Transcript Section 14-0111-4: Create an ocean and coastal

MACOORA Annual Meeting
State Partnerships Panel
Laura McKay
Laura McKay
804.698.4323
[email protected]
State CZM
Programs Form
MARCO
• Fall of 2008 NY, NJ, DE,
MD and VA CZM
Programs began drafting
Governors’ Agreement.
• June 4, 2009 Governors
announced signing of
Ocean Conservation
Agreement.
Guiding Principles of the Agreement
• Protect and conserve our
ocean resources for
current and future
generations.
• Take an ecosystem-based
management approach.
• Promote a regional agenda
at the national level.
• Partner with federal and
external stakeholders to
ensure success.
Four MARCO Priority Issues:
1. Habitat
2. Renewable Offshore Energy
3. Climate Change
4. Water Quality
1) Protect the 10 major
offshore canyons from
harmful or damaging
activities.
2) Identify other key MidAtlantic habitats (such as
migration corridors) at risk
from damaging activities
and seek appropriate
protection measures.
3) Create a regional internet
mapping system to identify
areas unsuitable for certain
activities due to the
presence of key habitats.
4) Create Mid-Atlantic marine
habitat protection and
restoration policies to
guide management.
Task 1: Protect the 10 Major Offshore
Canyons
Step 1: Document ecological
value of, and identify
threats to, the canyons.
Step 2: Identify most
appropriate canyon
protection tools.
Step 3: Work with NOAA and
other federal agencies with
jurisdiction to adopt
appropriate canyon
protection measures.
Task 2: Identify Other Key Mid-Atlantic
Habitats
Step 1: Synthesize
existing habitat
mapping &
monitoring data.
Task 2: Cont’d.
Step 2: Identify and fill
data gaps.
Task 2: Cont’d.
Step 3: Conduct
stakeholder workshops.
Task 3: Create a Regional Internet
Mapping System
Step 1: Build a draft MARCO GIS Portal.
Step 2: Secure a permanent server for MARCO
portal.
$93K in VA CZM Grants to TNC to
Map Marine Habitats & Create MARCO Portal
1) Develop and finalize
shared research and
monitoring protocols for
assessing impacts of
energy development in
terms of construction and
operation on ocean and
coastal resources.
2) Define regulatory steps,
time frames, and potential
barriers to development of
offshore renewable energy
resources.
3) Complete an offshore use
map to facilitate siting of
renewable energy projects
to minimize adverse
impacts to other ocean
users and ecological
services.
1) Identify key
infrastructure vulnerable
to sea level rise and flood
hazards at a coarse scale.
2) Acquire data to assess
regional vulnerability to
climate change and sea
level rise impacts to
infrastructure and coastal
habitats.
3) Create a regional/ national
GIS.
4) Facilitate information
exchange.
5) Initiate sea level rise
adaptation measures to
collectively reduce the
region’s vulnerability.
1) Promote greater federal
investments for infrastructure
upgrades to region’s
wastewater treatment
infrastructure.
2) Reduce amount of humanderived debris and floatables
entering waterways and the
ocean.
3) Improve delivery and expand
data collected on water quality
to better predict impairments
and assess effectiveness of wq
improvement efforts.
4) Develop agenda to address
atmospheric sources of
nitrogen and other toxins that
contaminate ocean waters.
Check “midatlanticocean.org” for Updates!
Major Coastal Issues Facing Virginia
are same as for MARCO
1. Habitat
Protection
2. Offshore Wind
Energy
Development
3. Climate Change
4. Water Quality
Habitat: Special Area Management
Plans - Seaside Marine Spatial Plan
SB1350 Offshore Wind Energy
In State Waters
Bathymetry
<4 meters
Wind Class
3
4
5
6
Shipping lanes
(¼ mile buffer)
Military exclusions
FAA
restrictions
Data and maps provided by:
Public Private
Shellfish Grounds
Continental and
Regional Importance
to Birds
Offshore Wind Energy in Federal Waters
Two Wind Companies looking to locate~12 miles offshore of Virginia Beach
MMS lease blocks are
4.8 km x 4.8 km, with
each block having 7 x
7 turbines.
Turbines spaced 685
m
apart (7.6 rotor
diameters)
Each lease block could
contain 49 turbines
= 147 MW if V-90 3
MW
(6.4 MW per km2)
GIS layers and
calculations by
Remy Luerssen,
James Madison
University
Climate Change: Local Plans
New VA CZM Focal Area
$400K per year for 3 years: Oct 08 Sep 11
Protecting Blue
& Green
Infrastructure
&
Adapting to
Climate Change
What Do We
Need
Move Ahead?
Where
to to
Next?
Macrofauna Maps (esp.
birds, marine mammals,
sea turtles and finfish)
Human Use Maps (esp
recreational fishing
areas)
LIDAR (esp maps
showing sea level rise
over time intervals)