11-R099
2011 -- S 0137
Enacted 03/08/11
S E N A T E R E
S O L U T I O N
RESPECTFULLY
REQUESTING THE BUREAU OF OCEAN ENERGY MANAGEMENT, REGULATION, AND ENFORCEMENT
TO COMPREHENSIVELY INVOLVE FISHERMEN
IN THE
DEVELOPMENT OF OFFSHORE ENERGY PROJECTS
Introduced By: Senators Sosnowski, Algiere, Bates, Felag, and Ruggerio
Date Introduced: February 03, 2011
WHEREAS, The
provide a forum for individuals and organizations in the
fishing community to present ideas and
identify challenges facing these communities; and
WHEREAS, At the first meeting of the Fisheries Task Force on December
6, 2010, a
number of witnesses raised concerns about the potential
impacts the development of offshore
wind projects could have on the fishing industry and fish
resources; and
WHEREAS, The Minerals
Management Service, now known as The Bureau of Ocean
Energy Management, Regulation, and Enforcement
(BOEMRE), prepared an Alternative Energy
Programmatic EIS, “…to support establishment of a
program that provides for efficient and
orderly development of alternative energy projects on the
Federal Outer Continental Shelf (OCS),
as well as the alternate use of offshore facilities for
other energy and marine-related activities”;
and
WHEREAS, According to
the Alternative Energy Programmatic EIS, “Impacts to
fisheries could result from OCS alternative energy development
activities that (1) cause changes
in the distribution or abundance of fishery resources,
(2) reduce the catchability of fish or
shellfish, (3) preclude fishers from accessing viable fishing
areas, (4) cause losses or damage to
equipment or vessels, or (5) reduce market value of a fishery”;
and
WHEREAS, The Alternative
Energy Programmatic EIS further states, “It is assumed that
sensitive seafloor habitats, which sustain production for many important
fisheries species, would
be avoided during development of OCS wind energy
projects”; and
WHEREAS, The Rhode
Island Coastal Resources Management Council (CRMC)
adopted the Ocean Special Area Management Plan (SAMP) on
October 19, 2010, which, “…lays
out enforceable policies and recommendations to guide
CRMC in promoting a balanced and
comprehensive ecosystem-based management approach for the development
and protection of
WHEREAS, The RI Ocean
SAMP states, “Twenty-eight finfish, shellfish, and crustacean
species are of commercial and recreational fishing importance
in the Ocean SAMP area.
Commercial fishermen using otter trawls, scallop
dredges, gillnets, and lobster pots harvest a
diverse variety of species, and squid and lobster are consistently
among the most valuable species
landed in
boats and party and charter boats, and target a variety of species
including striped bass, bluefish,
summer flounder, and large pelagic fish”; and
WHEREAS, The Ocean SAMP
states, “Commercial and recreational fisheries are among
the oldest and most widespread human uses of the Ocean
SAMP area and are of great economic,
historic, and cultural value to the state of
RESOLVED,
The Senate of the State of
respectfully requests The Bureau of Ocean Energy Management,
Regulation, and Enforcement to
include official representation on the Rhode Island Offshore
Renewable Energy Task Force of
Rhode Islanders engaged in
fishing in the offshore environment which will provide multiple
opportunities for those individuals to participate in all review
and permitting phases of offshore
renewable energy development projects; and be it further
RESOLVED,
That the Senate of the State of
respectfully requests that The Bureau of Ocean Energy Management,
Regulation, and
Enforcement use the
Fishermen’s Advisory Board (FAB) established by the Rhode Island Coastal
Resources Management
Council within the Ocean SAMP as an interface between BOEMRE and
the fishing industry; and be it further
RESOLVED,
That the Senate of the State of
respectfully requests The Bureau of Ocean Energy Management,
Regulation and Enforcement to
adopt a mitigation policy for all offshore development projects
that require developers to provide
mitigation to fishermen that are negatively impacted by offshore
development projects; and be it
further
RESOLVED, That the
Secretary of State be and he hereby is authorized and
directed to
transmit a duly certified copy of this resolution to BOEMRE
Director Michael R. Bromwich.
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LC00574
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