Rhode Island Code of Regulations › Title 650 - Coastal Resources Management Council › Chapter 20 - Coastal Management Program › Subchapter 05 - Ocean Special Area Management Plan › Part 11 - RICRMP: OCEAN SAMP - CHAPTER 11 - POLICIES OF THE OCEAN SAMP (650-RICR-20-05-11) › Section 650-RICR-20-05-11.8 - Decision-making

Current through June 14, 2024
A. In accordance with and pursuant to the
				  provisions of R.I. Gen. Laws §
										46-23-6, the Council shall engage
				  in the following coordination activities. The intent of establishing these
				  coordination mechanisms is to ensure appropriate engagement of the
				  stakeholders, including the resources users and the state and federal
				  government agencies. These coordination mechanisms, although described here,
				  are more thoroughly described in the identified sections:
1. The Council shall work to the maximum
				  extent practicable in coordination with the Ocean SAMP joint agency working
				  group as defined in § 11.9.7(I) of this Part, a group facilitated by the
				  Council and made up of appropriate federal and state agencies, to establish
				  project specific requirements that shall be followed by the applicant during
				  the construction, operation and decommissioning phases of an offshore
				  development. For more information on the joint agency working group, see
				  §11.9.7(I) of this Part.
2.
				  The Council shall engage commercial and recreational fishermen in the Ocean
				  SAMP decision-making process through the Fishermen's Advisory Board (FAB), as
				  defined in §
											11.3(E) of
				  this Part. The FAB will provide the Council with advice on the potential
				  adverse impacts of offshore development on commercial and recreational
				  fishermen and fisheries activities, and on issues including, but not limited
				  to, the evaluation and planning of project locations, arrangements, and
				  alternatives; micro-siting (siting of individual wind turbines within an
				  offshore wind farm to identify the best site for each individual structures);
				  access limitations; and measures to mitigate the potential impacts of such
				  projects. For more information on the FAB, see § 11.9.4(H) of this
				  Part.
3. The Council shall work to
				  minimize use conflicts and ensure marine safety and navigational access around
				  and through offshore structures and developments and along cable routes during
				  the construction, operation and decommissioning phases of offshore development,
				  by establishing communication and coordination mechanisms between the Council,
				  Federal and state agencies, resource users including fishermen's organizations,
				  marine pilots, recreational boating organizations, and marine safety
				  organizations. See §§11.9.4 through 11.9.7 of this Part for further
				  information.
4. The Council shall
				  convene a panel of scientists to advise on findings of current climate science
				  for the region and the implications for Rhode Island's coastal and offshore
				  regions, as well as the possible management ramifications. This information
				  will allow the Council to proactively plan for and adapt to climate change
				  impacts including, but not limited to, increased storminess, temperature
				  change, and acidification in addition to accelerated sea level rise. For more
				  information on the Science Advisory Panel for Climate Change, see
				  §11.9.2(C) of this Part.
5.
				  The Council shall work to the maximum extent practicable with state and federal
				  agencies, academic institutions, environmental organizations, and others to
				  make sure it is using the best available science and modeling tools to inform
				  the decision making process. Tools including the Technology Development Index
				  (TDI) and the Ecological Value Map (EVM) will inform site selection of future
				  development and help to understand where areas of greatest ecological value
				  exist in the Ocean SAMP area to then determine appropriate sites suitable for
				  preservation and/or future development. For more information on these tools,
				  see Chapter 2, Ecology of the SAMP Region, and Part 8 of this Subchapter
				  (Renewable Energy and Other Offshore Development).