is in the interest of the people
  of the state that coordinated and comprehensive policy and planning  for
  preservation,  enhancement,  protection,  development  and  use  of  the
  state's coastal and inland waterway resources take place to  insure  the
  proper balance between natural resources and the need to accommodate the
  needs of population growth and economic development.