A bill to amend the Coastal Zone Management Act to establish a planning and management process for estuaries of national significance.

Amends the Coastal Zone Management Act of 1972 to allow the Governor of any State to nominate an estuary lying in whole or in part within the State as an estuary of national significance for the purpose of convening a management conference to develop a special area management plan for the estuary. Requires the Secretary of Commerce, in consultation with the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency, to review all nominations and designate those estuaries of national significance for which special area management plans should be developed. Specifies factors to be taken into consideration for purposes of making such a designation.

Requires the Secretary to convene a management conference for each estuary so designated in order to develop a special area management plan for the estuary.

Provides that, at the conclusion of such conference, the Secretary and the participating State Governor shall review the plan and approve it by consensus.

Requires participating States to incorporate such plan into their federally approved Coastal Zone Management Programs. Requires participating States without federally approved Coastal Zone Management Programs to submit a detailed description of the implementation process for such a plan to the Secretary for certification.

Authorizes the Secretary to make grants to States and interstate agencies participating in a management conference to develop the special area management plans. Provides that the amount of such grants shall not exceed 50 percent of the annual cost incurred by the State or agency.

Authorizes appropriations.