15 C.F.R. Subpart F—Coordination, Public Involvement and National Interest
Title 15 - Commerce and Foreign Trade
Source: 61 FR 33812, June 28, 1996, unless otherwise noted.
(a) Coordination with governmental agencies having interests and responsibilities affecting the coastal zone, and involvement of interest groups as well as the general public is essential to the development and administration of State coastal management programs. The coordination requirements of this subpart are intended to achieve a proper balancing of diverse interests in the coastal zone. The policies of section 303 of the Act require that there be a balancing of variety, sometimes conflicting, interests, including: (1) The preservation, protection, development and, where possible, the restoration or enhancement of coastal resources; (2) The achievement of wise use of coastal land and water resources with full consideration for ecological, cultural, historic, and aesthetic values and needs for compatible economic development; (3) The involvement of the public, of Federal, state and local governments and of regional agencies in the development and implementation of coastal management programs; (4) The management of coastal development to improve, safeguard, and restore coastal water quality; and (5) The study and development of plans for addressing the adverse effects of coastal hazards, including erosion, flooding, land subsidence and sea level rise. (b) In order to be meaningful, coordination with and participation by various units and levels of government including regional commissions, interest groups, and the general public should begin early in the process of program development and should continue throughout on a timely basis to assure that such efforts will result in substantive inputs into a State's management program. State efforts should be devoted not only to obtaining information necessary for developing the management program but also to obtaining reactions and recommendations regarding the content of the management program and to responding to concerns by interested parties. The requirements for intergovernmental cooperation and public participation continue after program approval. (c) This subpart deals with requirements for coordination with governmental entities, interest groups and the general public to assure that their interests are fully expressed and considered during the program development process and that procedures are created to insure continued consideration of their views during program implementation. In addition, this subpart deals with mediation procedures for serious disagreements between States and Federal agencies that occur during program development and implementation. This subpart addresses the requirements of the following subsections of the Act: 306(d)(1)—Opportunity for Full Participation; 306(d)(3)(A)—Plan Coordination; 306(d)(3)(B)—Continued State-Local Consultation; 306(d)(4)—Public Hearings; 306(d)(8)—Consideration of the National Interest in Facilities; 307(b)—Federal Consultation; and 307(h)—Mediation. (a) The management program must be developed and adopted with the opportunity of full participation by relevant Federal agencies and with adequate consideration of the views of Federal agencies principally affected by such program. (b) By providing relevant Federal agencies with the opportunity for full participation during program development and for adequately considering the views of such agencies, States can effectuate the Federal consistency provisions of subsections 307 (c) and (d) of the Act once their programs are approved. (See 15 CFR part 930 for a full discussion of the Federal consistency provisions of the Act.) (c) In addition to the consideration of relevant Federal agency views required during program development, Federal agencies have the opportunity to provide further comment during the program review and approval process. (See subpart G for details on this process.) Moreover, in the event of a serious disagreement between a relevant Federal agency and designated State agency during program development or during program implementation, the mediation provisions of subsection 307(h) of the Act are available. (See §923.54 for details on mediation.) (d) In order to provide an opportunity for participation by relevant Federal agencies and give adequate consideration to their views, each state must: (1) Contact each relevant Federal Agency listed in §923.2(d) and such other Federal agencies as may be relevant, owing to a State's particular circumstances, early in the development of its management program. The purpose of such contact is to develop mutual arrangements or understandings regarding that agency's participation during program development; (2) Provide for Federal agency input on a timely basis as the program is developed. Such input shall be related both to information required to develop the management program and to evaluation of and recommendations concerning various elements of the management program; (3) Solicit statements from the head of Federal agencies identified in Table 1 of §923.52(c)(1) as to their interpretation of the national interest in the planning for and siting of facilities which are more than local in nature; (4) Summarize the nature, frequency, and timing of contacts with relevant Federal agencies; (5) Evaluate Federal comments received during the program development process and, where