States, Territories, and Commonwealths and the U.S. Commission on Ocean Policy

1
States, Territories, and Commonwealths and the
U.S. Commission on Ocean Policy

• Tom Skinner, Director
• Massachusetts Office of Coastal Zone Management
• September 5, 2003

2
Ocean Management Issues in States, Territories,
and Commonwealths

• CSO recommendations focus on changes at the
  federal level, with states, territories, and
  commonwealths partners in stewardship,
  management, and research
• Jurisdictions have many common management issues,
  but focus on local or regional priorities
• States, territories, and commonwealths have moved
  in to fill federal policy voids
• Within a new national framework, states and
  regions have the opportunity to lead by example

3
States, territories, and commonwealths have moved
forward on a number of coastal and ocean
management issues

• including mountains-to-offshore waters
  comprehensive planning, cruise ship waste
  management, ocean zoning, offshore energy
  production, sediment management, ecosystem
  research, and habitat protection

4
A States Initiative for Regional Cooperation and
Management the Gulf of Maine Council on the
Marine Environment

• Voluntary association of MA,
• NH, ME, NS, and NB, and
• Canadian and U.S. federal
• agencies
• Focus on ecosystem health,
• but the Council also works
• on emerging issues, such as
• ocean zoning
• The Council has provided
• the institutional framework
• for GoMOOS, RARGOM,
• NOAA community-based
• restoration grants

5
Challenges of Increased Demand on Ocean Resources

• Absence of comprehensive ocean management
• A first come, first served reactive approach to
  use allocation
• Difficult to plan for or implement detailed
  ecosystem management
• Zoning of private land accepted but no equivalent
  to manage access to and use of ocean resources
• Proliferation of more exclusive use projects and
  activities

6
Increase in Ocean Uses in Massachusetts Waters

• Characterized by shallow offshore waters
• Relatively small, densely populated state with
  numerous research institutions
• Proximity to Nova Scotia, Europe across the Gulf
  of Maine
• Optimal offshore wind patterns
• Heavy recreational use
• An incubator for many new marine-related
  technologies and the perfect breeding ground for
  user conflicts

7
Ocean Management is Quickly Becoming a Hot Public
Policy Issue
8
Offshore Windfarms as a Catalyst

• Cape Wind 130 wind turbine generators 420 mw
• Winergy 7 proposed projects, 3 in state waters,
  4 in federal waters
• Almost 1,000 wind turbine generators have been
  proposed off the Massachusetts coast
• Jurisdictional doughnut hole creates management
  issues with a discrete ecosystem

9
A Diversity of Ocean Uses

• Pipelines, navigation
• channels, underwater
• cables, other
• permitted uses in
• Boston Harbor
• Example of ocean
• clutter (Boston Globe)

10
Goals of the Massachusetts Ocean Management
Initiative

• Maximize public use, utility, and enjoyment of
  ocean resources with minimal impacts on
  ecosystems (habitat protection, biodiversity,
  water quality)
• Obtain buy-in from federal ocean managers to
  provide seamless management of adjacent federal
  waters
• Formalize management of coastal waters up to 200
  miles offshore through a federal-state partnership

11
A Few Possible Outcomes

• Comprehensively zoned coastal waters (geographic?
  Performance-based activities?)
• Public Request for Proposals for limited areas to
  identify and evaluate potential uses and
  activities, and their comparative public benefit
• Percentage allotment for each Massachusetts
  coastal region for specific uses (e.g.,
  industrial use, aquaculture, marine protected
  areas)

12
Massachusetts Ocean Management Initiative
Lessons Learned

• The public must perceive a problem and support
  changes in ocean management
• Potential issues aversion to change,
  positioning your position, sidetracking
• Balancing an inclusive effort process, process,
  process
• Stay tuned to CZ-Mail or check out our Web page
  at www.state.ma.us/czm

13
State, Territory, and Commonwealth Initiatives
and the U.S. Commission Concluding Thoughts

• State/regional initiatives highlight national
  policy voids and underscore CSO recommendations
• These initiatives also provide excellent models
  for implementing a new coastal and ocean
  management structure
• Push for change, but lead by example