by: Matthew Boger
The Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs (EEA) completed a two month public listening process to collect input on the development of the MA ocean plan. Eighteen public listening sessions were held throughout the state with more than 400 people attending. All eighteen listening session can be viewed online at http://commpres.env.state.ma.us/mop/listeningsessions.aspx
To ensure that the state includes as many viewpoints as possible, EEA staff is also holding fifty meetings with various organizations that have a connection to the ocean, including the Massachusetts Ocean Coalition. Information from these sessions is being compiled to help develop the baseline understanding of activities, uses, and issues in the ocean planning area, and to inform the development of the goals of the plan.
Simultaneously, six working groups are collecting data on specific topics to determine what kind the scientific data the state has and where any gaps in information may be. Each group will submit a report on their findings. The 6 Working Groups include:
1.) Ocean-based Renewable Energy
2.) Habitat and Conservation
3.) Sediment Management
4.) Transportation and Navigation
5.) Cultural, Social, Recreational, and Historical Resources
6.) Commercial and Recreational Fishing
The Ocean Advisory Commission and the Ocean Science Advisory Council will each meet in the near future to view the information collected from the public listening sessions and the data submitted by the working groups. In January, EEA will begin to work on a draft ocean management plan and a second round of public input sessions will be held in the spring-summer of 2009.
© 2008 Massachusetts Ocean Action Coalition
Conservation Law Foundation | Mass Audubon