LEX-FAOC143424

This Chapter concerns the administration of the American Samoa Coastal Management Program. It provides that the American Samoa Coastal Management Program Administrative Code is adopted pursuant to authority granted the Department of Commerce under Public Law 21-35, the American Samoa Coastal Management Act of 1990. The Act requires the establishment of a system of environmental review, along with economic and technical considerations, at the territorial level intended to ensure that environmental concerns are given appropriate consideration in the land use decision-making process. This Chapter establishes within the Department of Commerce a consolidated land use permitting process, known as the Project Notification and Review System, including development standards, procedures for the designation, planning and management of Special Management Areas, procedures for environmental assessments, and procedures for determination of federal consistency. The jurisdiction of the Project Notification and Review System shall be the coastal zone of American Samoa. The Chapter provides rules relative to land use and relative permitting and project reviews.