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The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Office for Coastal Management will host a virtual public meeting as part of the federal performance evaluation of the North Carolina Coastal Management Program and North Carolina National Estuarine Research Reserve.

The purpose of the meeting is to receive public comment regarding the operation and implementation of the North Carolina Coastal Management Program and North Carolina National Estuarine Research Reserve.

The meeting will be held Wednesday, Oct. 7 from noon to 1 p.m. The public may participate online or by phone.

The evaluation will examine the extent to which the State of North Carolina is addressing the national coastal management objectives contained in Section 303(2) of the federal Coastal Zone Management Act (CZMA) in implementing and enforcing the federally approved coastal management program.

The reserve component of the evaluation will examine the extent to which the state is implementing the federally approved North Carolina National Estuarine Research Reserve Management Plan, and adhering to federal regulations governing the implementation of the reserve system as found at 15 CFR, Part 921. This evaluation will also consider whether the state is meeting all federal requirements for managing financial assistance awards under the CZMA.

Register here up to two hours before the meeting.

Written comments should be emailed to Ralph Cantral at Ralph.Cantral@noaa.gov no later than Oct. 16, 2020.

Participation at the public meeting is not required for submission.

The N.C. Division of Coastal Management, in the N.C. Department of Environmental Quality, administers the North Carolina Coastal Management Program and the N.C. Coastal Reserve and National Estuarine Research Reserve. Both the North Carolina Coastal Management Program and the N.C. National Estuarine Research Reserve are managed as federal-state partnerships between NOAA and the N.C. Department of Environmental Quality. The N.C. National Estuarine Research Reserve is comprised of four sites along the North Carolina coast: Currituck Banks on the Outer Banks, Rachel Carson in Beaufort, and Masonboro Island and Zeke’s Island near Wilmington.

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