The Oceans Act of 2008 charged the Ocean Advisory Commission (OAC) with assisting the Secretary of Energy and Environmental Affairs in developing the Massachusetts Ocean Management Plan by holding public meetings and making recommendations for plan management and development. As directed by the Oceans Act, this 18-member commission includes legislators, agency heads, representatives from a commercial fishing organization and an environmental organization, an expert in offshore renewable energy, and representatives from the coastal Regional Planning Agencies. The OAC provides important advice and guidance on reviewing and amending the ocean plan, ongoing implementation, and related ocean management issues.
OAC Members
Legislators
- Senator Julian Cyr
- Senator Dylan Fernandes
- Senator Bruce Tarr
- Representative Patrick Kearney
- Representative Joan Meschino
- Representative Ken Sweezey
Agency Representatives
- Alison Brizius, Director, Massachusetts Office of Coastal Zone Management
- Dan McKiernan, Director, Division of Marine Fisheries, Massachusetts Department of Fish and Game
- Bonnie Heiple, Commissioner, Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection
Stakeholder Representatives
Representative of a commercial fishing organization:
- Beth Casoni, Massachusetts Lobstermen's Association
Representative of an environmental organization:
- Chris McGuire, The Nature Conservancy
Expert in the development of offshore renewable energy:
- Elizabeth Marsjanik, Vineyard Offshore
Representatives of six coastal Regional Planning Agencies:
- Cape Cod Commission - Heather McElroy
- Martha's Vineyard Commission - Daniel Doyle
- Nantucket Planning & Economic Development Commission - Jeffrey Carlson
- Merrimack Valley Planning Commission - Jerrard Whitten
- Metropolitan Area Planning Council - Mayor Dominick Pangallo
- Southeast Regional Planning and Economic Development District - Janice Robbins