Projects that use biodegradable materials to stabilize coastal shorelines may receive automatic approval under a new rule proposed by the Maine Department of Environmental Protection.
The agency reported a surge of applications to control and repair erosion caused by powerful winter storms this year. Shoreline stabilization projects currently have to go through individual review by department staff.
But under the proposed regulation, such installations could be approved through a process called permit by rule. Instead of applying to the department, landowners could instead submit a form for their project that confirms it is eligible for the process and meets the program standards. The proposed rule envisions a 20-day review process before approval.
It's a way to streamline the permitting process as the state expects more coastal damage from storms driven by climate change.
But it will also encourage using wood, native plants, natural fibers and other "nature-based" techniques to manage erosion.
Typically, shoreline stabilization projects have been built with loose stone, called riprap, or seawalls. But those permanent structures cause environmental harms by reflecting wave energy, increasing nearby erosion, harming habitat and disrupting natural sediment transfer.
"Some erosion is natural and healthy and beneficial in most cases to the ecosystem," said Bureau of Land Resources Director Rob Wood.
Natural techniques, on the other hand, eventual decompose and leave behind a stronger coast, he added.
"Biodegradable materials do degrade over time and so they are really designed to help vegetation establish and take root so they are not permanent structures along Maine’s shoreline," Wood said.
Nearly all projects that use biodegradable materials would be eligible for quick approvals through permit by rule, according to the department.
The new regulation would also set tougher standards for installing artificial stabilization. The proposal would allow stabilization structures to receive fast approval only where there was a genuine need to safeguard homes, piers, roads and other infrastructure.
"The purpose can’t simply be to stop erosion which again is natural or healthy for ecosystems, but there needs to be something there on the shoreline that is being protected by stabilization," Wood said.
The Board of Environmental Protection on Thursday approved opening the rule for public comment. The department intends to hold a public hearing on its proposal in December.