appropriate in the opinion of the State, accommodate the substance of pertinent comments in the management program. States must consider and evaluate relevant Federal agency views or comments about the following: (i) Management of coastal resources for preservation, conservation, development, enhancement or restoration purposes; (ii) Statements of the national interest in the planning for or siting of facilities which are more than local in nature; (iii) Uses which are subject to the management program; (iv) Areas which are of particular concern to the management program; (v) Boundary determinations; (vi) Shorefront access and protecting planning, energy facility planning and erosion planning processes; and (vii) Federally developed or assisted plans that must be coordinated with the management program pursuant to subsection 306(d)(3) of the Act. (6) Indicate the nature of major comments by Federal agencies provided during program development (either by including copies of comments or by summarizing comments) and discuss any major differences or conflicts between the management program and Federal views that have not been resolved at the time of program submission. (a) The management program must provide for adequate consideration of the national interest involved in planning for, and managing the coastal zone, including the siting of facilities such as energy facilities which are of greater than local significance. In the case of energy facilities, the State must have considered any applicable national or interstate energy plan or program. (b) The primary purpose of this requirement is to assure adequate consideration by States of the national interest involved in the planning for and siting of facilities (which are necessary to meet other than local requirements) during: (1) The development of the State's management program, (2) The review and approval of the program by the Assistant Administrator, and (3) The implementation of the program as such facilities are proposed. (c) In order to fulfill this requirement, States must: (1) Describe the national interest in the planning for and siting of facilities considered during program development. (2) Indicate the sources relied upon for a description of the national interest in the planning for and siting of the facilities. (3) Indicate how and where the consideration of the national interest is reflected in the substance of the management program. In the case of energy facilities in which there is a national interest, the program must indicate the consideration given any national or interstate energy plans or programs which are applicable to or affect a state's coastal zone. (4) Describe the process for continued consideration of the national interest in the planning for and siting of facilities during program implementation, including a clear and detailed description of the administrative procedures and decisions points where such interest will be considered. (a) A State must include in its management program submission, as part of the body of the submission an appendix or an attachment, the procedures it will use to implement the Federal consistency requirements of subsections 307 (c) and (d) of the Act. At a minimum, the following must be included: (1) An indication of whether the state agency designated pursuant to subsection 306(d)(6) of the Act or a single other agency will handle consistency review (see 15 CFR 930.18); (2) A list of Federal license and permit activities that will be subject to review (see 15 CFR 930.53); (3) For States anticipating coastal zone effects from Outer Continental Shelf (OCS) activities, the license and permit list also must include OCS plans which describe in detail Federal license and permit activities (see 15 CFR 930.74); and (4) The public notice procedures to be used for certifications submitted for Federal License and permit activities and, where appropriate, for OCS plans (see 15 CFR 930.61 through 930.62 and 930.78). (b) Beyond the minimum requirements contained in paragraph (a) of this section, States have the option of including: (1) A list of Federal activities, including development projects, which in the opinion of the State agency are likely to significantly affect the coastal zone and thereby will require a Federal agency consistency determination (see 15 CFR 930.35); and (2) A description of the types of information and data necessary to assess the consistency of Federal license and permit activities and, where appropriate, those described in detail in OCS plans (see 15 CFR 930.56 and 930.75). (a) Section 307(h) of the Act provides for mediation of serious disagreement between any Federal agency and a coastal state in the development and implementation of a management program. In certain cases, mediation by the Secretary, with the assistance of the Executive Office of the President, may be an appropriate forum for conflict resolution. (b) State-Federal differences should be addressed initially by the parties involved. Whenever a serious disagreement cannot be resolved between the parties concerned, either party may request the informal assistance of the Assistant Administrator in resolving the disagreement. This request shall be in writing, stating the points of disagreement and the reason therefore. A copy of the request shall be sent to the other party to the disagreement. (c) If a serious disagreement persists, the Secretary or other head of a relevant