Bryants Maritime Blog
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) is seeking comment on the list of nominations of existing marine protected areas (MPAs) for inclusion in the National System of Marine Protected Areas. Comments should be submitted by February 22. 75 Fed. Reg. 972 (January 7, 2010).
January 5, 2010 by David L. Wochner, Benjamin Norris
Yesterday Massachusetts released the final version of its Ocean Management Plan that provides for marine spatial planning in Massachusetts state waters. The plan allows for offshore wind turbines near Nantucket and Martha’s Vineyard but protects certain environmentally sensitive areas from commercial development. Read more in the Cape Cod Times.
After hearings in Providence and around the nation, the Obama administration has moved closer to developing a new federal policy that aims at protecting oceans.
The Providence Journal / Bob Thayer
In September, more than 250 people from Maine to South Carolina packed a room in the Rhode Island Convention Center to offer their suggestions to Obama administration officials working on a new ocean policy for the nation.
Last week, following similar hearings held around the nation, President Obama’s Ocean Policy Task Force released an interim report calling for managing coastal waters through a zoning-like process called marine spatial planning.