Several North Carolina residents, including three from the coast, have been appointed to serve on state boards and commissions, Gov. Roy Cooper’s office announced Monday.

Susan W. Rabon of Southport has been appointed as chair of the North Carolina State Ports Authority Board of Directors. Rabon is the owner, director and vice president of Commonwealth Home Health Care Inc. and Commonwealth Document Management, Inc. Rabon previously served on the North Carolina Utilities Commission. She has served on the Ports Authority Board since 2021.

Leigh Wilson Venters of Wilmington has been selected to serve on the North Carolina Commission for Mental Health, Developmental Disabilities and Substance Abuse Services. A developmental disabilities family member, Venters is chair of the Board of Visitors at University of North Carolina Wilmington and the UNC Wilmington Foundation Board.

Mark W. Lanier of Wilmington has been appointed as a member at-large for the U.S.S. North Carolina Battleship Commission. Lanier recently retired from his role as assistant to the chancellor and assistant secretary to the UNCW Board of Trustees, with primary responsibilities in governmental relations, board affairs, and economic development.

For a list of all appointments, visit the governor’s website.

This story has been updated.

Gov. Roy Cooper has appointed numerous eastern North Carolina residents to serve on state boards and commissions.

According to an announcement Wednesday, Cooper appointed Robin W. Smith of Chapel Hill to the North Carolina Environmental Management Commission as a member with special training or scientific expertise in hydrology or water pollution control, and as chair.

Smith, who most recently served on the Coastal Resources Commission, is a lawyer with more than 25 years experience in environmental law and policy. Before starting a private environmental law and consulting firm in 2013, Smith served 12 years with the North Carolina Department of Environment and Natural Resources as assistant secretary for Environment.

Appointment effective dates were Oct. 26. Smith’s resignation from the Coastal Resources Commission was effective the same day.

Also, Cooper appointed Ronna Zimmer of Wilmington to the North Carolina Arts Council as a member at large. Zimmer completed her fifth term as president of board of trustees at Thalian Hall Center for the Performing Arts in 2019. She was also appointed by county commissioners to the New Hanover County Library Advisory Board. Zimmer is a member of the board of directors of the Wilmington Symphony Orchestra.

Cooper appointed Leanna Radford of Havelock to the Global Transpark Authority as a representative of the economic development industry. Radford retired after 19 years with Fleet Support Team Logistic site lead at Fleet Readiness Center East, Cherry Point. Previously, she worked as an engineer in the Naval Aviation Depot at Marine Corps Air Station Cherry Point.

Cooper appointed Marilyn Muyshondt Graham of Leland to the Governor’s Advisory Council on Hispanic/Latino Affairs as a member at large. Graham works in Multicultural Workforce Development and Outreach for Brunswick Community College, where she has helped develop bilingual programs and brought in educational grants.

Cooper appointed Cedric A. Dickerson of Wilmington to the North Carolina Human Relations Commission as the 7th District representative. Dickerson works as an insurance agent at State Farm and is vice president of State Farm Agent and Associates PAC. The congressional district includes the southeastern part of state and swath that stretches north to Raleigh.

Cooper appointed Kris Cahoon Noble of Swan Quarter to the North Carolina Marine Industrial Park Authority as a member at large. Noble is the county manager for Hyde County. She previously served as the director of Planning and Economic Development for Hyde County. Noble has also completed multiple community development and housing grant projects.

Cooper appointed Gregory L. Washington of Wilmington and Susan W. Rabon of Southport to the North Carolina State Ports Authority Board of Directors as members at large.

Washington is the international representative for the International Longshoremen’s Association. He currently serves on the New Hanover County Port, Waterway & Beach Commission, and the Cape Fear Workforce Development Board.

Rabon is the vice president of Commonwealth Home Health Care and Commonwealth Document Management. Rabon also served as a commissioner on the North Carolina Utilities Commission, a deputy attorney for administration for the state Department of Justice, and as a senior assistant for administration for the governor’s office. Rabon currently serves as chairperson of the Bald Head Transportation Authority.

Cooper appointed Randall Elbert Lee of Halifax to the Roanoke River Basin Bi-State Commission as a resident within the North Carolina portion of the basin. Lee previously held the position of correctional administrator of Caledonia Correctional Institution for 18 years and retired with 31 years of service. After this first retirement Lee rejoined the workforce with the North Carolina Department of Public Safety, as the correctional administrator for Polk Correctional Institute and was promoted to deputy director, retiring for a second time shortly after.

Cooper appointed Deirdre L. McGlone-Webb of Wilmington to the U.S.S. North Carolina Battleship Commission as treasurer. Webb is a branch manager with South State Bank. She retired from SunTrust Bank after more than 25 years of service.

