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OREC calls RI, CRMC leaders in marine spatial planning
September 25, 2009, WAKEFIELD – The Ocean Renewable Energy Coalition, a national trade association, recently recognized the State of Rhode Island and the Rhode Island Coastal Resources Management Council as a leader in developing Special Area Management Plans (SAMPs), particularly the Ocean SAMP, which is currently underway.
On September 10 the Coalition (OREC) filed comments on a framework for ocean policy coordination and marine spatial planning in response to President Obama’s Ocean Management Task Force. OREC represents the marine renewable energy industry, including wave, tidal, hydrokinetic, current, ocean thermal energy conversion and, along with other trade associations, offshore wind, solar and biomass.
“Rhode Island is involved in an extensive ocean planning effort which can be considered in the vanguard of [Marine Spatial Planning] initiatives,” the comments stated. “The state’s Special Area Management Plans (SAMPs), many of which have been in place for 30 years, are now being updated to create a more unified system of ocean zones.”
The CRMC instituted water type classifications in 1983, effectively zoning all coastal waters of the state, to determine what types of development, if any, would be allowed in certain areas. There are six water types ranging from Type 1, the highest level of protection, to Type 6, which is designated for industrial waterfronts. The CRMC’s coastal program and, in particular, its SAMP development process, is nationally recognized as one of the best in the U.S. and has also be touted as groundbreaking internationally. The Ocean SAMP being developed will zone Rhode Island’s offshore waters by assigning specific use designations for current and potential future uses, including renewable energy. The SAMP study area covers an area of approximately 1,547 square miles (1,168 square nautical miles). Beyond state waters, the SAMP will be developed with federal agencies that have jurisdiction in federal waters. For more information on the Ocean SAMP, go to http://seagrant.gso.uri.edu/oceansamp/ and for more information on the CRMC’s other SAMPs, go to http://www.crmc.ri.gov/ and click on Topics and then SAMPs.