Public resources: coastal resources: Coastal Resilience Permitting Working Group

The law directs agencies to identify ways to make permits for sea-level-rise and coastal-hazard projects more timely while maintaining environmental protections. It also allows limited retroactive extensions for certain 100-percent affordable-housing coastal land-use-plan amendments.

What the law does ​

• Requires the Secretary of the Natural Resources Agency, with the Secretary for Environmental Protection, to convene a Coastal Resilience Permitting Working Group.
• Requires a Coastal Resilience Permitting Roadmap for projects along the coast and San Francisco Bay, including projects in or adjacent to state and federal waters.
• Requires the roadmap by July 1, 2028, to recommend administrative and legislative reforms, coordinated applications and reviews, mitigation alignment, staffing options, and possible pilot or consolidated-permit programs.
• Requires a Coastal Resilience Permit Advisory Group by April 1, 2027, and public workshops to gather feedback on permitting barriers and proposed reforms.
• Requires feasible adaptation infrastructure alternatives to use or restore natural features and ecosystem processes.
• Allows the California Coastal Commission, for good cause, to retroactively extend up to five years a local deadline for acting on specified 100-percent affordable-housing land-use-plan amendments that otherwise expired from 2025 through 2026.

Who it affects ​

• State, federal, and local agencies that permit or develop coastal resilience projects.
• Coastal communities, ports, transportation and utility agencies, tribes, businesses, environmental groups, and other participants in the advisory process.
• Applicants for coastal resilience permits and eligible 100-percent affordable-housing developments in the coastal zone.

Context ​

A coastal resilience project is one that helps coastal ecosystems, infrastructure, or communities withstand and adapt to sea-level rise and other natural hazards.

Breakdown ​

Affordable Housing Plan Amendment Deadlines ​

The bill lets the California Coastal Commission retroactively extend certain deadlines for local governments to act on the commission’s suggested changes to land use plan amendments for affordable housing projects. The extension must be for good cause and may last up to five years.

Key takeaways

• The commission may extend a local government's deadline even after that deadline has passed.
• The extension applies to deadlines for acting on suggested commission changes to a land use plan amendment.
• The land use plan amendment must concern approval of a specified affordable housing development.
• The commission must find good cause for the extension.
• An extension may not last longer than five years.

Coastal Resilience Permitting Groups ​

The bill requires the Natural Resources Agency to organize a working group to create a roadmap for permitting coastal resilience projects in specified areas. It also requires an advisory group to help the working group develop that roadmap. The roadmap must be sent to the Governor and relevant legislative committees by July 1, 2028.

Key takeaways

• The Secretary of the Natural Resources Agency must convene the Coastal Resilience Permitting Working Group in consultation with the Secretary for Environmental Protection.
• The working group must develop a Coastal Resilience Permitting Roadmap for coastal resilience projects proposed in specified areas.
• The working group must include representatives of federal, state, and local agencies, including the California Coastal Commission, the California Environmental Protection Agency, and the Department of Fish and Wildlife.
• The Natural Resources Agency Secretary must submit the roadmap to the Governor and relevant fiscal and policy committees of the Legislature by July 1, 2028.
• By April 1, 2027, the Natural Resources Agency Secretary must convene a Coastal Resilience Permit Advisory Group with specified state agencies and regional water board representatives to support the working group.