Islanders offer ideas for state's coastal management plan
BY PETER B. BRACE INDEPENDENT WRITER

The crowd was small, but the issues were big, including erosion and erosion control, offshore renewable energy projects, vital shipping and ferry lanes and boat sewage being dumping in Nantucket Sound.

"Developing offshore wind turbines would be a very interesting and potentially fruitful endeavor for the state to embark on," said Nantucketer Carl Borchert, vice chairman of the Nantucket Energy Study Committee and a member of Clean Power Now. "There is enough power offshore to power the entire state. The wind resources on the south coast are certainly enough to power southeastern Massachusetts.

Around 15 people showed up on Thursday night to tell John Webber of the Executive Office of Environmental Affairs what should be included in the state's Ocean's Plan in relation to Nantucket. Of all of the coastal cities and towns in the state, Nantucket has the most water area within the state's 1,500 miles of coastal jurisdiction - three miles out from shore. The Oct. 16 meeting was one of 18 listening sessions that the EOEA is holding to gather input from residents and town officials.

Island trucker and Nantucket Planning & Economic Development Commission Chairman Nat Lowell is not worried about climate change, but focused more ontransportation between Nantucket and the mainland.

And, Lowell wanted to make sure the EOEA heard how important the island's ferries are to Nantucket's existence.

"There's been a lot of discussion about right whales and discussions about slowing the boat down 10 knots," said Lowell. "I want to make sure that you all understand how we get our goods and services, that the SSA is not subsidized by the commonwealth; we basically pay for the operation of that boat line and also the Hy-Line as well."

Shellfish & Harbor Advisory Board and Harbor Implementation Plan Committee member Bam LaFarge stressed the necessity of the EOEA's really listening to islanders and fishermen and 'Sconset resident Kermit Roosevelt hoped that this plan would take into consideration the fate of the members of the Siasconset Beach Preservation Fund.

"Nantucket has a very serious coastal erosion problem; we're not unique in this situation, but according to the administrator of the Conservation Commission, we possess the most active erosion area in the state of Massachusetts," he said. "Since hard structures are frowned upon, the most effective method is to combine hard structures with sacrificial sand. I was very pleased that you have included sand mining areas within this planning area."

All of the comments uttered at this listening session and at the other 17 are to be incorporated into transcripts that will be used to write the state's plan. Those who missed this meeting, but still have something to say, can attend one of the remaining sessions on the list found at this link: www.massoceanaction. org/events.html or can mail them to: Massachusetts Ocean Plan, Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs, 100 Cambridge St., 9th Floor, Boston, MA 02114. Get all the particulars about this planning process at www.mass. gov/czm/oceanmanagement/oceans_ act/index.htm. I