Northeast Regional Planning Body Holds Second Meeting
On April 12 and 13, the second meeting of the Northeast Regional Planning Body (RPB) was held in Narragansett, Rhode Island. Major accomplishments from the second meeting included:
- Development of and agreed upon draft goals reflecting tribal, state, federal, and NEFMC priorities around themes of: 1) healthy ocean and coastal ecosystems, 2) compatibility among past, current and future uses, and 3) effective decision making.
- Operational outcomes – approved charter and 3 year planning timeline.
- Affirmed importance of stakeholder engagement with an approved engagement strategy and formation of a working group who will meet over the next month to define options for meaningful and effective participation.
- A strengthened working relationship of all RPB members and full participation from all 10 federally recognized tribes.
- Refined and more frequent public comment opportunities.
Outcomes from these discussions including a set of draft goals, the approved charter and planning timeline, along with a meeting summary, video, and public comment transcript will be made available on the RPB meeting page the week of May 6th.
At the meeting, updates were also provided for ongoing efforts to engage with marine industry representatives from energy, aquaculture, and maritime commerce sectors as well as work to characterize patterns of activities like commercial fishing and recreational boating. Throughout the two-day meeting, there were several opportunities for public input, and the Northeast RPB heard from a number of stakeholders and interested parties.
Public meetings are being planned for May and June as an important next step to review draft goals and present maps and recent workshop outcomes. More information on these upcoming public meetings will be available soon on the RPB meeting page.