The author contends that while the Federal Coastal Zone Management Act of 1972 calls for intergovernmental cooperation, the “pull of local control”; means that there will be inherent conflict between levels of government in coastal management programs. Based on the observation of five coastal programs, it is suggested that research attention be focused on how local officials perceive state coastal zone management programs, how the exercise of administrative skill is related to those perceptions, how those perceptions contribute to the presence or absence of intergovernmental tension, and how intergovernmental tension is related to the achievement of coastal zone management goals.