This information is adapted directly from the EEA Massachusetts Ocean Plan.
The Purpose:
Simply put, the purpose of ocean management planning is to develop a written guide for the use, protection and development of our ocean waters.
- The plan will address: uses/development that are incompatible with each other; uses/development that incompatible with natural resources; and the overall balance of use, protection and development.
- It will be implemented through state permits and other approvals which have to be consistent with the plan.
- It will be based on environmental, economic and social information –maps and data– that the EEA will use to: rationally organize uses of ocean space and the interactions between uses; balance demands for development with the need to protect the environment; and achieve social and economic objectives in an open and planned way which defines where specific ocean uses are allowed to occur within limited areas of Massachusetts’ ocean waters.
The Oceans Act of 2008 charges the Massachusetts Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs (EEA) with the responsibility of developing and launching this plan by December 31, 2009.
The Process:
The Oceans Act of 2008 requires a draft plan to be presented for public hearings and legislative review by July 1, 2009 and a final ocean-management plan to be promulgated (signed and presented) by December 31, 2009.
The planning process will integrate public input, scientific data, and various planning tools to create an ocean management plan that will manage the allocation of and interactions among ocean uses. To support this work the EEA has established, pursuant to the Act, an Ocean Advisory Commission (OAC) and a Science Advisory Council (SAC), both of which will be informed by the general public, use-specific Workgroups and stakeholder group input.
The EEA has developed a four-step planning process:
Step 1— Data mining, public input, planning framework/tools
(July 2008-January 2009)
- EEA Workgroups will serve as the technical core, gathering data and generating working maps;
- Public meetings statewide, and intensively along the coast, will collect feedback with a specific focus on the identification of Plan principles;
- The Ocean Advisory Commission (OAC) will be closely involved in developing the Planning Principles (the Plan goals) and review key milestone products;
- The Science Advisory Council (SAC) will review baseline data, identify ongoing data needs, provide feedback on the planning principles, and review key milestone products;
- Ocean planning models from around the world will be analyzed and options for consideration in MA will be presented for review.
Step 2— Develop a Working Plan
(February-April 2009)
Application of planning tools using baseline data:
- Data will be overlaid to identify areas of compatibility and conflicts among uses and between uses and natural resources;
- Tradeoffs derived from the various planning tools will be evaluated and areas of stakeholder conflict will be addressed;
- Stakeholders will perform ‘hands-on’ evaluations of working models;
- A draft recommended Plan, including draft management measures for its implementation, will be created for presentation to public, OAC, SAC.
Step 3— Review and Modify Draft Plan
(May-June 2009)
- The draft ocean-management Plan will be presented to the public, OAC and SAC;
- The draft Plan will be revised using feedback from the public forums/listening sessions, OAC and SAC;
- MA’s ocean management Plan will be finalized for presentation to the legislature and public hearings.
Step 4— Formal Review of Final Plan
(July-December 2009)
- Legislative review and public hearings on MA’s ocean management Plan
- The Plan will be promulgated and regulations implemented
- The Plan will be integrated into the state Coastal Zone Management Plan.
Plan Principles
The Oceans Act of 2008 outlines a number of objectives that the Plan must be responsive. These Plan Principles —in other words, the vision for the plan and what the plan should do— will be the subject of much work through the fall of 2008, and will be refined to incorporate input from the OAC, Science Advisory Council, public comment, Workgroups, and stakeholder groups. These Plan principles are critical to the planning process because they will be used to help analyze the conceptual plan framework —and the plan itself, once drafted— to ensure that the plan is responsive to the Oceans Act and meets the needs of the citizens of the Commonwealth.
The Oceans Act lays out the foundation for the plan principles, by stating that the plan shall:
1. Set forth the commonwealth’s goals, siting priorities and standards for ensuring effective stewardship of its ocean waters held in trust for the benefit of the public;
2. Adhere to sound management practices, taking into account the existing natural, social, cultural, historic and economic characteristics of the planning areas;
3. Preserve and protect the public trust;
4. Reflect the importance of the waters of the commonwealth to its citizens who derive livelihoods and recreational benefits from fishing;
5. Value biodiversity and ecosystem health;
6. Identify and protect special, sensitive or unique estuarine and marine life and habitats;
7. Address climate change and sea-level rise;
8. Respect the interdependence of ecosystems;
9. Coordinate uses that include international, federal, state and local jurisdictions;
10. Foster sustainable uses that capitalize on economic opportunity without significant detriment to the ecology or natural beauty of the ocean;
11. Preserve and enhance public access;
12. Support the infrastructure necessary to sustain the economy and quality of life for the citizens of the commonwealth;
13. Encourage public participation in decision-making;
14. Adapt to evolving knowledge and understanding of the ocean environment; and
15. Identify appropriate locations and performance standards for activities, uses and facilities allowed under sections 15 and 16 of chapter 132A.
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