NAGS HEAD, N.C. — A state panel once again rejected rules put in place by North Carolina’s Coastal Resources Commission regarding Jockey’s Ridge State Park in Nags Head on Monday.
The park has been considered an Area of Environmental Concern, and with that came some protections to preserve its unique features.
But the North Carolina Rules Review Commission found the rules are “unclear or ambiguous” and “unnecessary.” The commission is charged with making sure rules issued by state agencies comply with state law.
The commission originally voted to strip the rules this past October. The Coastal Resources Commission then put in place temporary rules, contending they were needed to protect Jockey’s Ridge until a permanent solution could be found.
Those rules were struck down on Monday during a special RRC meeting in Raleigh.
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Commission staff pointed out their objection did not mean “that the CRC lacks authority to designate Jockey’s Ridge an as Area of Environmental Concern or to set use standards for Jockeys Ridge.”
The commission made the determination despite receiving hundreds of comments from the public, many of whom were concerned what about the debate might mean for the state park and its future.
Park Superintendent Joy Greenwood also testified before the commission.
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“You can imagine the issues we face, trying to keep the dune field inside the park boundary,” she said. “The importance of keeping as much sand as possible to preserve the dune field is extremely important and provides our over one million visitors annually a unique experience.”
The rules commission’s staff suggested a potential compromise: the CRC could draft a standalone rule to protect Jockey's Ridge that doesn’t have the objectionable language. Greenwood is among those hoping a solution can be found.
Meanwhile, the two-state commissions remain at odds in court, so the question of that special status for Jockey’s Ridge may take even longer to sort out.
