CRMC gets good grade from NOAA in 312 review

April 10, 2025, WAKEFIELD – The Rhode Island Coastal Resources Management Council (CRMC) has received a positive review of its coastal program and agency from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s (NOAA) 312 review.

Section 312 of the Coastal Zone Management Act (CZMA) requires NOAA to conduct evaluations of states and territories with federally approved coastal management programs. The most recent evaluation examined the operation and management of the CRMC’s program, for the period from September 2019 to October 2024. The evaluation focused on three target areas: program administration; public access; and offshore wind and coastal resilience.

NOAA will consider the findings in this evaluation when making future financial award decisions concerning the Rhode Island Coastal Resources Management Program. The evaluation applauded CRMC in sharing the vast institutional knowledge of more seasoned, retiring staff with newer staff by way of training and shadowing, hiring new staff, and cross-training staff “to integrate critical program expertise across functional areas in a strategic way that positions the Program to address ongoing and emerging coastal management issues.”

NOAA also commended CRMC for increasing administrative penalties for violations of the RI Coastal Program, in coordination with other state agencies. These were enacted by the General Assembly in 2021 and increased the administrative and enforcement fines for the CRMC so that they are more consistent with fines imposed by other state agencies. The aim is that the higher fines can more effectively deter violations and “better support coastal resource protection, public health, and public safety.”

The CRMC has also advanced public access goals in the state through informational campaigns, a needs assessment, equity evaluations, data collection and other actions that will enhance access for all Rhode Islanders. Ongoing engagement with community leaders to identify barriers to shoreline public access to create solutions were also applauded by NOAA in the evaluation.

The evaluation highlighted that CRMC had designated 13 rights-of-way during the evaluation period, and has partnered with the Rhode Island Attorney General’s office to remove obstructions at two CRMC-designated ROWs. CRMC is also working with community and other groups to monitor CRMC ROWs so that obstructions or violations can be resolved.

Another accomplishment highlighted in the evaluation is CRMC’s leadership on a national scale in ocean planning, stakeholder engagement, federal consistency, and “careful review and negotiation” with the U.S. Department of the Interior’s Bureau of Ocean Energy Management and developers on the planning, siting, and review of offshore wind energy projects.

“The state’s offshore wind energy policies set clear expectations and criteria for developers and facilitates a transparent and clear federal consistency process,” the evaluation states. “Notwithstanding the dissatisfaction of the Fishermen’s Advisory Board, the [CRMC] engages with the commercial and recreational fishing sectors on the offshore wind energy development review process, and encourages staff to continue to work towards restoring their participation with clear expectations on areas of influence.”

Finally, the evaluation labeled the CRMC as a “key partner in advancing coastal resilience projects throughout the state’s coastal zone.” It highlighted the development and promotion of hazard planning tools like its Coastal Hazard Analysis (CHA) worksheet for applicants and online viewer - http://www.crmc.ri.gov/coastalhazardapp.html - and STORMTOOLS maps - https://stormtools-mainpage-crc-uri.hub.arcgis.com/. It also applauded the CRMC for its ongoing partnership in habitat restoration projects all over the state as part of the R.I. Coastal and Estuarine Habitat Restoration Trust Fund (CEHRTF - http://www.crmc.ri.gov/habitatrestoration.html ).

The evaluation and report also includes a number of necessary actions, which NOAA expects the CRMC to have accomplished or satisfied by the time of the next evaluation. These include getting Council membership up to the desired 10 members as soon as possible after the 2025 legislative session begins, and educating those new and existing Council members on different relevant topics to ensure they are well informed on matters before them. The CRMC must develop a new permit database and web interface for processing permit applications and online payments and enforcement tracking. NOAA also calls for improvements in grants management.

Recommendations include CRMC’s consideration of current and future staffing needs and consideration of different and creative models of fulfilling those needs, given the difficulties of creating new permanent staff positions. Particular attention should be devoted to the areas of offshore wind and aquaculture. CRMC should ensure staff have the in-person level of support from legal counsel needed for controversial applications and matters. CRMC should be more proactive in identifying diverse members of the public to serve on the Council. There should be investments in information technology to improve the functioning of the agency, its interaction with the public, and collaboration with other state agencies. NOAA recommended that CRMC, where possible, expedite and continue reviewing potential additional ROWs under its program and review and designate those ready. CRMC should continue to explore opportunities to expand STORMTOOLS inland and work with other state entities to accomplish this. NOAA also recommended the CRMC develop a long-range plan to build on the success of existing habitat restoration and conservation efforts as existing funding sources expire.

“This evaluation concludes that the State of Rhode Island is successfully implementing and enforcing its federally approved coastal management program, adhering to the terms of the federal financial assistance awards, and addressing coastal management needs identified in section 303(2)(A) through (K) of the Coastal Zone Management Act,” the report states.

To read the full evaluation, go to https://www.crmc.ri.gov/aboutcrmc/2025_NOAA312_Findings.pdf. To read the transmittal letter from NOAA go to https://www.crmc.ri.gov/aboutcrmc/2025_NOAA312_Letter.pdf.