From:                                         Patrick Courreges

Sent:                                           Tuesday, March 02, 2010 3:58 PM

To:                                               Patrick Courreges

Subject:                                     Coastit Notes from the Department of Natural Resources

 

 

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Coastit Notes

March 2, 2010

 

 

 

Greetings from Department of Natural Resources Assistant Secretary Lou Buatt. Coastit Notes is a publication of the Office of Coastal Management to inform permit applicants, the public and others of events and items that may impact them or their interaction with our office.  This e-document is intended to improve customer service and awareness of OCM works and functions and includes announcements from all OCM divisions as issues arise.  If you wish to be removed from this list or have been forwarded this email and wish to be added to the list, please contact Christine Charrier at christine.charrier@la.gov.

 

Permit Section Updates

 

Staff Updates

 

Shimetia Gardner will be out of the office until April 2010.  All of her applications have been assigned to other analysts for processing.  Please contact the new analyst of record for any questions.  If you do not know the new analyst of record, please contact Christine Charrier at christine.charrier@la.gov for assistance.

 

Jaime Thibodeaux is no longer with the OCM/East Enforcement Section.  All of her applications have been transferred to analysts for processing.  Please contact the new analyst of record for any questions.  If you do not know the new analyst of record, please contact Greg DuCote at gregory.ducote@la.gov.

 

Application Form Updates

 

OCM recently updated the electronic Joint Permit Application and soon will be providing a matching updated pdf form.  The updates include:

 

Step 5a – project description added to the pdf version of the JPA

Step 6a – waterbody field added

Step 7 – unlimited adjacent landowners may be entered

Step 8c – source of funding field added

Step 8d – project categories revised and additional fields added

Step 10a – revised to include one amount each for cu. yds. and acreage of impact (no habitat type required)

Step 10b – revised to include one amount each for cu. yds. and acreage of impact (no habitat type required)

Step 10c – revised to include more options of fill material type

Step 11a – total wetland/waterbottom impact acreage field added

Step 11d – mitigation proposal field added

Step 12 – revised to include additional required fields and to allow entry of unlimited landowners/lease holders.

Step 13 – added links to sample plats and the application checklist

 

All applications now appear in the modified format.  If you submitted an application prior to the form updates, you may experience some formatting and/or data transfer issues when re-accessing the application form, especially in step 10.  Please contact Christine Charrier at christine.charrier@la.gov if you have any questions or experience problems.

 

Just a reminder that when modified applications are submitted to our office, a copy should be provided to the affected landowners listed in step 12 of the application form.

 

Program Changes

 

OCM has implemented new rules for permit extensions and beneficial use of dredged material plans.  Please visit the following link to view the new regulations:  http://dnr.louisiana.gov/crm/coastmgt/rules/2009-10.pdf.  In short, the expiration of an OCM permit now can be extended for up to an additional 3 years.  We also have established an in-lieu fund for beneficial use of dredged material.  The applicant now has a choice to either develop and implement a beneficial use plan (3 possible plan options) or pay into an in-lieu fund which will be used by the State to fund marsh creation projects throughout the coastal zone.

 

Please be aware that, pursuant to the new rules, a beneficial use plan must be provided upon submission of an application which includes 25,000 cu. yds. or more of excavation done for the movement or mooring of vessels.  Applications without a required beneficial use plan will be considered incomplete.  Please contact Christine Charrier at christine.charrier@la.gov if you have any questions.

 

Training Opportunities

 

OCM is in the process of developing training and information workshops related to the Coastal Use Permit process.  These workshops will focus on particular areas of the permit process and will provide insight into effectively completing the process and reducing application processing time.  Some areas of consideration are:  the general OCM permit process, completing the application, maps and drawings, online application tutorials, mitigation, etc.  Arrangements can be made for specialized in-house workshops.  Please contact Christine Charrier at christine.charrier@la.gov for topic suggestions or to arrange a workshop.

 

Our first workshop is tentatively scheduled for late April and will include presentations related to basic OCM, DEQ and COE permitting, as well as presentations from our partner commenting agencies.  We will keep you informed as plans firm up.

 

Pre-Application Meetings

 

Given the complex nature of a wide variety of different coastal uses, we encourage all coastal users to contact our office early in the planning stages of a project in order to gain insight into the issues and possible roadblocks that may be encountered during application processing.  Our staff is available to meet in our office, your office or on-site to discuss a proposed project.  If you would like to schedule a pre-application meeting, please contact Christine Charrier at christine.charrier@la.gov.