seascope 



Conference draws 

 management views 



REP. WILLIS P. WHICHARD 



Rep. W hie hard (D-Durham ) 

 served in the N. C. House of Repre- 

 sentatives during 1973-7 % as chair- 

 man of the House Committee on 

 Water and Air Resources. He was 

 one of two key co-sponsors of the 

 Coastal Area Management Act in 

 the General Assembly. 



Coastal zone management in North Carolina 



The 1969 General Assembly, recognizing the critical problems of develop- 

 ment in North Carolina's coastal region, established and funded a study 

 commission on coastal area management. The Coastal Area Management 

 Act introduced in the 1973 Session was the product of that Commission. 



Because of considerable interest in this legislation, the bill was held over 

 for further hearings and study between the 1973 and 1974 sessions. A joint 

 Senate-House Committee held day-long hearings in five cities in the coastal 

 area. The bill was then the subject of further scrutiny by the committee, 

 which resulted in submission of a re-drafted bill to the 1974 Session. After 

 further committee action and numerous floor amendments, the bill was 

 finally enacted two days before adjournment. 



The bill establishes a cooperative program between state and local govern- 

 ment for management of future growth in the coastal area. State government 

 establishes areas of environmental concern. Local government has the initia- 

 tive for planning, with state government acting in a supportive standard- 

 setting and review capacity. Enforcement is a concurrent State-local 

 responsibility. 



Two new state level agencies are established. A Coastal Resources Com- 

 mission, consisting of 15 members appointed by the Governor (12 from 

 nominees submitted by counties and cities in the coastal area; three with no 

 restrictions), approves land use plans submitted by the counties, designates 

 areas of environmental concern and approves or denies permits for major 

 development within those areas. (Permits for minor development are issued 

 at the local level, subject to appeal to the Commission). A Coastal Resources 

 Advisory Council, consisting of not more than 47 members, most of whom 

 represent state and local government, assists the Secretaries of Administra- 

 tion and of Natural and Economic Resources in an" advisory capacity. 



The bill contains standards for designating areas of environmental con- 

 cern and for granting or denying permits for development within these areas. 

 These standards were carefully drafted after consideration of the land use 

 statutes of other states as well as the particular problems of North Carolina. 

 The bill also contains provisions for expedited court proceedings to deter- 

 mine whether the denial of a permit for development amounts in practical 

 effect to a taking of property for which the landowner must be compensated. 



While this bill, like all major legislation, is the product of compromise, 

 it represents a significant step for North Carolina in the area of land use 

 planning and regulation. The Governor has now designated 20 counties to 

 be subject to the provisions of the act. These counties and the qualified cities 

 therein have submitted their nominations for the Commission. If the Gov- 

 ernor makes his appointments wisely, and if the State and local governments 

 fulfill their responsibilities, this act can aid significantly in preserving and 

 promoting the orderly growth of North Carolina's coastal region. 



Maintaining open lines of com- 

 munication among federal, state and 

 local governments and citizens of 

 coastal North Carolina emerged as 

 a major concern at a recent confer- 

 ence on coastal land management. 



The conference, held May 16-17 at 

 the Duke University Marine Labo- 

 ratory in Beaufort, attracted more 

 than 200 participants. It provided a 

 forum for the land management 

 views of state and local govern- 

 ments, the public, planners, devel- 

 opers and the financial community. 



Dr. Lynn Muchmore, state plan- 

 ning officer, stressed the importance 

 of examining the effects of regula- 

 tions on coastal people. "The people 

 are the most important factor in 

 coastal management. Polluters have 

 been getting indirect subsidies in 

 the past by the public. We must 

 make sure the costs of management 

 to curb pollution don't fall on those 

 least able to_pay," he said. 



Joe Porter, president of Design 

 Workshop, addressed the interests 

 of consultants. He urged that "a 

 process be developed in which people 

 can continue to communicate over 

 time to answer questions that arise, 

 not just communicating when a 

 crisis occurs." 



UNC-Wilmington social work 

 instructor, Delilah Blanks, charged 

 that "the Coastal Area Management 

 Act is useless unless some changes 

 are made. Poor whites, blacks and 

 minorities must be able to share in 

 coastal living and decisions. Now 

 they are given no role in policy 

 formulation," she said. 



The conference was sponsored by 

 the UNC Sea Grant Program, the 

 Center for Marine and Coastal Stud- 

 ies, the Coastal Plains Center for 

 Marine Development Services and 

 the NCSU Division of Continuing 

 Education. 



The University of North Carolina 

 Sea Grant Program Newsletter is pub- 

 lished monthly by the University of 

 North Carolina Sea Grant Program, 

 1235 Burlington Laboratories, Yar- 

 borough Drive, North Carolina State 

 University, Raleigh, N. C. 27607. Vol. 

 1, No. 3, July, 1974. Dr. B. J. Copeland, 

 Director. Dixie Berg, Editor. Second- 

 class postage paid at Raleigh, N. C. 

 27611 



