RALEIGH Rick Catlin, a former member of the North Carolina House of Representatives and president of CATLIN Engineers and Scientists, has been appointed by Gov. Pat McCrory to The Coastal Resources Commission.
“It’s an honor to still try to make things better in North Carolina,” said Catlin in response to the appointment. Catlin resigned from the N.C. General Assembly on Aug. 15.The Coastal Resource Commission was created in conjunction with the 1974 passing of the Coastal Area Management Act by the N.C. General Assembly. The commission establishes policies for the N.C. Coastal Management program and implements rules for both CAMA and the N.C. Dredge and Fill Act; regulating everything from the permitting of local seafood dealers, to if and how a coastal property owner can dredge boat slips or construct docking.
While representing District 20 in the legislature, Catlin served as co-chair of the House Environmental Committee and is professionally certified as both a geologist and engineer. Beyond that, Catlin has significant experience in coastal regulation.”Prior to being an elected official, I was chairman of the Wilmington/New Hanover County Ports, Waterways and Beach Commission for almost 20 years; I was chairman of the N.C. Water Resources Congress; and I was also chairman of the N.C. Beach, Inlet, and Waterway Association,” explained Catlin. “So I’ve got a lot of history on coastal issues.”
The transportation infrastructure that makes the North Carolina coast so attractive for commerce and leisure are some areas Catlin would like the commission to focus on.
“The maintenance that we have on our inter-coastal waterway and our inlets is in worse shape than it’s been in a long time, and that’s something we need to work on,” said Catlin. “[I] also want to make sure that our ports have the adequate resources to be able to grow business for the State of North Carolina.”
