Section 4A. There is hereby established within the executive office of environmental affairs a coastal zone management office which shall be administered by a director who shall be appointed and may be removed by the secretary. The director shall be a person of skill and experience in the field of coastal zone management. The director shall appoint all necessary employees within his office, except as may be otherwise provided by law. The positions of director and of any employees of the office shall not be subject to the provisions of chapter thirty-one or section nine A of chapter thirty.
The secretary shall direct the coastal zone management office, consistent with state law, to adopt, and from time to time amend rules, regulations, procedures, standards, guidelines, and policies which shall constitute the Massachusetts coastal zone management program. The purpose of the program shall be to secure for the inhabitants of the commonwealth the objectives and benefits of the federal Coastal Zone Management Act, 16 USC 1451 et seq.