Massachusetts Office of Coastal Zone Management Policy Guide October 2011 Massachusetts Office of Coastal Zone Management 251 Causeway Street, Suite 800 Boston, MA 02114-2136 (617) 626-1200 CZM Information Line - (617) 626-1212 CZM Website - www.mass.gov/czm Commonwealth of Massachusetts Deval L. Patrick, Governor Timothy P. Murray, Lieutenant Governor Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs Richard K. Sullivan Jr., Secretary Office of Coastal Zone Management Bruce K. Carlisle, Director A publication of the Massachusetts Office of Coastal Zone Management. This publication is funded (in part) by a grant/cooperative agreement from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). TABLE OF CONTENTS Introduction ................................................................................................................................. 1 The Coastal Zone Management Act .................................................................................... 1 The Massachusetts Coastal Program ................................................................................. 2 History ...................................................................................................................................... 2 Massachusetts Office of Coastal Zone Management .............................................................. 2 Networked Approach ................................................................................................................ 3 Jurisdiction - The Massachusetts Coastal Zone ...................................................................... 3 Program Plan Documents ........................................................................................................ 3 Federal Consistency Review ................................................................................................. 4 Coastal Effects ......................................................................................................................... 4 Activities Subject to Federal Consistency Review ................................................................... 5 General Permits ....................................................................................................................... 5 Pre-Application Consultation .................................................................................................... 6 Application Requirements, Review Procedures, and Timetables ............................................ 6 Necessary Data and Information ............................................................................................ 11 Cape Cod Commission Referral ........................................................................................... 13 Project Modifications .............................................................................................................. 13 Emergency Certifications ....................................................................................................... 13 Application of Coastal Policies in State Regulatory Programs ............................... 14 Massachusetts Environmental Policy Act .............................................................................. 14 Public Waterfront Act (Chapter 91) ........................................................................................ 14 Municipal Harbor Plans ......................................................................................................... 15 Wetlands Protection Act Regulations .................................................................................... 15 Oceans Sanctuaries Act ......................................................................................................... 16 Massachusetts Ocean Management Plan ............................................................................. 16 Massachusetts Coastal Program Policies ...................................................................... 18 Coastal Hazards ..................................................................................................................... 19 Energy .................................................................................................................................... 30 Growth Management .............................................................................................................. 36 Habitat .................................................................................................................................... 41 Ocean Resources ................................................................................................................... 50 Ports and Harbors .................................................................................................................. 57 Protected Areas ...................................................................................................................... 71 Public Access ......................................................................................................................... 78 Water Quality .......................................................................................................................... 92 Appendix 1 - Network Agencies and Memoranda of Understanding ................... 101 Appendix 2 - Legal Boundary of the Massachusetts Coastal Zone ...................... 117 Appendix 3 - Coastal Program Legal Authorities ....................................................... 143 Appendix 4 - Listed Federal Actions ............................................................................... 149 Appendix 5 – Enforceable Standards of the Massachusetts Ocean Management Plan .................................................................................................................. 153 INTRODUCTION This document presents the official policies of the Commonwealth’s coastal program and explains the federal consistency review process in Massachusetts. It also provides helpful context about the coastal program and contains important jurisdictional components. Specifically, it: • Summarizes the Coastal Zone Management Act, the federal legislation authorizing the coastal program. • Provides an overview of the Massachusetts coastal program, including its history, organizational structure, networked approach, jurisdiction, and program plan documents. • Explains the federal consistency review process, including the activities subject to review; general permits; pre-application consultation; application requirements, review procedures, and timetables; necessary data and information; project modifications; and emergency certifications. • Summarizes other state regulatory programs affected by the coastal program policies. • Presents the Massachusetts coastal program policies. • Provides appendices that include the network agencies, legal boundary of the Massachusetts coastal zone, coastal program legal authorities, and listed federal actions subject to federal consistency review. This Massachusetts Office of Coastal Zone Management Policy Guide (Policy Guide) is a component of the federally approved Massachusetts coastal program, replacing the 2002 Massachusetts Coastal Zone Management Plan. It is important to note that this guidance works with the other component documents of the approved Massachusetts coastal program (listed in the Program Plan Documents section on page 3) and specific statutory or regulatory provisions that form the legal basis for the Massachusetts coastal program. THE COASTAL ZONE MANAGEMENT ACT In 1972, the U.S. Congress passed the Coastal Zone Management Act (CZMA), which establishes a national policy to “preserve, protect, develop, and where possible, to restore or enhance, the resources of the Nation’s coastal zone for this and succeeding generations.” The CZMA is also designed to “encourage and assist the states to exercise effectively their responsibilities in the coastal zone through the development and implementation of management programs to achieve wise use of the land and water resources of the coastal zone...” (16 U.S.C. 1452, § 303 (1) and (2)). This unique federal legislation gives states the opportunity to develop their own coastal management programs and federal funds to support such management. The federal agency that administers the CZMA, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), has established a flexible framework that enables states to develop strategies that meet their specific needs within their state 1 governmental structure. The CZMA also gives states the authority to review federal projects, federally financed projects, and projects receiving federal licenses and permits (including those activities described in detail in Outer Continental Shelf plans), to ensure that they abide by state- defined enforceable coastal policies. This process is called federal consistency review. THE MASSACHUSETTS COASTAL PROGRAM Massachusetts’s coastal and ocean areas include abundant natural, recreational, and economic resources that have shaped the state’s history, economy, and way of life. The role of the Massachusetts coastal program is to balance human activities with the protection of these important resources. History The development of the Massachusetts coastal program began in 1974 with a Governor’s Task Force on Coastal Resources, and the process included extensive participation from state agencies, the state legislature, local officials, environmental and other interest groups, business organizations, and citizens. These efforts culminated