Federal agency, or the Governor or the head of the state agency designated by the Governor as administratively responsible for program development (if a state still is receiving section 305 program development grants) or for program implementation (if a state is receiving section 306 program implementation grants) may notify the Secretary in writing of the existence of a serious disagreement, and may request that the Secretary seek to mediate the serious disagreement. A copy of the written request must be sent to the agency with which the requesting agency disagrees and to the Assistant Administrator. (d) Secretarial mediation efforts shall last only so long as the parties agree to participate. The Secretary shall confer with the Executive Office of the President, as necessary, during the mediation process. (e) Mediation shall terminate: (1) At any time the parties agree to a resolution of the serious disagreement, (2) If one of the parties withdraws from mediation, (3) In the event the parties fail to reach a resolution of the serious disagreement within 15 days following Secretarial mediation efforts, and the parties do not agree to extend mediation beyond that period, or (4) For other good cause. (f) The availability of the mediation services provided in this section is not intended expressly or implicitly to limit the parties' use of alternate forums to resolve disputes. Specifically, judicial review where otherwise available by law may be sought by any party to a serious disagreement without first having exhausted the mediation process provided herein. The management program must be developed and adopted with the opportunity of full participation by state agencies, local governments, regional commissions and organizations, port authorities, and other interested public and private parties. To meet this requirement, a State must: (a) Develop and make available general information regarding the program design, its content and its status throughout program development; (b) Provide a listing, as comprehensive as possible, of all governmental agencies, regional organizations, port authorities and public and private organizations likely to be affected by or to have a direct interest in the development and implementation of the management program; (c) Indicate the nature of major comments received from interested or affected parties, identified in paragraph (b)(2) of this section, and the nature of the State's response to these comments; and (d) Hold public meetings, workshops, etc., during the course of program development at accessible locations and convenient times, with reasonable notice and availability of materials. (a) The management program must be coordinated with local, areawide, and interstate plans applicable to areas within the coastal zone— (1) Existing on January 1 of the year in which the state's management program is submitted to the Secretary; and (2) Which have been developed by a local government, an areawide agency, a regional agency, or an interstate agency. (b) A State must insure that the contents of its management program has been coordinated with local, areawide and interstate plans applicable to areas within the coastal zone existing on January 1 of the year in which the State's management program is submitted to the Assistant Administrator for approval. To document this coordination, the management program must: (1) Identify local governments, areawide agencies and regional or interstate agencies which have plans affecting the coastal zone in effect on January 1 of the year in which the management program is submitted; (2) List or provide a summary of contacts with these entities for the purpose of coordinating the management program with plans adopted by a governmental entity as of January 1 of the year in which the management program is submitted. At a minimum, the following plans, affecting a State coastal zone, shall be reviewed: Land use plans prepared pursuant to section 701 of the Housing and Urban Development Act of 1968, as amended; State and areawide waste treatment facility or management plans prepared pursuant to sections 201 and 208 of the Clean Water Act, as amended; plans and designations made pursuant to the National Flood Insurance Act of 1968, as amended, and the Flood Disaster Protection Act of 1973, as amended; hazard mitigation plans prepared pursuant to section 409 of the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act; any applicable interstate energy plans or programs developed pursuant to section 309 of the Act; regional and interstate highway plans; plans developed by Regional Action Planning Commission; and fishery management plans developed pursuant to the Fisheries Conservation and Management Act. (3) Identify conflicts with those plans of a regulatory nature that are unresolved at the time of program submission and the means that can be used to resolve these conflicts. (a) As required by subsection 306(d)(3)(B) of the Act, a State must establish an effective mechanism for continuing consultation and coordination between the management agency designated pursuant to paragraph (6) of section 306(d) of the Act and with local governments, interstate agencies, regional agencies, and areawide agencies within the coastal zone to assure the full participation of those local governments and agencies in carrying out the purposes of this Act. (b) The management program must establish a procedure