Cooper appointed to the North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission Michael K. Alford of Jacksonville as the second wildlife district representative and J. Carlton Cole of Hertford as a member at large.

Alford is the president of Marine Chevrolet Cadillac in Jacksonville. Alford represented North Carolina’s franchised new car dealers on the board of directors of the National Automobile Dealers Association. Alford served on the North Carolina Board of Transportation.

Cole retired in 2021 after 12 years as superior court judge in North Carolina’s 1st Judicial District. Prior to becoming a superior court judge, Cole spent 17 years as a district court judge in the same district. Cole was presented the Order of the Long Leaf Pine, the state’s highest civilian recognition, and Friend of the Court, the highest award given by the North Carolina Judicial Branch.

Updated Nov. 9 Environmental Management Commission meeting date

North Carolina Coastal Resources Commission is scheduled to meet next week to consider approving the 2021 Coastal Habitat Protection Plan update.

The meeting is set to begin at 9 a.m. Wednesday, Nov. 10, at the DoubleTree by Hilton, 2717 W. Fort Macon Road, Atlantic Beach. A public comment period is scheduled for noon Nov. 10. Comments may be limited to 3 minutes per person at the chairwoman’s discretion.

The Coastal Resources Advisory Council meets at 3 p.m. Nov. 9, also at the Atlantic Beach hotel.

Full agendas and briefing materials can be found on the CRC website. Times indicated on the agenda for individual items are subject to change. Both meetings are open to the public.

The Coastal Habitat Protection Plan is the state’s long-term effort to improve coastal fisheries through habitat protection and enhancement efforts. The plan details habitats’ distribution and abundance, ecological functions and importance to fish production, status and trends, threats to the habitats, and includes recommendations to address threats, according to state Department of Environmental Quality. North Carolina Marine Fisheries, Environmental Management and Coastal Resources Commissions unanimously approved the document December 2004. The plan is to be updated every five years.

The 2021 draft plan amendment recommends addressing five priority issues: submerged aquatic vegetation protection and restoration through water quality improvements; wetlands protection and restoration through nature-based solutions; environmental rule compliance to protect coastal habitats; wastewater infrastructure solutions for water quality improvement; and coastal habitat mapping and monitoring to assess status and trends.

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.

The three commissions now must vote to approve the draft 2021 amendment. The Environmental Management Commission has a meeting scheduled Nov. 17-18 but the agenda had not been released at the time of this report. The North Carolina Marine Fisheries Commission is expected to vote during its Nov. 17-19 meeting.

To reduce the spread of COVID-19, all attendees should wear a mask and maintain social distance during the meeting.

The agenda for the commission meeting also includes the following:

• Consider a variance request from Kure Beach regarding a development line.
• Review of proposed beach management plan rules.
• Consider amendments to shoreline access policies, parking fees and clarifying language.
• Continued discussion of amendments to Land Use Plans – enforceable polices.
• Discussion of proposed amendments regarding floating structures associated with shellfish leases.
• Consideration of fiscal analyses regarding structural boat covers and general permit for beach bulldozing.

Updated Nov. 9 Environmental Management Commission meeting date

The North Carolina Marine Fisheries Commission, when it meets later this month, is expected to consider approving the draft Coastal Habitat Protection Plan 2021 Amendment.

The in-person meetings are set for Nov. 17-19 at the Islander Hotel & Resort, 102 Islander Drive, Emerald Isle, and begin at 6 p.m. Nov. 17, 9 a.m. Nov. 18 and 9 a.m. Nov. 19.

The Coastal Habitat Protection Plan is the state’s long-term plan to improve coastal fisheries through habitat protection and enhancement efforts. The plan details habitats’ distribution and abundance, ecological functions and importance to fish production, status and trends, threats to the habitats, and includes recommendations to address threats, according to state Department of Environmental Quality. North Carolina Marine Fisheries, Environmental Management, and Coastal Resources Commissions unanimously approved the document December 2004.

The 2021 draft plan amendment focuses on recommendations to address five priority issues: submerged aquatic vegetation protection and restoration through water quality improvements; wetlands protection and restoration through nature-based solutions; environmental rule compliance to protect coastal habitats; wastewater infrastructure solutions for water quality improvement; and coastal habitat mapping and monitoring to assess status and trends.

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.

Related: Panel with stakes in clean water adds to coastal habitat plan

This past summer, Coastal Resources Commission, Marine Fisheries Commission and the Environmental Management Commission voted to approve the draft and appendix for public review.

Now, the three commissions must vote to approve the draft 2021 amendment. Coastal Resources Commission will consider public comments and approval of the plan Nov. 9. The Environmental Management Commission has a meeting scheduled Nov. 17-18 but the agenda was not released at the time of this report.

