Managed Coastal Retreat
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MANAGED COASTAL RETREAT A LEGAL HANDBOOK ON SHIFTING DEVELOPMENT AWAY FROM VULNERABLE AREAS BY ANNE SIDERS OCTOBER 2013 This page intentionally blank © 2013 Columbia Center for Climate Change Law, Columbia Law School Cover image: Hurricane Ike Damage in Texas, from the Federal Emergency Management Agency, http://www.fema.gov/region-vi/new-modern-national-flood-insurance-program-nfip. The Columbia Center for Climate Change Law (CCCL) develops legal techniques to fight climate change, trains law students and lawyers in their use, and provides the legal profession and the public with up-to-date resources on key topics in climate law and regulation. It works closely with the scientists at Columbia University's Earth Institute and with a wide range of governmental, non- governmental and academic organizations. Managed Coastal Retreat: A Handbook of Tools, Case Studies, and Lessons Learned October 2013 Columbia Center for Climate Change Law Columbia Law School 435 West 116th Street New York, NY 10027 Tel: +1 (212) 854-2372 Web: http://www.ColumbiaClimateLaw.com Twitter: @ColumbiaClimate This report was written by Anne Siders, Associate Director of CCCL and edited by Professor Michael B. Gerrard, CCCL Director. Background research was contributed by Columbia Law School students Ifeoma Anunkor, Eugene Baek, James Crowley, and Ololade Oladopo; Columbia Law School students and Environmental Law Clinic participants Jean Choi, Robert Denicola, Andrew Kirchner, and Xiaotang Wang; Columbia University student Nicole Migliore; and Ann Tran and Smita Walavalkar. We would like to thank Peter Byrne, Jessica Grannis, Eleanor Saunders, and Courtney St. John for their comments and suggestions. The text is the responsibility of CCCL alone, and does not reflect the views of Columbia Law School or Columbia University. "As the coasts become increasingly populated, more and more people are placed in harm's way. Thus far, science has not found effective ways to reduce most hazards. Therefore, citizens must look to strengthening communities. Building safer buildings and strengthening infrastructure are important steps, but it is the manner in which societies are built that largely determines disaster resilience. A vital part of effective disaster planning—whether for mitigation, preparation, response, or recovery—is an understanding of the people and institutions that make up each community, including their strengths and their weaknesses, as a basis for developing policies, programs, and practices to protect them. In the end, it is human decisions related to such matters as land use planning and community priorities that will build stronger, safer, and better communities." — H. John Heinz III Center for Science, Economics and the Environment, 2002, Human Links to Coastal Disasters TABLE OF CONTENTS Acronyms and Abbreviations Coastal Geography and Terms Executive Summary ............................................................................................................................. i Complete Lessons Learned and Recommendations ............................................................................. ii Introduction ...................................................................................................................................... 1 Table of Managed Retreat Tools ......................................................................................................... 5 Preliminary Matters ........................................................................................................................... 9 National Flood Insurance Program ........................................................................................................... 9 Takings Background ................................................................................................................................ 13 Chapter 1. Coastal Management Planning ................................................................................. 21 Federal Coastal Planning ........................................................................................................................ 21 Coastal Zone Management Act .............................................................................................................. 22 State Coastal Management Programs .................................................................................................... 24 Texas Coastal Management Program ................................................................................................. 25 Local Planning and State Mandates ........................................................................................................ 27 North Carolina Coastal Area Management Act .................................................................................. 30 Maine Shoreland Zoning Act ............................................................................................................... 33 Chapter 2. Setbacks and Rolling Easements .............................................................................. 41 Public Trust Doctrine ............................................................................................................................... 41 Setbacks .................................................................................................................................................. 44 Florida Coastal Construction Control Line .......................................................................................... 47 Kauai, Hawaii ....................................................................................................................................... 47 California Coastal Act & Local Coastal Plans ....................................................................................... 49 Lessons Learned ....................................................................................................................................... 52 Rolling Easements ................................................................................................................................... 54 Texas Open Beaches Act ..................................................................................................................... 54 Lessons Learned ....................................................................................................................................... 57 Contents Chapter 3. Preventing Private Coastal Armoring ........................................................................ 63 Maine Sand Dune Rules ...................................................................................................................... 70 Exactions ............................................................................................................................................. 72 Massachusetts Public Waterfront Act ................................................................................................ 75 Lessons Learned ....................................................................................................................................... 77 Chapter 4. Rebuilding Restrictions............................................................................................. 85 Federal Restrictions (NFIP) ...................................................................................................................... 86 State Restrictions .................................................................................................................................... 91 Maine Sand Dune Rules ...................................................................................................................... 91 Local Restrictions .................................................................................................................................... 93 Waveland, Mississippi ......................................................................................................................... 93 Zoning Changes ....................................................................................................................................... 97 Uninhabitability ....................................................................................................................................... 97 Lessons Learned ....................................................................................................................................... 98 Chapter 5. Acquisition: Easements and Buyout Programs ........................................................ 103 Conservation Easements ....................................................................................................................... 104 Buyout Programs ................................................................................................................................... 109 Grand Forks, North Dakota ............................................................................................................... 115 Soldiers Grove, Wisconsin................................................................................................................. 118 Ames, Cherokee and Wapello, Iowa ................................................................................................. 119 Charlotte, North Carolina.................................................................................................................. 127 Eminent Domain ...................................................................................................................................