Can local governments accept technical comments and information from citizens that has not gone through a formal peer-review or publication process?
Yes. Local governments have a process for receiving all kinds of comments, including anecdotal information, from their citizens regarding local shoreline master program updates. Information, experience, and anecdotal evidence provided by interested parties may offer valuable information to supplement scientific information. However, nonscientific information shouldn’t be used as a substitute for valid and available scientific information. Where information collected by or provided to local governments conflicts with other data or is inconsistent, the local government is obligated to base its shoreline master program provisions on a reasoned, objective evaluation of the relative merits of the conflicting data.
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Can local governments accept technical comments and information from citizens that has not gone through a formal peer-review or publication process?