Principal Investigator Madeleine Hall-Arber
MIT Sea Grant, the UMass Boston Urban Harbors Institute, and Industrial Economics, Inc. are interviewing individuals and holding regional stakeholders' meetings to learn from current users of the ocean how energy development on the Outer Continental Shelf (OCS) might have an impact on existing uses and how potential conflicts might be avoided, minimized, or mitigated. The team seeks input from those who could be directly affected, such as commercial and recreational fishermen, shipping interests, passenger vessel operators, and others. Also of interest are the views of those likely to be indirectly affected by changes in the use of the OCS, such as processors, tugboat operators, and port managers.
The interviews and the six meetings planned for the East and West Coasts of the United States are part of a project funded by the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, Regulation and Enforcement (BOEMRE), formerly Minerals Management Service with anticipated outcomes of improving siting of offshore development to reduce conflicts with existing users.