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EPA-NOAA Projects
Summary of Projects to be completed under the EPA-NOAA Memorandum of Agreement on Coastal Community Development
BACKGROUND
Populations and built environments in coastal watersheds are growing rapidly, with 55 percent of the U.S. population already living within 50 miles of the coasts. The environmental impacts of development directly affect the ability of communities to balance natural resource protection with sustainable economic growth in their decision-making. The pressures of coastal growth profoundly affect the ability of NOAA and EPA and our state and local partners to achieve national goals for sustainable management of coastal resources and protection of human health and the environment.
One key approach to addressing this challenge must be more integrated and coordinated partnerships among all levels of government. Independent recommendations, including the most recent from the U.S. Commission on Ocean Policy, consistently call for more effective management of the coasts. To realize the goal of economic and environmental progress, our governmental and nongovernmental partners at regional, state, and local levels need more capacity to plan and guide growth in an integrated, comprehensive, and coordinated manner.
Combining the strengths, resources, and expertise offered by NOAA and EPA in a coordinated and focused manner will ensure the best and most effective use of federal resources. The projects, staff commitments, and resource allocations described in this workplan will help NOAA and EPA meet this demand and better achieve the missions of both agencies.
PROJECTS
The projects fall into three broad categories: Policy Development and Research, Tools and Technical Assistance, and Outreach and Education. In the first year, EPA and NOAA are focusing on four priority projects detailed below. An additional six projects have been identified that EPA and NOAA will work on as time and resources allow.
COMMUNITY TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE TO SUPPORT LOCAL DEVELOPMENT EFFORTS. [TOOLS AND TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE]
Coastal communities are interested in improving their quality of life, protecting their environmental resources, enhancing public health, and promoting responsible development, but they may lack the tools, resources, or information to achieve these goals. Recognizing this, EPA and NOAA have begun a new initiative to give direct technical assistance from national experts, free of charge, to communities that want to incorporate smart growth techniques in their new or redevelopment projects.
Under this project, teams of national experts would be convened by EPA/NOAA to provide needed coastal community development expertise and guidance. Two rounds of applications have been completed as of March 2006. Click here for more information on the communities selected for assistance. New competitions for assistance will be announced on EPA's smart growth Web site.
HOW WILL BETTER APPROACHES TO COASTAL DEVELOPMENT HELP MEET CLEAN WATER ACT AND COASTAL ZONE MANAGEMENT ACT REQUIREMENTS? [POLICY DEVELOPMENT AND RESEARCH]
Across the country, cities, regions, and states are recognizing that new and enhanced growth strategies can protect environmental quality while promoting coastal community economic development. Specifically, growth and development approaches can be used to meet some water quality and coastal resource protection goals. For example, the Clean Water Act (CWA) requires that communities reduce stormwater runoff, reduce pollutant loads in impaired water bodies, and prevent degradation of pristine waters. The Coastal Zone Management Act (CZMA) requires communities to preserve, protect, and, if possible, restore coastal resources. Better development approaches can help achieve these goals.
The purpose of this project is to: 1) identify opportunities in both the CWA and the CZMA where better approaches to coastal development could be used to meet local, state, or federal requirements; 2) review and analyze existing regulations and guidance documents to identify opportunities for changes that would encourage better coastal development and superior environmental results; and, 3) identify the top 10 actions coastal zone and environmental protection managers can take to encourage better coastal community development.
PROMOTE UNIVERSITY-BASED TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE AND FEEDBACK VIA SEA GRANT. [TOOLS AND TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE]
In 2001, NOAA created the Coastal Community Development Program (CCDP) within its National Sea Grant Extension Network. The purpose of the CCDP is to provide leadership in helping coastal communities address all issues related to land use, economic development, and coastal resources. This new program builds off the successes and existing infrastructure of Sea Grant programs and tackles one of the largest threats to coastal resources - the expansion of built environments in coastal areas.
