Federal Project Consistency Consultations
The Coastal Barrier Resources Act (CBRA) established the John H. Chafee Coastal Barrier Resource System (CBRS), a defined set of geographic units along the Atlantic, Gulf of Mexico, Great Lakes, Puerto Rico, and U.S. Virgin Islands coasts. Most new Federal expenditures and financial assistance are prohibited within the CBRS, unless those activities qualify for an exception under Section 6 of CBRA. The Service, through the Secretary of the Interior, is responsible for administering CBRA, including consulting with Federal agencies that propose spending funds within the CBRS.
The Section 6 exceptions are divided into two groups. The first group only requires that the proposed funding is in fact for a project that is a listed exception. The second group requires that the exception also meet the three purposes of the CBRA. Those purposes are to minimize the loss of human life, wasteful expenditure of Federal revenues, and the damage to fish, wildlife, and other natural resources associated with coastal barriers. It is the Service's responsibility to verify that a proposed funding obligation is included in one of these exceptions. It is the responsibility of the agency that is proposing the expenditure to provide evidence that a proposed project meets an exception and to comply with the provisions of CBRA.
The following document lists the regulations relating to the Coastal Barrier Resources System in the Code of Federal Regulations for other agencies:
|
