The North Carolina Environmental Management Commission, when it meets Nov. 18, is expected to vote on the 2021 amendment to the Coastal Habitat Protection Plan.
The state put the plan in place in 2004 as a continuing effort to improve coastal fisheries through habitat protection and improvement efforts.
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Commission committee meetings are set for Wednesday, and the full commission meets at 9 a.m. Thursday. Commissioners, staff, and scheduled speakers are expected to attend in person the meetings in the Archdale Building in Raleigh. There is limited public seating and face coverings are required. Information for the public to join the meeting by phone or online in on the commission website.
The Environmental Management Commission is one of three commissions required to vote on the amendment for adoption. The Coastal Resources Commission voted Wednesday to approve the amendment to the plan. The final required vote is that of the North Carolina Marine Fisheries Commission expected during its Nov. 17-19 meeting.
The 2021 amendment recommends five priorities: protecting submerged aquatic vegetation and wetlands, abiding by environmental rules, wastewater infrastructure solutions to improve water quality, and habitat mapping. The draft amendment also includes Appendix A, early public comment submitted by an independent stakeholder workgroup led by the North Carolina Coastal Federation and The Pew Charitable Trusts, and Appendix C with public comment written letters.
The agenda for the full commission Nov. 18 meeting is available on the website.Other items on the agenda include the following:
- Request to move forward with public notice and hearing on septage management amendments
- Request approval of hearing officer’s report, regulatory impact analysis,
and adoption of rule amendments for underground storage tanks. - Request approval of hearing officer’s report on proposed rule readoptions to water use registration and allocation rules.
- Request approval of hearing officer’s report on proposed rule amendments to Groundwater Quality Standards.
Committee meetings will be on Nov. 17 with the Water Allocation Committee meeting at 9:30 a.m., followed at 10:45 a.m. by the Groundwater & Waste Management Committee and at 11:45 a.m. by the National Pollution Discharge Elimination System, or NPDES, Committee. The Air Quality and Water Quality committees will not meet Nov. 17.
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The Environmental Management Commission is responsible for adopting rules for the protection, preservation and enhancement of the state’s air, land and water resources. The commission oversees and adopts rules for several divisions of the Department of Environmental Quality, including the divisions of Air Quality; Energy, Mineral and Land Resources; Waste Management and Water Resources.
Related: Coastal Review’s Coastal Habitat Protection Plan coverage