In addition to the Coastal Habitat Protection Plan, agenda items include the following:

• Selecting preferred management options for the Shrimp Fishery Management Plan Amendment 2 and sending the draft plan for departmental review.
• Reviewing the draft Southern Flounder Fishery Management Plan Amendment 3 and sending it out for public comment and advisory committee review.
• Approving the goals and objectives of the draft N.C Fishery Management Plan for Interjurisdictional Fisheries Amendment 2.
• Final approval of amendments and re-adoption of a slate of rules under a mandatory periodic review schedule, including rules prohibiting the repacking of foreign crab meat in North Carolina.
• Discussion of additional labeling requirements for repacked foreign crab meat, including selection of preferred management option and approval of associated proposed language for rulemaking.
• Approving a slate of nominees for the North Carolina Obligatory Seat on the South Atlantic Fishery Management Council.

A full meeting agenda and briefing book materials are to be posted on the Marine Fisheries Commission Meeting webpage as they become available.

The commission is expected to hold public comment at 6 p.m. Nov. 17 and a 30-minute public comment period near the beginning of the meeting Nov. 18.

The commission said it will only hear from speakers attending the meeting in-person. To accommodate as many speakers as possible, the chairman will limit each speaker to 3 minutes Nov. 17 and Nov. 18.

Speaker registration will begin at noon Wednesday and can be accessed through a link on the Marine Fisheries Commission Meeting webpage. Register online to speak during the 30-minute session Nov. 18. Registration will end once 10 people have signed up to speak. Registration is not required for the Nov. 17 public comment period but is available until 10 a.m. Nov. 17. Doors open at 4:30 p.m. when the public may also register to speak. .

Those who wish to submit handouts to the commission during a public comment period should bring at least 12 copies to the meeting.

The public may submit written comments online through the Marine Fisheries Commission Meeting webpage or mail to: November 2021 Marine Fisheries Commission Meeting Comments, P.O Box 769, Morehead City, NC 28557.

Comments may be dropped off at the Division of Marine Fisheries’ Morehead City Headquarters Office at 3441 Arendell St., Morehead City.

Written comments must be posted online or received in the Division of Marine Fisheries Office by 4:30 p.m. Nov. 15. Public comment for this meeting will not be accepted through email.

In accordance with current guidance to help prevent the spread of COVID-19, the chairman asks that everyone attending the meeting wear a mask at all times, except when giving public comment to the commission.

Those who do not wish to speak at the meeting are encouraged to watch the meeting online. Links to the livestream are to be posted on the Marine Fisheries Commission Meeting webpage. After the meeting, an audio recording is expected to be posted online.

State regulators are cracking down on where property owners may install artificial turf near coastal waterways.

During the meeting of the Coastal Resources Commission Wednesday, Sept. 15, Robb Mairs, minor permits coordinator with the North Carolina Division of Coastal Management’s Wilmington office, said the use of artificial turf within the state’s 75-foot coastal shorelines area of environmental concern, or AEC, and associated 30-foot buffer “suddenly emerged” this year.

The seemingly new trend has raised concerns about certain materials used to install artificial grass, the different types of material used to make artificial turf, whether those materials are pervious or not, and how their proximity to coastal waters may affect water quality.

Coastal Resources Commission rules restrict development within the 30-foot buffer to water uses, including docks, piers, boat ramps, bulkheads and accessways. There are some exceptions to the rules, such as pile-supported signs, elevated, slatted wooden boardwalks, crab shedders, decks and grading, excavation, and landscaping as long as it excludes wetland fill — unless required by permit in a shoreline-stabilization project.

However, the state does not have standards for artificial turf being installed within that buffer, Mairs explained.

Coastal AECs include wetlands, estuarine waters, public trust areas and estuarine and public trust shorelines.

The 30-foot buffer within those AECs is considered by state coastal officials to be particularly crucial in protecting water quality.

Division of Coastal Management officials this past May first caught wind of artificial turf being installed within the 75-foot AEC in Wrightsville Beach, according to Christy Simmons, division spokesperson.

“That case was resolved through an enforcement action and the shoreline buffer was restored,” Simmons said in an email.

Since then, the division has been reviewing cases in Corolla in Currituck County, Topsail Beach in Pender County and Wrightsville Beach in New Hanover County, she said. In some of those cases, artificial turf will have to be removed, at least from within the 30-foot shoreline buffer.

“In the limited enforcement cases we’ve had so far, we’ve only required removal of the artificial turf and have not assessed any civil penalties,” Simmons said.

As division permit officers are handling these cases, they’re fielding a growing interest from property owners and landscapers asking about placing artificial turf within the coastal shoreline AEC.

Part of the debate about regulating artificial turf within the AEC goes to the question whether fake grass and the materials used to install it are impervious.

