Maryland Department of the Environment

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Tidal Shoreline Project Review Team Meeting

The Maryland Department of the Environment (MDE) and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Baltimore District (Corps) have jointly established a multi-agency project review team consisting of federal and state regulatory and resource agency staff to assist applicants and/or their agents with feedback earlier in the application process, which may improve overall permit review time frames for living shoreline and other coastal resiliency projects prior to submission of a Joint Permit Application (JPA).
  • ​The review team meetings are a forum for applicants and/or their agents to present any living shoreline or coastal resiliency projects that would benefit from a multiagency discussion early in the design process and receive feedback to help streamline the application process.  For example, to reduce the time it takes to obtain permits by incorporating impact avoidance and minimization measures into early project design and by developing complete permit applications.
    • ​​Examples of projects that may benefit for presenting at the meeting include living shorelines that impact SAV or other natural resources, living shorelines that include habitat conversion, and coastal resiliency projects. 
  • Currently, the only opportunity for applicants to present in a similar forum is at the monthly Joint Evaluation (JE) meetings.  Projects presented to the new review group will not be of the scale as projects that are typically presented at JE.​​
The goals of this review group include:
  • To inform agencies about upcoming living shoreline projects;
  • To facilitate enhanced, reliable communication between applicants and agencies; and
  • To provide applicants with the information needed, including feedback and points of contact, to submit a JPA that may enable more efficiency in permit review.​​

​​​Streamling the Process​

The Shoreline Project Review Team meeting aims to streamline the permitting process by providing applicants with detailed feedback after each meeting, including: 

  • Summary document with agency questions and comments to be addressed prior to JPA submission.​
  • ​Pre-application entry in ORM (Corps) and ETS (MDE). Pre-application tracking number and agency interest number to be included in Summary Document.
  • As needed, summary document to also include alternative design(s) for consideration and inclusion into alternatives analysis.
The Shoreline Project Review Team meeting is routinely attended by the following agencies:  The Maryland Department of the Environment (MDE), the United States Corps of Engineers (CORPS), the Maryland Board of Public Works, The Maryland Critical Area Commission, the Maryland Department of Natural Resources, the United States Environmental Protection Agency, the United States Fish and Wildlife Service, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Other agencies from local or municipal regulatory programs attend as necessary based on a project’s description. The applicant may invite other programs or agencies that they are interested in receiving feedback from based on the proposed project.

The Shoreline Project Review Team meeting is not open to the general public. Only the potential applicant, agencies, and individuals specifically invited by the potential applicant or an agency are allowed.

What the Shoreline Project Review Team does not do:

  • Shoreline Project Review Team does not provide regulatory decisions.
  • ​Comments provided during the meeting by the agencies are not decisional.
  • The Shoreline Project Review Team meeting does not provide project approval by the MDE or the CORPS based on the potential applicant’s presentation or provided plans.

Scheduling

The Shoreline Project Review Team meeting is held on the first Thursday of every month (except when holidays require a change). The current year’s schedule is provided below and is included in the downloadable Meeting Request Worksheet. An hour time slot is provided for presentations. This includes time for the presentation, questions, answers, and agency comments. Additional time for larger projects can be requested in the worksheet.​


​2024 Meetings

​Meeting Date
​Deadline for Meeting Request
​Posting of Meeting Agenda
​June 6, 2024
​May 28, 2024
​June 3, 2024
​August 1, 2024
​July 22, 2024
​July 29, 2024
​October 3, 2024
​September 23, 2024
​September 30, 2024
​December 5, 2024
​November 22, 2024
​December 2, 2024


​​To request a Shoreline Project Review Team meeting presentation time slot, please download the worksheet below and fill out and return the last page (per the directions) to the Shoreline Project Review Team Coordinator (contact information below).

Shoreline Project Review Team Coordinator Contact
Heather Hepburn, Western Region Chief
MDE, Tidal Wetlands Division
410-537-3789

Shoreline Project Review Team Presentation Request Worksheet​ (Word Doc)​











Maryland Department of the Environment
1800 Washington Blvd
Baltimore, MD 21230