EEA Holds Five Public Hearings on Draft Ocean Management Plan
Public input will inform nation-leading plan for long-term protection and sustainable use of coastal waters
WHAT:
The Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs (EEA) will hold five public hearings in coastal communities to take public comment on the Draft Ocean Management Plan unveiled by the Patrick Administration on July 1. Following a public comment period that runs through November 23, EEA will put the finishing touches on its first-in-the-nation blueprint designed to guide planning in state waters (generally, within three miles of the coast). The draft plan, developed in accordance with the Oceans Act of 2008, provides additional protections for critical environmental resources in nearly two-thirds of the planning area, while identifying two areas adjacent to federal waters as suitable for commercial-scale wind energy development. The Oceans Act set a deadline of December 31, 2009 for promulgation of a final plan.
WHO:
EEA Assistant Secretary for Ocean and Coastal Zone Management Deerin Babb-Brott
Schedule of Draft Ocean Management Plan Public Hearings:
September 14 | 7PM | Exchange Conference Center |
September 15 | 7PM | New Bedford Public Library, Main Meeting Room |
September 16 | 7PM | Tilden Arts Center Main Theater, Cape Cod Community College |
September 17 | 7PM | Kyrouz Auditorium, Gloucester City Hall |
September 23 | 6PM | Katharine Cornell Theater, 51 Spring Street, Tisbury (Vineyard Haven) |