Friday, October 07, 2011

Clatsop County To Hold Panel Discussion To Examine Its Role In Ocean Resources Planning


Thursday, Oct. 6, 2011

PANEL DISCUSSION EXAMINES COUNTY’S OCEAN PLANNING ROLE

Clatsop County’s land-use review program may soon extend beyond the land itself.

County officials are crafting an Ocean Resources development code covering the territorial sea off the county’s coastline. The code would provide the county with the authority to review applications for wave-energy, aquaculture and other in-water development projects within the strip of ocean extending roughly 3.5 miles from shore.

To more fully examine the issues surrounding this proposal, the county is hosting a panel discussion Oct. 17 featuring land-use and ocean policy experts. The event, which is open to the public, is scheduled for 7 to 9 p.m. at Seaside City Hall, 989 Broadway.

Panelists are:

· Mark Barnes, Planning Consultant, Clatsop County

· Belinda Batten, Director, NW National Marine Renewable Energy Center, Oregon State University

· Jason Busch, Executive Director, Oregon Wave Energy Trust

· Onno Husing, Director, Oregon Coastal Zone Management Association (OCZMA)

· Paul Klarin, Marine Program Coordinator, Oregon Department of Land Conservation and Development

· Matt Spangler, North Coast Regional Representative, Oregon Department of Land Conservation and Development

Panel moderator is Clatsop County Commissioner and OCZMA Chair Peter Huhtala.

Ocean policy falls under Goal 19 of the Oregon statewide planning goals, but Clatsop County did not adopt a code specific to Goal 19 when it enacted its land-use program in 1980. With no official process in place in the county’s comprehensive land-use plan, county staff are concerned that there is no avenue for the county to provide input on such projects as wave-energy facilities and other uses not envisioned when the plan was originally adopted.

Goal 19 calls for “(conserving) marine resources and ecological functions for the purpose of providing long-term ecological, economic and social value and benefits to future generations.”

If Clatsop County adds a Goal 19 component to its comprehensive plan, projects proposed for the territorial sea would go to the county Planning Division and be reviewed for consistency with the relevant criteria. The review would allow the county to examine the project’s potential impact on fishing activity and viewsheds.

As currently proposed, the code would cover only fixed structures such as piers, cables and wind- and wave-energy devices. Activities like commercial and recreational fishing would not fall under the new review system.


Released by:

Tom Bennett

Community Relations Coordinator

(503) 338-3622

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

the county should have no say in (shudder)managing in any way what goes on in the Ocean-the states and feds have that.