Coastal Sector Laws and Regulations
This tab includes laws, legislation, regulations, agency guidance, and executive orders relevant to the coastal sector.
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July 19, 2010
The National Policy for the Stewardship of the Ocean, Our Coasts, and the Great Lakes - or the 'National Ocean Policy' - was enacted by President Obama in 2010. The purpose of this Executive Order is "to achieve an America whose stewardship ensures that the ocean, our coasts, and the Great Lakes are healthy and resilient, safe and productive, and understood and treasured so as to promote the well-being, prosperity, and security of present and future generations."
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June 2010
The Virginia Coastal Zone Management Program (CZMP) is a network of Virginia state agencies and local governments, established in 1986 through an Executive Order, which administers enforceable laws, regulations and policies that protect Virginia’s coastal resources and foster sustainable development. The Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) serves as the lead agency for the “networked program,” that manages the state’s coastal resources by administering the laws and regulations that protect wetlands, dunes, subaqueous lands, fisheries, and air and water quality - within the Virginia coastal zone.
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April 1, 2010
This 2010 resolution extended authorization for the climate-change planning activities of Maine's Department of Environmental Protection’s (DEP) stakeholder group (previously granted authority under "Resolve, To Evaluate Climate Change Adaptation Options for the State": Maine SPO 163). DEP was directed to continue to evaluate adaptation measures available to the people and businesses of Maine. DEP was required to report its progress on developing the state's adaptation plan to the joint standing committee of the Legislature with jurisdiction over natural resources matters by January 2011, with a final plan to the committee and the governor by the following year.
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March 2010
Created by the Louisiana-Mississippi Gulf Coast Ecosystem Restoration Working Group of the Executive Office of the President, under President Obama, this strategy document, or "roadmap," provides guidance to Working Group members to address policy, process, and legal hurdles to coastal restoration in the region. It outlines specific actions to take place over 18 months in 2010 and part of 2011 for these participating agencies. It also lays the foundation for a long-term vision to be achieved jointly with the states in the region.
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May 12, 2009
On May 12, 2009, President Barack Obama signed Executive Order 13508, recognizing the Chesapeake Bay as a national treasure and calling on the federal government to lead a renewed effort to restore and protect the nation’s largest estuary and its watershed.
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April 23, 2009
In this resolution, passed April 23, 2009, the Maine legislature directed its Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) to create a stakeholder group with the purpose of evaluating the measures available to non-governmental organizations, state agencies, and the business community to prepare for and adapt to the most likely impacts of climate change. The DEP is directed to plan for the issues raised in the 2009 climate impact assessment, including considering ways to create a hospitable landscape for the development of greenhouse gas offset projects and emission technologies.
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January 16, 2009
In 2007, a Climate Change Task Force was created within the Department of the Interior (DOI) to study climate change and its effects on the responsibilities of the Department. The Task Force included three subcommittees that developed options for actions DOI should consider with respect to legal and policy issues, land and water management issues, and climate change scientific issues. This Amendment to the Order provides guidance to bureaus and offices within the DOI on how to provide leadership by developing timely responses to these emerging climate change issues.
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November 14, 2008
Approved and signed by Governor Schwarzenegger in November 2008, this executive order requires the California Natural Resources Agency to develop a state Climate Adaptation Strategy in coordination with local, regional, state and federal public and private entities.
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April 22, 2008
In its January 2008 interim report, the Maryland Commission on Climate Change recommended that the state begin to actively address the impacts on the natural environment of shore erosion induced by sea level rise. The Commission's report recommends a unified approach to shoreline management. Specifically, the Commission suggests that the state resolve management conflicts presented by the current statute and regulatory practice of permitting shore protection alternatives based on the order of preference.
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January 25, 2008
The passage of the Kaua’i Shoreline Setback Bill in 2008 brought one of the most aggressive shoreline building setback laws in the country. The Kaua’i County setback is based on the average annual erosion rate and a planning period of 70 to 100 years, plus a buffer of 40 feet. The purpose of the ordinance was to properly site structures to protect life, property, and resources along Kaua’i’s shorelines from a wide variety of natural hazards, including high surf, hurricanes, flooding, and erosion.
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