NEWS-TIMES

BY BEN HOGWOOD

MOREHEAD CITY — The chairman of a state rule-making board sent a letter to the county this month hoping to ease concerns it has with a sea-level rise draft policy.

Bob Emory, the chairman of the N.C. Coastal Resources Commission, wrote to Doug Harris, chairman of the County Board of Commissioners, to assure him the county’s concerns would be taking into consideration, and that the draft policy could still be reworked.

The board has told the N.C. Division of Coastal Management, which is drafting the proposal that will be considered by the CRC, that if the policy goes into effect, it will have a devastating effect on coastal areas. The draft policy states the sea level will go up by a meter by 2110, a figure the county believes is inflated.

While policies to not enact any rules, they are used as a basis for future regulations.

The county, which first heard about the proposal during a meeting in December, has also sent letters to other coastal counties seeking allies to prevent the policy from being implemented.

“The general purpose of policy development is to establish management objectives to provide guidance for CRC decisions,” Mr. Emory wrote in the letter dated Feb. 7. He added that this is not something the CRC has done often recently and there can be some confusion over the implications.

“The draft policy presented at your meeting is the result of recognition that sea-level rise, like erosion and storms, is a natural hazard indigenous to the shoreline.

The commission’s objective for managing coastal hazards is to minimize unreasonable danger to life and property and to achieve a balance between the financial, safety and social factors that are involved with development in the coastal areas.”

The county has said the data on which the 1-meter estimate is based is flawed, and that if the policy goes through, it would impact where and how public and private development takes place on the coast.

Mr. Emory stated the CRC would take the county’s concerns into account. “The input of stakeholders, particularly local governments is an important consideration for the commission,” he wrote.

He continued, “The commission is committed to incorporating the concerns of local government into the development of a sea-level rise policy that reflects the seriousness of the issue as well as any economic effects that may be associate with its adoption.”

The letter did little to ease the worry. A letter signed by Chairman Harris and dated Feb. 17 states: “The scale of economics involved with this proposal is so ubiquitous, that it becomes difficult for local governments to essentially tell our constituency, ‘Not to worry. It’s only a draft, and trust us, the CRC is in no rush to adopt anything without additional input. Also the end outcome will likely be different.’ ”

It closes, “I hope this letter is not perceived as defensive or antagonistic, but rather characterizes the perspective many of the local governments have concerning the draft sea-level rise policy and its practical implementation. We look forward to working with the CRC and NCDCM staff concerning this important issue.”

http://www.tidelandnews.com/articles/2011/02/20/news-times/news/doc4d6056ce836bb339636467.txt