§8–1806.

    (a)    The Commission has all powers necessary for carrying out the purposes of this subtitle, including the following:

        (1)    In accordance with Title 2, Subtitle 5 (Joint Committee on Administrative, Executive and Legislative Review) and Title 10, Subtitle 1 (Administrative Procedure Act) of the State Government Article, to adopt and amend regulations as authorized under this subtitle for the administration and enforcement of the State and local programs;

        (2)    To conduct hearings in connection with policies, proposed programs, and proposed regulations or amendments to regulations; and

        (3)    To contract for consultant or other services.

    (b)    Regulations adopted or amended under subsection (a)(1) of this section shall:

        (1)    Establish comprehensive standards and procedures for:

            (i)    Buffer establishment, maintenance, measurement, mitigation, and enforcement;

            (ii)    Modified buffer areas;

            (iii)    Impacts of shoreline stabilization activities on the buffer;

            (iv)    Community piers;

            (v)    Commercial marinas;

            (vi)    Water dependent facilities;

            (vii)    Public water access;

            (viii)    The protection and conservation of the buffer as a State water quality and habitat resource essential to the restoration of the Chesapeake and Atlantic Coastal Bays;

            (ix)    Mapping the critical area, with respect to revision of the 1,000–foot boundary and voluntary additions of property to the critical area;

            (x)    Development in the critical area, with respect to:

                1.    Clearing, grading, and construction activity;

                2.    Clustering to promote conservation of natural site features;

                3.    The transfer of development rights;

                4.    Flexibility for redevelopment;

                5.    Stormwater management;

                6.    Application of the 10% pollutant reduction rule;

                7.    Forest and developed woodlands protections;

                8.    Clearing of natural vegetation;

                9.    Lot coverage standards;

                10.    Commission review of local provisions for lot consolidation; and

                11.    The exclusion of State tidal wetlands from calculations of density, forest and developed woodlands protections, limitations on clearing natural vegetation, and lot coverage standards;

            (xi)    Consistent enforcement of State and local critical area law, with respect to the establishment of minimum penalties and mitigation requirements;

            (xii)    Growth allocation applications, with respect to:

                1.    The deduction of growth allocation acreage;

                2.    Commission review and determinations;

                3.    Accommodation of variations among local jurisdictions concerning land uses in the resource conservation area that do not require growth allocation;

                4.    The location of septic systems;

                5.    Golf courses; and

                6.    The Commission’s evaluation of a local jurisdiction’s use of cluster development under § 8–1808.1 of this subtitle;

            (xiii)    In consultation with appropriate State and federal agencies, the conservation and protection of:

                1.    Habitat protection areas;

                2.    Threatened and endangered species;

                3.    Species in need of conservation;

                4.    Forest interior dwelling birds;

                5.    Anadromous fish propagation waters; and

                6.    Plant and wildlife habitat;

            (xiv)    Directives for local program development and implementation, with respect to:

                1.    Notification of project applications;

                2.    The 6–year comprehensive review of a local critical area program;

                3.    For a State or local government development activity:

                A.    Public notice, including notice to be published in a newspaper of general circulation in the area where the proposed development activity would occur; and

                B.    An opportunity for public comment in the local jurisdiction in which the proposed development activity would be located;

                4.    Reporting requirements, including accounting of fee in lieu funds;

                5.    The submission and processing of a proposed program amendment or refinement; and

                6.    Provisions applicable to areas requested for exclusion from the critical area;

            (xv)    In consultation with the Department of the Environment, surface mining in the critical area;

            (xvi)    The application for and processing of a variance, with respect to:

                1.    Amending a variance application;

                2.    Advance notice to the Commission;

                3.    The contents of a complete variance application;

                4.    Ensuring that Commission recommendations are made part of the variance record;

                5.    The use of variance standards; and

                6.    Notice of a variance decision;

            (xvii)    Assessing and adapting the critical area for climate resiliency;

            (xviii)    Enhancing the resilience of the critical area by protecting, creating, and restoring natural and nature–based features; and

            (xix)    Environmental justice and equity initiatives that:

                1.    Address disparate impacts of development; and

                2.    Ensure the benefits of development, restoration, mitigation, and conservation are shared equitably; and

        (2)    Provide flexibility wherever possible in order to accommodate variations among local programs.