National Policy and Evaluation Division
The National Policy and Evaluation Division (NPED), part of the Office of Ocean and Coastal Resource Management, is responsible for a number of activities, including:
- Evaluating state coastal management programs and National Estuarine Research Reserves;
- Developing and implementing performance measures;
- Implementing brownfields initiatives;
- Coordinating the National Ocean Service’s Coastal Storms Program, in partnership with the NOAA Coastal Services Center; and
- Developing policies affecting Coastal Zone Management Programs.
Evaluations
The National Policy and Evaluation Division leads regular evaluations of the state coastal management programs and national estuarine research reserves. The evaluations are conducted in collaboration with a liaison from the Office of Ocean and Coastal Resource Management's Coastal Program Division or the Estuarine Reserves Division, as well as a state participant. Evaluations are conducted every three years. For further information about the evaluation process, please visit Measuring Success.
Performance Indicators
The Division, in partnership with state coastal management programs, has led the development of the Coastal Zone Management Act Performance Measurement System. The measurement system is designed to track the national benefit of the Coastal Zone Management Act (CZMA), assist state coastal programs in improving the effectiveness of their own management goals, and help state coastal programs to prioritize efforts in coastal management. The CZMA Performance Management System tracks performance in a range of categories.
The Division also participates in other performance indicator projects including the Gulf of Maine Ecosystem Indicators Partnership and the Indicators Subcommittee of the Coastal Coordination Committee. Guided by the Gulf of Maine Summit in 2004, the Gulf of Maine Ecosystem Indicators Partnership is working on regional indicators of ecosystem health in the following categories: coastal development; fisheries; marine aquatic habitats; climate change; contaminants; and eutrophication. The Ecosystem Indicators Partnership is further developing a strategy for sustainable indicator reporting.
Coastal Coordination Committee (CCC)
The National Policy and Evaluation Division also facilitates an indicators subcommittee for the Coastal Coordination Committee performance indicators working group. The subcommittee's goals include sharing information and data related to tracking coastal indicators, improving communication among members of the coastal management community, and delivering reports on the state of the nation's coasts.
The Coastal Coordination Committee brings together several agencies and organizations, including NOAA's National Ocean Service, the Coastal States Organization, the Environmental Protection Agency's Office of Wetlands, Oceans and Watersheds, the Sea Grant Association, the National Estuarine Research Reserve Association, and National Estuaries Program. The committee provides a forum for program managers to pursue opportunities for integration and coordination between programs and efforts
Coastal and Estuarine Land Conservation Program (CELCP)
In partnership with the Coastal Program Division, the National Policy and Evaluation Division works to administer the Coastal and Estuarine Land Conservation Program (CELCP). CELCP is a land conservation program that provides funds for acquiring coastal land that has significant ecological, recreational, historical, and aesthetic values.
Coastal Storms Program (CSP)
The National Policy and Evaluation Division participates in the Coastal Storms Program, a NOAA-wide program that works to reduce the adverse impacts of storms on life, property, the economy, and environmental health in coastal areas. While the NOAA Coastal Services Center administers the Coastal Storms Program, the Division assists with program administration and provides connections to the state coastal zone management programs in regions where the Coastal Storms Program is currently working (Northeast Florida, the Pacific Northwest, and Southern California).
Coastal Awards
The Walter B. Jones Memorial and NOAA Excellence Awards ceremony were established by Section 313 of the Coastal Zone Management Act to "promote excellence in coastal zone management by identifying and acknowledging outstanding accomplishments in the field." The Division coordinates the ceremony that takes place once every two years in Washington DC.
National Coastal Program Managers' Meeting
Each year, the National Policy and Evaluation Division leads planning efforts for the annual National Coastal Program Manager's Meeting. The meeting brings together NOAA staff and state coastal programs, NERRS and marine sanctuary managers to share ideas and discuss problems and issues facing the coastal management community. The meeting takes place every spring in Washington D.C.
Portfields
Portfields is a NOAA-led interagency effort focused on the clean-up and reuse of brownfields in port and harbor areas. Currently, the program is working on three pilot projects in New Bedford, MA, Bellingham, WA, and Tampa, FL. The National Policy and Evaluations Division, along with NOAA's Office of Response and Restoration, coordinates the Portfields program. The Division also serves as the NOAA liaison to the Tampa pilot project.