Marine Spa*al Planning and Long Island Sound: Challenges and Opportuni*es for Poten*al Coopera*on between Connec*cut and New York

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1 Marine Spa*al Planning and Long Island Sound: Challenges and Opportuni*es for Poten*al Coopera*on between Connec*cut and New York Nathaniel Trumbull, Assoc. Professor, UConn Dept. of Geography and Studies Syma Ebbin, UConn Dept. of Agricultural and Resource Economics & Sea Grant

2 Marine planning in context Marine planning is a process of analyzing and alloca@ng parts of three- dimensional marine spaces to specific uses, [in order] to achieve ecological, economic, and social objec@ves that are usually specified through the poli@cal process. (Forum on Marine Spa@al Planning for Long Island Sound, June 2010, UConn Avery Point)

3 shellfish beds Source: Ron Tardiff, Univ. of Point

4 Public Act 15-66, An Act Concerning a Long Island Sound Blue Plan and Resource and Use Inventory, signed by Governor Malloy on June 19, 2015 and went into effect on July 1, 2015

5 Research What challenges and obstacles exist to bi- state with marine planning on Long Island Sound? What and policies might facilitate bi- state marine planning on LIS?

6 Methods Structured interviews and matrix survey of LIS uses Interviewees were members/officials of: Bi- state working group on marine planning Blue Plan Advisory Commieee NY Dept. of Environmental NY Department of State shellfish 18 interviewees contacted; N = 15; CT (12) and NY (3)

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9 LIS and perceived in CT and NY management approaches Cultural sites Protected reserves/parks Military/security sites Cables/pipelines Energy or current) Sand/gravel mining Non- point source runoff/ Wastewater treatment/ effluent lanes Significant or biological area/benthic habitat Energy/infrastruct./plalorms Shellfish harvest areas fishing Commercial fishing Dredge disposal Aquaculture

10 Greatest perceived conflict: Dredging We don t always agree about what s significant and what are significant impacts on benthic habitat.

11 Greatest perceived conflict: Dredging We don t always agree about what s significant and what are significant impacts on benthic habitat.

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16 Other Many of the of concern are located near- shore and therefore Insufficient knowledge about specific use outside of one s own field of exper@se The Coast Guard or other federal agencies oversee, so no conflict

17 Challenges for NY and CT MSP Few, if any, new financial resources NY side unable to travel and meet face- to- face Some that MSP can make a difference overall Absence of a burning cause

18 Selected responses The greatest threat is that the CT legislature has decided to move forward, while NY State has not. There s an aeempt through this to entrain NY in the CT plan and to involve NY in the CT plan.

19 Selected responses (cont.) Their overall coastal policies are very similar to ours. But their arrangements are very different.

20 Selected responses (cont.) It s now an official government ac@vity in CT. And the bi- state working group is not in control of it. And NY is not doing anything.

21 going forward with LIS MSP Does one tackle first the least or most uses in terms of LIS MSP? Might this emphasis on be a red herring? Dredging has the poten@al really to throw a monkey wrench into the whole MSP process for LIS.

22 A Sound Change We need maybe not a sea change, but a sound change in the views of the respec@ve states, of their planning and natural resource agencies, and in terms of what lies outside their preroga@ves. There has to be a complete melding of their views in order that both states end up sa@sfied. If it s going to be a nego@ated seelement, it s not going to work. There has to be a recogni@on that you can t get it done by yourself, and the walls have to come tumbling down to get that done.