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Tell the Senate to Support the Massachusetts Ocean Act!

Target: State Senator Steven C. Panagiotakos, Chair, Senate Committee on Ways and Means
cc: Senate President Therese Murray
Sponsored by: The Ocean Conservancy

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.

deadline: 7-23-2008
goal: 3,000

2,501
signatures!

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Success! Gov. Deval Patrick signed into law a measure that will establish the nation's first management and protection plan for a state's ocean waters. This law will provide a roadmap to enable the state to balance commercial use, personal recreation and the protection of underwater ocean habitats and wildlife. Read more. Thank you for your interest. Please click here for more petitions.

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]

We signed the “Tell the Senate to Support the Massachusetts Ocean Act!” petition!

# 2,501:

4:26 pm PST, Dec 1, Steve Kunik, Pennsylvania

# 2,500:

2:31 am PST, Nov 30, Steven Heaver, New Jersey

# 2,499:

6:39 am PST, Nov 29, Alexandra Lotsch, New York

# 2,498:

8:02 pm PST, Nov 26, Julie M Glenn, Missouri
Please protect the ocean wildlife!!!

# 2,497:

6:40 am PST, Nov 25, CORBIER Cathie, France

# 2,496:

2:55 pm PST, Nov 24, Lori Green, Massachusetts
We need to protect the ocean and coastal areas. We also need to utilize wind power. We must balance these needs - the Ocean Act should help provide this balance.

# 2,495:

9:27 am PST, Nov 21, Randy Sanner, Pennsylvania

# 2,494:

12:28 pm PST, Nov 20, Desiree Diaz, Illinois

# 2,493:

2:40 pm PST, Nov 18, Karla Hernandez, Mexico

# 2,492:

12:11 am PST, Nov 17, Johnny GILBERT, New Jersey

# 2,491:

6:28 pm PST, Nov 16, Kristin Maglies, Pennsylvania

# 2,490:

6:16 pm PST, Nov 15, Gene Wade, Texas

# 2,489:

6:09 am PST, Nov 14, Nicola Turner, United Kingdom

# 2,488:

5:16 pm PST, Nov 8, Aleasha Casaretto, Texas

# 2,487:

12:40 am PST, Nov 7, Victoria Thomas, Wyoming

# 2,486:

8:58 pm PST, Nov 5, Brian Tatum, Tennessee

# 2,485:

3:53 am PST, Nov 5, Katie Hall, United Kingdom
If we destroy the planet through irresponsible actions then we will only cause more problems for ourselves. Please take responsible action to protect the oceans for future generations. "We do not inherit the Earth from our ancestors: we borrow it from our children." - Native American Proverb. Reason enough to take care of the oceans I think.

# 2,484:

10:24 pm PST, Nov 4, Gina Wood, Connecticut

# 2,483:

11:36 am PST, Nov 4, Anne Seidel, Germany

# 2,482:

7:32 am PDT, Oct 30, Brittany Worsley, Michigan

# 2,481:

6:37 pm PDT, Oct 25, Jessica Lizotte, Canada
We cannot treat the air or the oceans as trash bags- we need to clean up our act!

# 2,480:

6:23 pm PDT, Oct 24, Susan Shaffer, Louisiana
We need to take care of our oceans now!

# 2,479:

2:45 pm PDT, Oct 22, Diana Satin, Massachusetts

# 2,478:

11:43 pm PDT, Oct 21, Sophie Szeferowicz, France

# 2,477:

4:24 pm PDT, Oct 18, Name not displayed, California

# 2,476:

11:18 pm PDT, Oct 14, Michael Trepp, Washington

# 2,475:

6:39 pm PDT, Oct 14, Name not displayed, Maine

# 2,474:

12:12 am PDT, Oct 14, Brenda Lawson, California

# 2,473:

6:45 am PDT, Oct 13, Rene Siracusa, Texas

# 2,472:

3:28 am PDT, Oct 13, Tiffany Meininger, Nebraska
Keep our oceans & world clean & beautiful!!

# 2,471:

7:05 pm PDT, Oct 12, Stephanie Huhmann, Kansas

# 2,470:

7:21 am PDT, Oct 12, Alicia Morales, Mexico

# 2,469:

7:51 pm PDT, Oct 10, Lori Levise, Utah

# 2,468:

6:17 pm PDT, Oct 10, Tracy C. Collins, Kentucky

# 2,467:

2:51 pm PDT, Oct 10, Kellie Smith, New Hampshire

# 2,466:

2:30 am PDT, Oct 10, Steve Klein, Virginia

# 2,465:

6:18 pm PDT, Oct 9, Ana M., Portugal

# 2,464:

5:41 pm PDT, Oct 9, Madelin Castillo, California

# 2,463:

10:07 am PDT, Oct 9, Megan Linehan, Massachusetts

# 2,462:

2:25 pm PDT, Oct 8, Michael Greco, Florida

# 2,461:

5:26 am PDT, Oct 8, Sofia Santos, Spain

# 2,460:

4:09 pm PDT, Oct 7, Jack Sheng, California

# 2,459:

1:01 pm PDT, Oct 7, John Miller, Illinois

# 2,458:

11:09 am PDT, Oct 7, Bergstromjoy@ms Bergstrom, North Carolina

# 2,457:

9:51 am PDT, Oct 7, Emiliano Galluccio, Italy

# 2,456:

9:47 am PDT, Oct 7, Hazel Matich, Illinois

# 2,455:

8:13 pm PDT, Oct 6, Brandon Danaher, Missouri

# 2,454:

7:45 am PDT, Oct 6, Tori Wallis, Colorado

# 2,453:

5:48 pm PDT, Oct 5, Sue Anderson, Australia
Stop murdering the sea it is as simple as that.

# 2,452:

4:54 pm PDT, Oct 5, Sheila McMahon, Delaware

# 2,451:

3:33 pm PDT, Oct 5, James Black, California

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