CZM Section 309 Assessment & Strategy Report: 2021-2025 DRAFT Division of Coastal Resources Management Bureau of Environmental & Coastal Quality Office of the Governor Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands June 2020 This document was prepared for the Division of Coastal Resources Management (DCRM), a division within the CNMI Bureau of Environmental and Coastal Quality (BECQ), with financial assistance provided by the Coastal Zone Management Act of 1972, as amended, administered by the Office for Coastal Management (OCM), National Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). The statements, findings, and conclusions are those of the authors and not necessarily reflect the views of NOAA. Suggested citation: Bureau of Environmental and Coastal Quality - Division of Coastal Resources Management (BECQ-DCRM). 2020. 2020-2025 Section 309 Assessment and Strategy Report. For more information about this report please contact the DCRM Planning Team at: [email protected]. Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands Section 309 Assessment & Strategy: 2021 to 2025 Table of Contents 1. Introduction ......................................................................................................................................................... 1 2. Summary of Recent Section 309 Achievements ................................................................................................ 2 2011-2015 Section 309 Achievements ...................................................................................................................... 2 2016-2020 Section 309 Achievements ...................................................................................................................... 3 3. Assessment ........................................................................................................................................................... 6 Phase I (High-Level) Assessment ............................................................................................................................. 6 Wetlands ............................................................................................................................................................... 6 Coastal Hazards ................................................................................................................................................. 11 Public Access ...................................................................................................................................................... 17 Marine Debris ..................................................................................................................................................... 23 Cumulative and Secondary Impacts .................................................................................................................... 27 Special Area Management Planning ................................................................................................................... 33 Ocean and Great Lakes Resources ..................................................................................................................... 37 Energy and Government Facility Siting .............................................................................................................. 44 Aquaculture ......................................................................................................................................................... 47 Phase II (In-Depth) Assessment .............................................................................................................................. 50 Wetlands ............................................................................................................................................................. 50 Coastal Hazards ................................................................................................................................................. 58 4. Strategy .............................................................................................................................................................. 68 Strategy 1: Wetlands APC Boundary Update ......................................................................................................... 68 Strategy 2: Coastal Hazards APC Boundary Update ............................................................................................... 74 5-Year Budget Summary by Strategy...................................................................................................................... 78 5. Summary of Stakeholder Engagement and Public Comment ....................................................................... 79 Stakeholder Engagement ......................................................................................................................................... 79 Public Participation ................................................................................................................................................. 87 6. References .......................................................................................................................................................... 88 i Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands Section 309 Assessment & Strategy: 2021 to 2025 List of Acronyms A&S Assessment & Strategy APC Area of Particular Concern BECQ CNMI Bureau of Environmental and Coastal Quality BMPs Best Management Practices CAP Conservation Action Plan CELCP Coastal and Estuarine Land Conservation Plan CMP Coastal Management Program CNMI Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands CRI CNMI Coral Reef Initiative CRM Coastal Resources Management CUC Commonwealth Utilities Corporation CZM Coastal Zone Management CZMA Coastal Zone Management Act DCRM CNMI Division of Coastal Resources Management DEQ CNMI Division of Environmental Quality DFW CNMI Division of Fish and Wildlife DLNR CNMI Department of Lands and Natural Resources DLNR MCP DLNR Marine Conservation Plan DPL CNMI Department of Public Lands DPW CNMI Department of Public Works ENSO El Niño‐Southern Oscillation EVS Economic Valuation Study FEMA Federal Emergency Management Agency FIRM Flood Insurance Rate Map FIS Flood Insurance Study GIS Geographic Information System GMSL Global Mean Sea Level HIES Household Income and Expenditures Survey HPO Historic Preservation Office HANMI Hotel Association of the Northern Mariana Islands HSEM CNMI Office of Homeland Security and Emergency Management JAMS Johnston Applied Marine Sciences LID Low impact development MINA Micronesia Islands Nature Alliance MVA Marianas Visitors Authority MOS Mayor’s Office of Saipan MPA Marine Protected Area MSO Marine Sports Operator OCM NOAA Office for Coastal Management NPA-AMP National Park Service - American Memorial Park NWI National Wetlands Inventory NMC Northern Marianas College ii Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands Section 309 Assessment & Strategy: 2021 to 2025 A&NR NMC Aquaculture & Natural Resources Program CREES NMC Cooperative Research Extension and Education Service NMIAC Northern Mariana Islands Administrative Code NOAA National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration NMHC Northern Marianas Housing Corporation OCM NOAA Office of Coastal Management OPD Office of Planning & Development PCRP Pacific Coastal Research & Planning PDO Pacific Decadal Oscillation RAM Rapid Assessment Methodology RAEC Rota Aquaponics Education Center ATOLL Aquaculture Training and On-line Learning SAMP Special Area Management Plan SCORP Statewide Comprehensive Outdoor Recreation Plan SLC Sea Level Change SLR Sea Level Rise SLUEP Saipan Lagoon Use Education Plan SLUMP Saipan Lagoon Use Management Plan SSG Smart, Safe Growth SSMP Standard State Mitigation Plan SVAP Stream Visual Assessment Protocol TMDL Total Maximum Daily Load USFWS US Fish and Wildlife Service USACE US Army Corps of Engineers USDA-NIFA US Department of Agriculture – National Institute of Food and Agriculture UXO Unexploded Ordnance VA Vulnerability Assessment iii Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands Section 309 Assessment & Strategy: 2021 to 2025 1. Introduction The Coastal Zone Enhancement Program encourages state and territorial coastal management programs (CMPs) to strengthen and improve their federally approved coastal management programs in one or more of nine areas. These “enhancement areas” include wetlands, coastal hazards, public access, marine debris, cumulative and secondary impacts, special area management plans, ocean and Great Lakes resources, energy and government facility siting, and aquaculture. The enhancement program was established under Section 309 of the Coastal Zone Management Act (CZMA), as amended. Every five years, states and territories are encouraged to conduct self-assessments of their coastal management programs to determine problems and enhancement opportunities within each of the nine enhancement areas—and to assess the effectiveness of existing management efforts to address identified problems. Each coastal management program identifies high-priority management issues, as well as important needs and information gaps the program must fill to address these issues. Following this self-assessment, the Office for Coastal Management (OCM), under the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), works closely with each CMP to further identify the high- priority needs for improvement within one or more of the nine areas. The coastal management program then develops strategies, consulting with OCM, to improve