15 C.F.R. Subpart A—General Information
Title 15 - Commerce and Foreign Trade
The objectives of this part are: (a) To describe the obligations of all parties who are required to comply with the federal consistency requirement of the Coastal Zone Management Act; (b) To implement the federal consistency requirement in a manner which strikes a balance between the need to ensure consistency for federal actions affecting any coastal use or resource with the enforceable policies of approved management programs and the importance of federal activities (the term “federal action” includes all types of activities subject to the federal consistency requirement under subparts C, D, E, F and I of this part.); (c) To provide flexible procedures which foster intergovernmental cooperation and minimize duplicative effort and unnecessary delay, while making certain that the objectives of the federal consistency requirement of the Act are satisfied. Federal agencies, State agencies, and applicants should coordinate as early as possible in developing a proposed federal action, and may mutually agree to intergovernmental coordination efforts to meet the requirements of these regulations, provided that public participation requirements are met and applicable State management program enforceable policies are considered. State agencies should participate in the administrative processes of federal agencies concerning federal actions that may be subject to state review under subparts C, D, E, F and I of this part. (d) To interpret significant terms in the Act and this part; (e) To provide procedures to make certain that all Federal agency and State agency consistency decisions are directly related to the enforceable policies of approved management programs; (f) To provide procedures which the Secretary, in cooperation with the Executive Office of the President, may use to mediate serious disagreements which arise between Federal and State agencies during the administration of approved management programs; and (g) To provide procedures which permit the Secretary to review federal license or permit activities, or federal assistance activities, to determine whether they are consistent with the objectives or purposes of the Act, or are necessary in the interest of national security. [65 FR 77154, Dec. 8, 2000, as amended at 71 FR 826, Jan. 5, 2006] State management programs shall provide an opportunity for public participation in the State agency's review of a Federal agency's consistency determination or an applicant's or person's consistency certification. As part of the responsibility to conduct a continuing review of approved management programs, the Director of the Office of Ocean and Coastal Resource Management (Director) shall review the performance of each State's implementation of the federal consistency requirement. The Director shall evaluate instances where a State agency is believed to have either failed to object to inconsistent federal actions, or improperly objected to consistent federal actions. This evaluation shall be incorporated within the Director's general efforts to ascertain instances where a State has not adhered to its approved management program and such lack of adherence is not justified. (a) Federal agencies, applicants, persons and applicant agencies should cooperate with State agencies to develop conditions that, if agreed to during the State agency's consistency review period and included in a Federal agency's final decision under subpart C or in a Federal agency's approval under subparts D, E, F or I of this part, would allow the State agency to concur with the federal action. If instead a State agency issues a conditional concurrence: (1) The State agency shall include in its concurrence letter the conditions which must be satisfied, an explanation of why the conditions are necessary to ensure consistency with specific enforceable policies of the management program, and an identification of the specific enforceable policies. The State agency's concurrence letter shall also inform the parties that if the requirements of paragraphs (a)(1) through (3) of the section are not met, then all parties shall treat the State agency's conditional concurrence letter as an objection pursuant to the applicable subpart and notify, pursuant to §930.63(e), applicants, persons and applicant agencies of the opportunity to appeal the State agency's objection to the Secretary of Commerce within 30 days after receipt of the State agency's conditional concurrence/objection or 30 days after receiving notice from the Federal agency that the application will not be approved as amended by the State agency's conditions; and (2) The Federal agency (for subpart C), applicant (for subparts D and I), person (for subpart E) or applicant agency (for subpart F) shall modify the applicable plan, project proposal, or application to the Federal agency pursuant to the State agency's conditions. The Federal agency, applicant, person or applicant agency shall immediately notify the State agency if the State agency's conditions are not acceptable; and (3) The Federal agency (for subparts D, E, F and I) shall approve the amended application (with the State agency's conditions). The Federal agency shall immediately notify the State agency and applicant or applicant agency if the Federal agency will not approve the application as amended by the State agency's conditions. (b) If the requirements of paragraphs (a)(1) through (3) of this section are not met, then all parties shall treat the State agency's conditional concurrence as an objection pursuant to the applicable subpart. The regulations in this part are not intended in any way to alter or limit other legal remedies, including judicial review or State enforcement, otherwise available. State agencies and Federal agencies should first use the various remedial action and mediation sections of this part to resolve their differences or to enforce State agency concurrences or objections. (a) This section describes the responsibilities of the “State agency” described in §930.11(o). A designated State agency is required to uniformly and comprehensively apply the enforceable policies of the State's management program, efficiently coordinate all State coastal management requirements, and to provide a single point of contact for Federal agencies and the public to discuss consistency issues. Any appointment by the State agency of the State's consistency responsibilities to a designee agency must be described in the State's management program. In the absence of such description, all consistency determinations, consistency certifications and federal assistance proposals shall be sent to and reviewed by the State agency. A State may have two State agencies designated pursuant to §306(d)(6) of the Act where the State has two geographically separate federally-approved management programs. (b) The State agency is responsible for commenting on and concurring with or objecting to Federal agency consistency determinations and negative determinations (see subpart C of this part), consistency certifications for federal licenses, permits, and Outer Continental Shelf plans (see subparts D, E and I of this part), and reviewing the consistency of federal assistance activities proposed by applicant agencies (see subpart F of this part). The State agency shall be responsible for securing necessary review and comment from other State, regional, or local government agencies, and, where applicable, the public. Thereafter, only the State agency is authorized to comment officially on or concur with or object to a federal consistency determination or negative determination, a consistency certification, or determine the consistency of a proposed federal assistance activity. (c) If described in a State's management program, the issuance or denial of relevant State permits can constitute the State agency's consistency concurrence or objection if the State agency ensures that the State permitting agencies or the State agency review individual projects to ensure consistency with all applicable State management program policies and that applicable public participation requirements are met. The State agency shall monitor such permits issued by another State agency.
Title 15: Commerce and Foreign Trade
PART 930—FEDERAL CONSISTENCY WITH APPROVED COASTAL MANAGEMENT PROGRAMS
Subpart A—General Information
§ 930.1 Overall objectives.
§ 930.2 Public participation.
§ 930.3 Review of the implementation of the federal consistency requirement.
§ 930.4 Conditional concurrences
§ 930.5 State enforcement action.
§ 930.6 State agency responsibility.
