NOAA releases its new and improved Coastal County Snapshots
Upcoming Events
Related News
Key Takeaways
On January 18, 2022, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) released its new and improved Coastal County Snapshots. This Digital Coast tool provides easy-to-understand charts and graphs that describe complex, county-specific coastal data. Please see NOAA’s explanation of the tool here.
Communities can use this information to determine community vulnerability and to plan accordingly. Topics currently include coastal flooding, the coastal economy and the marine economy. It is expected that a snapshot focused on the sea-level rise will be a new feature in the next couple of months. NOAA has added that additional snapshot topics can be incorporated in the future.
Snapshots are currently available for most coastal counties in the contiguous United States and Hawaii. The data come from many sources, including the Federal Emergency Management Agency, U.S. Census Bureau, U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics and NOAA’s Office for Coastal Management.
NOAA worked with NACo to develop the Coastal County Snapshots tool in recent years. Additionally, NACo is a NOAA Digital Coast Partnership partner, which provides an effective platform for groups to work together to address coastal issues.
NACo will monitor the Coastal County Snapshots tool closely and update members as additional information becomes available.
Advocacy
NOAA seeks input on the administration’s goal to conserve 30 percent of lands and waters by 2030
On October 29, NOAA announced it is accepting public comments on how the agency can help achieve the goals and recommendations in a report titled Conserving and Restoring America the Beautiful 2021.
Related News
House Natural Resources Committee advances Standardizing Permitting and Expediting Economic Development (SPEED) Act
On November 20, the U.S. House Committee on Natural Resources advanced the Standardizing Permitting and Expediting Economic Development (SPEED) Act (H.R. 4776), which would make important changes to streamline federal permitting and strengthen county involvement in decision-making by amending the National Environmental Policy Act. Counties support commonsense permitting reforms, and NACo secured provisions in the SPEED Act that would guarantee counties a seat at the table during federal environmental reviews.
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency releases new definition of the “waters of the United States”
On November 17, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and U.S. Army Corps of Engineers released a proposed rule defining what constitute the “waters of the United States” and are subject to federal regulation under the Clean Water Act. The new definition is narrower than previous rules and codifies the decision of U.S. Supreme Court in the 2023 case Sackett v. EPA.
County Countdown – Nov. 17, 2025
Every other week, NACo's County Countdown reviews top federal policy advocacy items with an eye towards counties and the intergovernmental partnership.