The purpose of the Coastal Community Development Coordinator is to help develop and provide focus for the Sea Grant CCDP, to help facilitate the exchange of information and ideas between agents and others working on coastal community development, and to increase the capacity of agents and others addressing growth and development issues.
DEVELOP AND DELIVER TRAINING FOR STATE AND LOCAL GOVERNMENT OFFICIALS. [OUTREACH AND EDUCATION]
There are many state and local officials who have a general sense of what better coastal growth entails but who seek a deeper understanding to implement the principles associated with smart coastal development. To build this capacity, this activity will develop training curricula and work with state and local partners to deliver the training. The overall purpose of the training is to enable training participants to enhance coastal planning and development in their community. The target audience for the training will be local and regional decision-makers and planners. However, NOAA and EPA will partner with state coastal resource offices to deliver the training most effectively. This training will allow participants to:
- Understand coastal development patterns, and trends;
- Understand the social, environmental, and economic impacts and benefits of various development patterns;
- Understand the characteristics of successful communities;
- Identify potential partners;
- Increase their knowledge about effectively communicating on this topic;
- Increase their ability to identify new resources (money, technical assistance, documents) to provide information on or assistance with coastal growth and development projects; and
- Understand how the drivers influence growth and development patterns.
ADDITIONAL EPA-NOAA PROJECTS
RESEARCH PAPER THAT ADDRESSES COASTAL DEVELOPMENT AND SEPTIC SYSTEM ISSUES. [POLICY DEVELOPMENT AND RESEARCH]
Growth patterns are often affected by septic system siting and design standards, minimum lot sizes dictated by health departments, new technologies that make more lots buildable, and the decision to sewer areas of known septic tank failures. This joint EPA-NOAA research and corresponding policy options will help inform not only the EPA staff who are revising existing guidance documents on on-site disposal systems and other outreach materials, but also local government officials grappling with this issue.
CREATE A COASTAL ZONING CODE REVIEW METHODOLOGY. [POLICY DEVELOPMENT AND RESEARCH]
Many coastal communities have become educated about the benefits of better development practices but still seek assistance with making it happen. One powerful tool for helping these communities is a zoning code review. These reviews analyze codes and ordinances that influence development and make recommendations for changes that will encourage better practices. This project will create a replicable methodology that will enable local officials in partnership with Sea Grant or other state coastal offices to conduct such reviews.
RESEARCH BARRIERS TO BETTER REDEVELOPMENT AFTER DISASTERS. [POLICY DEVELOPMENT AND RESEARCH]
Redevelopment of coastal areas devastated by natural disasters such as hurricanes and floods presents an opportunity to improve the location and design of destroyed structures. Yet too often redevelopment occurs in a way that makes no improvements in terms of location and design. Through research and analysis, this project will identify what drives key decisions about how and where post-disaster redevelopment occurs.
WORK WITH COASTAL AND ESTUARINE LAND CONSERVATION PROGRAM TO ENSURE ITS LAND PURCHASING CRITERIA ENCOURAGE BETTER COASTAL GROWTH. [POLICY DEVELOPMENT AND RESEARCH]
The Coastal and Estuarine Land Conservation Program (CELCP) was established to protect coastal and estuarine lands considered important for their ecological, conservation, recreational, historical, or aesthetic value. EPA and NOAA will work with OCRM staff in the review and approval of state CELCP plans to ensure that smart growth principles have been considered in the identification of areas targeted for preservation.
PROMOTE REGIONAL COASTAL DEVELOPMENT SPEAKER SERIES AND FORUMS IN TARGETED AREAS. [OUTREACH AND EDUCATION]
EPA and NOAA will take advantage of NOAA's established staff presence at the local level in coastal states to identify localities where a speaker series would serve as an effective tool to build knowledge and consensus regarding better approaches to coastal development.
CREATE CUSTOMIZABLE POWERPOINT PRESENTATIONS. [OUTREACH AND EDUCATION]
EPA and NOAA will create a CD with PowerPoint presentations and other electronic resources, tools, and data for targeted distribution. Products are anticipated to be iterative with collaboration at the staff level between EPA and NOAA.