Title 15

SECTION 930.61

930.61 Public participation.

§ 930.61 Public participation.

(a) Following receipt of the material described in § 930.60 the State agency shall ensure timely public notice of the proposed activity. Public notice shall be provided for the area(s) of the coastal zone likely to be affected by the proposed activity, as determined by the State agency. At the discretion of the State agency, public participation may include one or more public hearings. The State agency shall not require an applicant or a Federal agency to hold a public hearing. State agencies should restrict the period of public notice, receipt of comments, hearing proceedings and final decision-making to the minimum time necessary to reasonably inform the public, obtain sufficient comment, and develop a decision on the matter.

(b) Content of public notice. The public notice shall:

(1) Specify that the proposed activity is subject to review for consistency under the policies of the management program;

(2) Provide sufficient information to serve as a basis for comment;

(3) Specify a source for additional information; and

(4) Specify a contact for submitting comments to the management program.

(c) Procedural options that may be used by the State agency for issuance of public notice include, but are not limited to, public notice through an official State gazette, a local newspaper serving areas of the coastal zone likely to be affected by the activity, individual State mailings, public notice through a management program newsletter, and electronic notices, e.g., web sites. However, electronic notices, e.g., web sites, shall not be the sole source of a public notification, but may be used in conjunction with other means. Web sites may be used to provide a location for the public to obtain additional information. The State agency may require the applicant to provide the public notice. State agencies shall not require that the Federal agency provide public notice. The State agency may rely upon the public notice provided by the Federal agency reviewing the application for the federal license or permit (e.g., notice of availability of NEPA documents) if such notice satisfies the minimum requirements set forth in paragraphs (a) and (b) of this section.

(d) Federal and State agencies are encouraged to issue joint public notices, and hold joint public hearings, whenever possible to minimize duplication of effort and to avoid unnecessary delays.

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