Federal Consistency Policy Decisions and Guidance

This page provides policy and guidance documents and statements issued by Office of Ocean and Coastal Resource Management (OCRM) related to federal consistency. Some of the documents are memoranda or letters and links to statements issued by OCRM in response to questions and issues brought to the Office’s attention.

Program Change Guidance: Coastal Zone Management Act and Changes to State and Territory Coastal Management Programs (July 1996)

Program Change Guidance and Appendix 2
Appendix 1
Appendix 3

State Beneficial Use Policies for Dredging Projects that Would Require the Project Proponent to Obtain Alternative Sources of Material (December 18, 2003)

ROUTINE PROGRAM CHANGE EXAMPLE. Maryland Chesapeake Bay and Atlantic Coastal Bays Critical Areas ( October 2003)

This document is a good example of a state's routine program change (RPC) submission in both substance and organization. OCRM encourages states to follow the Maryland example, in conjunction with OCRM's program change regulations and Program Change Guidance (July 1996), when submitting program changes to OCRM. States' routine program change analyses are often not sufficient due to conclusory statements regarding the scope of the program change and whether the change is substantial or routine. The Maryland routine program change is particularly helpful at explaining how the state's coastal management program will be modified and why the changes are not substantial. Maryland's program change was developed through a contract between the state and the Environmental Law Institute. (Posted February 2005.)

Coastal and Estuarine Land Conservation Program (CELCP) Grants and Federal Consistency

For additional information, contact David Kaiser or Kerry Kehoe.

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