Cape Cod Ocean Management Plan

Overview

The state developed the first Massachusetts Ocean Management Plan (OMP) in 2009, and updated it in 2015. The OMP describes the uses and activities allowed within the state's jurisdictional waters and establishes performance standards for siting and permitting them through the state's regulatory framework.

The Barnstable County Ocean Management Planning District of Critical Planning Concern was an effort to plan for development in Cape Cod's ocean waters, beginning in 2009. Following a year long process of recognizing and understanding the natural and cultural resource and human use values of the planning area, a Policy Committee recommended the development of implementing regulations for the district, and the preparation of the Cape Cod Ocean Management Plan (CCOMP).

The Cape Cod Commission developed the CCOMP in 2011, which includes an inventory of existing resources and uses, recommended regulatory changes, and management considerations. The CCOMP provides the regional definition of "appropriate  scale" for proposed renewable energy projects and provides guidance on areas suitable and unsuitable for the installation of cables and pipelines and the mining of sand and gravel within the state waters surrounding Cape Cod. The CCOMP offers technical support for regulatory review of projects through the Commission's Development of Regional Impact (DRI) review process.

Cape Cod Ocean Management Plan, October 13, 2011