(Updated, 1 p.m.)
SOUTH KINGSTOWN – The R.I. Coastal Resources Management Council (CRMC) will provide more time for people to comment on its ocean Special Area Management Plan (SAMP), the agency said Tuesday.
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Tuesday was the second time the council extended the comment period for the fisheries and renewable energy chapters. Comments are now due Aug. 12. Jeffrey M. Willis, CRMC deputy director, signed the 30-day extension on Monday.
The SAMP will zone the Ocean State’s offshore areas for specific uses and identify prime locations for wind farms.
Environmental groups had raised concerns earlier in the review process, saying that the CRMC was not providing adequate time to review the chapters. The fisheries chapter is 158 pages and the renewable energy and offshore development chapter is 226 pages.
On Tuesday, Save The Bay Director of Advocacy John Torgan called the extension “a smart move.” The environmental group had been one of a number of organizations calling for an extension.
“It’s one thing if a few parties are saying it, but when you have all the major environmental groups saying we need more time it’s important,” Torgan told Providence Business News. “I think CRMC did the right thing and we’ll make good use of that time and get to work.”
The CRMC has officially scheduled a public hearing on the two SAMP chapters on Aug. 24 at the R.I. Administration Building in Providence. The council has said it wants to finish the document by the end of summer.
Additional information is available at seagrant.gso.uri.edu/oceansamp.
