Topics Related to Coastal Management

Session Law 2024-45 Section 16 directs the Coastal Resources Commission (CRC) to adopt rules to authorize the establishment of a measurement line for local governments undertaking dune building and beach planting projects, provided they have received a permit to construct a terminal groin pursuant to G.S. 113A-115.1. The measurement line, as that term is defined under 15A NCAC 07H .0305(9), would represent the existing location of the first line of stable and natural vegetation that is covered by the dune building and beach planting project.

The North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality’s Division of Coastal Management has awarded more than $2.8 million to fourteen local governments to improve public access to coastal beaches and waters for the 2024-25 fiscal year.

The N.C. Coastal Resources Commission (CRC) Science Panel is scheduled to meet via web conference on Sept. 10 at 2:30 p.m. to continue its review of Inlet Hazard Area boundaries. The public may listen to the meeting by computer or phone.

The NC Coastal Resources Commission is proposing initial determinations on its existing rules pursuant to G.S. 150B-21.3A. The comment period is specific to rules codified in 15A NCAC 07B – State Guidelines for Land Use Planning.Each rule has been assigned a determination of ‘Necessary’ by the Commission at its August 28, 2024 regularly scheduled meeting.

The N.C. Coastal Resources Commission (CRC) Science Panel is scheduled to meet via web conference on Sept. 10 at 2:30 p.m. to continue its review of Inlet Hazard Area boundaries. The public may join the meeting by computer or phone.

The N.C. Coastal Resources Commission (CRC) will meet Aug. 27 and 28 at the Beaufort Hotel, 2440 Lennoxville Road, Beaufort. The regular business meeting of the CRC will be called to order at 3 p.m. on Aug. 27 and will resume at 9 a.m. on Aug. 28. An in-person public comment period is scheduled for 5:00 p.m. on Aug. 27. At the chair’s discretion, comments may be limited to 3 minutes per person. The public may attend the CRC meeting in-person or watch online. The Coastal Resources Advisory Council will meet in-person only Aug. 27, at 1 p.m. at the same location.

The N.C. Department of Environmental Quality’s (DEQ) Division of Coastal Management (DCM) and the National Park Service’s Cape Hatteras National Seashore (NPS CHNS) today released the report, Managing Threatened Oceanfront Structures: Ideas from an Interagency Work Group. This report is the result of a year-long collaboration between local governments and state and federal agencies via virtual meetings and public workshops. DEQ will use the report to guide next steps, as the state works to address threatened oceanfront structures.

The comment period for review of a federal consistency submission from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s (NOAA’s) National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) Office of Protected Resources proposing amendments to the North Atlantic Right Whale Vessel Strike Reduction Rule (“speed rule”) ends Aug. 31. The N.C. Department of Environmental Quality’s Division of Coastal Management will accept written comments on the proposal until 5 p.m.

The Coastal Resources Commission (CRC) is proposing to replace expired rules 15A NCAC 7J .0203, .0204, .0206 and .0207 with new rules that will be codified in 15A NCAC 07J .1400 and .1500. These rules are necessary for the regulated public to have a clear understanding of the information required to apply for a Coastal Area Management Act (CAMA) permit.

The CRC is proposing a rule to re-designate Jockey’s Ridge as an Area of Environmental Concern (AEC), as well as use standards to protect the AEC from incompatible development and loss of sand.Proposed Rule