Massachusetts' ocean waters are our largest public trust, our greatest natural treasure. Nantucket Sound and Buzzards Bay, Massachusetts Bay and Cape Cod Bay are among the most biologically productive marine ecosystems in the world, home to Atlantic cod, bluefin tuna, and marine mammals including humpback, fin, and endangered right whales.

These ocean waters are immensely valuable yet increasingly vulnerable. Ocean wildlife and habitats already suffer from numerous assaults from global warming and other factors, including increasing water temperatures, decreasing oxygen, habitat destruction, overfishing, pollution and acidification.

They now face an unprecedented onslaught of new uses and offshore developments. These projects, such as liquefied natural gas terminals, sand and gravel mining and wind and tidal energy facilities could be devastating to Massachusetts ocean waters, to coastal communities, and to our way of life.

We need a comprehensive plan that considers all ocean uses and applies scientific information to decide how to sustainably use and protect our ocean. Government agencies, towns and citizens all need a centralized way to participate in planning our ocean's future.

The Massachusetts Ocean Act (S.2281) provides the necessary management structure to balance commercial use and personal recreation with the protection and preservation of ocean life.

Tell the Massachusetts Senate to support the Mass Ocean Act to get it together for healthy Massachusetts ocean waters.

Dear Chairman Panagiotakos,

I urge you to act now to report favorably S.2281, the Massachusetts Ocean Act, from your committee for a vote on the Senate floor. This legislation calls for the development and implementation of an ocean management plan that would promote environmentally sustainable activities in Massachusetts' waters, while protecting valuable marine resources. If enacted, this legislation would be the first of its kind in the United States.

Recent proposals for liquefied natural gas terminals, sand and gravel mining, desalinization plants, gas pipelines, telecommunications cables, and wind energy facilities have raised numerous concerns among citizens and local, state, and federal agencies about how to manage the diversity of uses and the impacts of this intensified development pressure on the marine ecosystem. Governance structures for ocean resources management have historically focused on single resources or activities. Public decisions about whether to allow certain activities have occurred through a case-by-case, reactive and fragmented approach. New legislation is needed to give public agencies clear direction and stronger authority for managing activities in a proactive manner.

The Massachusetts Ocean Act would bring the Bay State up to speed with private industry innovations and associated management challenges in our ocean waters. The bill would require the Secretary of the Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs to develop and implement an ocean management plan to guide uses and activities in state waters.

[Your comment]

I urge you to seize this opportunity to lead the rest of the nation in crafting comprehensive ocean policy.

Thank you for your consideration.

Sincerely,
[Your name]
[Your address]