Skip to ContentSitemap

YouTubeFacebookTwittereNewsletter SignUp

CRMC Logo

RI Coastal Resources Management Council

...to preserve, protect, develop, and restore coastal resources for all Rhode Islanders

In accordance with notice of the Rhode Island Coastal Resources Management Council’s Planning & Procedures subcommittee, a meeting was held on Tuesday, January 8, 2019 at 4:00pm at the offices of the Cervenka Green Ducharme Antonelli, LLC, 235 Promenade Street, Suite 475, Providence, RI.

MEMBERS PRESENT
Jennifer Cervenka, Chair
Don Gomez
Joy Montanaro
Angelo Liberti

STAFF PRESENT
Grover Fugate, Executive Director
Jeff Willis, Deputy Director
James Boyd, Coastal Policy Analyst
Anthony DeSisto, Legal Counsel

Call to Order. Ms. Cervenka called the meeting to order at 4:08 p.m.

Ms. Cervenka called for a motion to approve the minutes of the June 12, 2018 subcommittee meeting.

Mr. Gomez seconded by Mr. Liberti moved to approve the meeting minutes of June 12, 2018. All voted in favor of the motion.

Item 4.A – Ocean SAMP 650-RICR-20-05-11.10 Regulatory Standards (formally § 1160.) G. Fugate explained the revisions proposed to the section that pertain to federal consistency requirements vis-à-vis state regulations and their applicability to federally-regulated activities that are captured through a state’s consistency provisions. G. Fugate explained that NOAA needs to have policies that clearly look to address how activities in state waters are to be regulated and/or impacted for applicability to regulate same in federal waters when consistency review is being applied. He explained how the OSAMP already has provisions for how renewable energy projects should be sited and for their preferred areas of location. The proposed revisions notably those dealing with renewable energy projects more clearly address issues such as monitoring, locational siting issues vis-à-vis actual fishing activity/use, etc. G. Fugate explained and the subcommittee discussed the wind industry’s fishing coordination board in that it serves the purpose of continued conversations between industry and fishermen.

Mr. Liberti asked about how the spacing of turbines is determined so as to minimize the impacts to existing fishing activities. Mr. Gomez questioned transit lanes versus fishing lanes. G. Fugate explained that FAB members have consistently expressed that safe transit lanes should be a minimum of three (3) NM and safe fishing lanes should be a minimum of one (1) NM. He further explained BOEM’s data collection processes/requirements relative to industry’s G&G collections methods and their filing of a COP and that often these processes ultimately lead to conflicts with fishing activities. Mr. Liberti offered that such spacing should be based on turbine scour protection locations. The subcommittee discussed these topics and offered revisions to the proposed regulations.

Ms. Cervenka noted that compensation is not equal to mitigation and that avoidance and mitigation precede compensation. Compensation is the last option.

Mr. Gomez, seconded by Mr. Liberti, moved to begin rule-making with the proposed regulations as amended by the subcommittee. All voted in favor of the motion.

ADJOURNMENT. Ms. Cervenka, seconded by Mr. Gomez, moved to adjourn the subcommittee meeting. All voted in favor of the motion and the meeting was adjourned at 5:10 p.m.

 

Respectfully submitted by

Jeffrey M Willis, Deputy Director

 

CALENDAR INDEX

Stedman Government Center
Suite 116, 4808 Tower Hill Road, Wakefield, RI 02879-1900
Voice 401-783-3370 • Fax 401-783-2069 • E-Mail cstaff1@crmc.ri.gov

RI SealRI.gov
An Official Rhode Island State Website