Coastal Resources Commissioner Neal Andrew said at the commission’s Sept. 15 meeting that he’d seen some of the artificial turf that has been installed in Wrightsville Beach.

“It appears water does drain through this material and therefore appears to act as a pervious surface,” he said. “I personally don’t see an issue with it being outside that 30-foot range.”

Division Director Braxton Davis said it had yet to be determined whether artificial turf is pervious and that any such determination may have to be concluded on a case-by-case basis.

Mairs said the problem is that some components of artificial turf appear to be inconsistent with standards set by the North Carolina Division of Water Resources and state Energy, Mineral and Land Resources, or DEMLR, state stormwater section.

DEMLR staff say they would have to decide case-by-case whether artificial turf is pervious.

Any such determination would not preclude DEMLR’s regulations that require vegetated setbacks from surface waters in coastal stormwater permits. The rules mandate that the area within the buffer remain vegetated unless one or more exceptions in the rules have been met.

Artificial turf is not an exception.

Buffer rules in the Tar-Pamlico and Neuse rivers do not include artificial turf in their table of uses.

Division of Water Resources officials advised that artificial turf appears to contradict the intent of the rules to preserve the buffer as a function for removing nutrients.

Water resources officials have expressed concerns about the potential of small plastic fibers, and rubber or silica beads sometimes mixed into soil under the turf during installation getting into nearby waters and potentially violating state water quality standards.

Larry Baldwin, vice chair for the Coastal Resources Commission, said that if artificial turf is installed for the purpose of stormwater infiltration, design could make a difference, especially if it were to cut down on potential nutrient runoff if turf is used replace fertilized grass.

“I’m kind of torn on this in terms of what’s better for water quality,” he said.

Commissioners voted 10-1, with Baldwin dissenting, to prohibit the installation of artificial turf within the 30-foot buffer.

“I think if we’re all concerned about water quality I’m going to make it as simple for staff as possible and protect the last line of defense for our waters,” said commission Chair Renee Cahoon.

Commissioner Craig Bromby said the commission should look further into the matter.

“I think we can maintain the status quo and endorse (the division’s) interpretation, but I think this needs looking at,” he said.

The North Carolina Marine Fisheries commission will vote at 2 p.m. Thursday via web conference on amendments and the readoption of nine rules concerning waters managed jointly with the North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission.

The meeting link to watch the online meeting, phone number to listen by phone, agenda and information on the proposed amendments to the rules in General Regulations will be posted next week on the Marine Fisheries Commission meetings webpage.

The public may listen to the web conference meeting by phone or listen and view presentations online. No public comment period is scheduled.

The rules are scheduled for readoption under a mandatory periodic review schedule. Public comment on the rules was accepted in October and November 2020.

No other issues are scheduled for discussion at this meeting.

The North Carolina Environmental Management Commission is set to review next month the draft amendment to the Coastal Habitat Protection Plan, which is revised every five years to reflect changes in the status of habitat protection in the state.

Committee meetings begin at 9 a.m. Sept. 8 for the Air Quality Committee, Groundwater and Waste Management Committee and Water Quality Committee. The virtual, full commission meeting begins at 9 a.m. Sept. 9. The public is invited to attend the meeting online or by phone. Access the EMC meetings through the state Department of Environmental Quality website.

The commission when it meets remotely also will look at approving the 2021 Pasquotank River Basin Water Resources Plan and rule changes to address a permitting gap created by recent changes to Clean Water Act Federal Jurisdiction for wetlands in certain landscape positions.

The draft habitat plan 2021 amendment focuses on the following five priority issues:

• Submerged aquatic vegetation, or SAV, protection and restoration through water quality improvements.
• Wetland protection and restoration through nature-based solutions.
• Environmental rule compliance to protect coastal habitats.
• Wastewater infrastructure solutions for water quality improvement.
• Coastal habitat mapping and monitoring to assess status and trends.

The request is approval to take the draft plan out for public comment.

The North Carolina Marine Fisheries, Environmental Management and Coastal Resources Commissions unanimously adopted the North Carolina Coastal Habitat Protection Plan in December 2004 to protect coastal fisheries through habitat protection and enhancement efforts, according to NCDEQ.

The document provides information on the habitats’ distribution and abundance, ecological functions and importance to fish production, status and trends, threats to the habitats, and includes recommendations to address threats.

The North Carolina Coastal Habitat Coalition, an independent stakeholder workgroup headed up by the North Carolina Coastal Federation, which publishes Coastal Review, and The Pew Charitable Trusts submitted a document earlier this month to the North Carolina Coastal Habitat Protection Plan Steering Committee recommending actions the state and stakeholders should take to improve water quality in the next five years. The document is included in the agenda packet.

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.