1. Whenever the Department of Environmental Protection enters into discussions in order to reach a settlement agreement with an owner of property containing dunes or other environmentally sensitive areas located in a coastal municipality, the department shall provide notice, in writing, to the governing body of the coastal municipality in which the property is located. The notice required pursuant to this section shall state the location of the property, including the address and the lot and block number of the property, and a description of the nature of the settlement discussions, and shall offer the governing body of the coastal municipality the opportunity to participate in the settlement discussions.
As used in this section, "coastal municipality" means any municipality located within the coastal area as defined in section 4 of P.L.1973, c.185 (C.13:19-4).