whereby local governments with zoning authority are notified of State management program decisions which would conflict with any local zoning ordinance decision. (1) “Management program decision” refers to any major, discretionary policy decisions on the part of a management agency, such as the determination of permissible land and water uses, the designation of areas or particular concern or areas for preservation or restoration, or the decision to acquire property for public uses. Regulatory actions which are taken pursuant to these major decisions are not subject to the State-local consultation mechanisms. A State management program decision is in conflict with a local zoning ordinance if the decision is contradictory to that ordinance. A State management program decision that consists of additional but not contradictory requirements is not in conflict with a local zoning ordinance, decision or other action; (2) “Local government” refers to these defined in section 304(11) of the Act which have some form of zoning authority. (3) “Local zoning ordinance, decision or other action” refers to any local government land or water use action which regulates or restricts the construction, alteration of use of land, water or structures thereon or thereunder. These actions include zoning ordinances, master plans and official maps. A local government has the right to comment on a State management program decision when such decision conflicts with the above specified actions; (4) Notification must be in writing and must inform the local government of its right to submit comments to the State management agency in the event the proposed State management program decision conflicts with a local zoning ordinance, decision or other action. The effect of providing such notice is to stay State action to implement its management decision for at least a 30-day period unless the local government waives its right to comment. (5) “Waiver” of the right of local government to comment (thereby permitting a State agency to proceed immediately with implementation of the management program decision) shall result: (i) Following State agency receipt of a written statement from a local government indicating that it either: (A) Waives its right to comment; or (B) Concurs with the management program decision; or (C) Intends to take action which conflicts or interferes with the management program decision; or (ii) Following a public statement by a local government to the same effect as paragraph (b)(5)(i) of this section; or (iii) Following an action by a local government that conflicts or interferes with the management program decision. (6) The management program shall include procedures to be followed by a management agency in considering a local government's comments. These procedures shall include, at a minimum, circumstances under which the agency will exercise its discretion to hold a public hearing. Where public hearings will be held, the program must set forth notice and other hearing procedures that will be followed. Following State agency consideration of local comments (when a discretionary public hearing is not held) or following public hearing, the management agency shall provide a written response to the affected local government, affected local government, within a reasonable period of time and prior to implementation of the management program decision, on the results of the agency's consideration of public comments. The management program must be developed and adopted after the holding of public hearings. A State must: (a) Hold a minimum of two public hearings during the course of program development, at least one of which will be on the total scope of the coastal management program. Hearings on the total management program do not have to be held on the actual document submitted to the Assistant Administrator for section 306 approval. However, such hearing(s) must cover the substance and content of the proposed management program in such a manner that the general public, and particularly affected parties, have a reasonable opportunity to understand the impacts of the management program. If the hearing(s) are not on the management document per se, all requests for such document must be honored and comments on the document received prior to submission of the document to the Assistant Administrator must be considered; (b) Provide a minimum of 30 days public notice of hearing dates and locations; (c) Make available for public review, at the time of public notice, all agency materials pertinent to the hearings; and (d) Include a transcript or summary of the public hearing(s) with the State's program document or submit same within thirty (30) days following submittal of the program to the Assistant Administrator. At the same time this transcript or summary is submitted to the Assistant Administrator, it must be made available, upon request, to the public.
Title 15: Commerce and Foreign Trade
PART 923—COASTAL ZONE MANAGEMENT PROGRAM REGULATIONS
Subpart F—Coordination, Public Involvement and National Interest
§ 923.50 General.
§ 923.51 Federal-State consultation.
§ 923.52 Consideration of the national interest in facilities.
§ 923.53 Federal consistency procedures.
§ 923.54 Mediation.
§ 923.55 Full participation by State and local governments, interested parties, and the general public.
§ 923.56 Plan coordination.
§ 923.57 Continuing consultation.
§ 923.58 Public hearings.
