How You Can Help
Urge your state senator to pass the Massachusetts Oceans Act.
Brief Summary
In Massachusetts, we are defined, in large part, by our existence on water. The Atlantic Ocean is part of our history and our heritage. For centuries, our Atlantic waters have been used for fishing, recreation and navigation. In recent years, proposals for other uses, from gas pipelines and liquefied natural gas facilities to desalinization projects and wind and wave energy projects have dramatically increased. These new proposals raise concerns about how to manage our marine resources amidst diverse proposals and intensified development pressures.
Historically, decisions about how to manage our ocean resources have been handled on a resource by resource, case by case, reactive basis. However, this approach is inadequate to face the complexity of the proposals and challenges facing our Atlantic waters in the 21st century. The Massachusetts Ocean Management Task Force, convened in 2003 by former Governor Romney to develop recommendations for how to better protect our marine resources, recommended new legislation that would give public agencies more authority and direction in managing the diversity of activities in our Atlantic waters.
The Massachusetts Oceans Act (Senator O’Leary), a comprehensive and holistic approach to ocean management and resource protection, would coordinate and monitor all ocean-related activity. Specifically, it would:
• Give the Secretary of the Executive Office of Environmental Affairs the oversight, coordination and planning authority over ocean resources. Decisions would be based on an ocean management plan created by a broad-based, 19-member ocean management advisory board comprised of state agency representative, state legislators, a municipal official and environmental, fishing and marine industry stakeholders.
• The ocean resources management plan would be required to be based on the best available scientific understanding of marine and ocean resources. A 9-member ocean science advisory council would assist the Secretary in gathering and analyzing the best available science.
• All programs and permits for activities in ocean waters would be required to conform to the ocean management plan.
This bill would make Massachusetts a national leader in ocean resource conservation, and act as a model for other states.