Congress originally defined coordination in the Federal Land Management and Policy Act (FLPMA) at 43 USC 1712.  This is the only federal statute where Congress specifically set forth criteria as to the duties an agency must carry out under coordination.  However, even though coordination is not defined in the same detail as FLPMA, it is required in other natural resource laws and many critical regulatory laws where Congress ensured local priorities were to be considered when federal agencies prepare plans, policies and management actions.

Federal courts have held that if Congress defines a word in one statute, and uses the same word in a sister statute, then they intended the same definition to equally apply in all similar statutes.  Therefore, the criterion for coordination defined in FLPMA applies to every other federal statute where Congress directs the agencies to coordinate with local government.