APPENDIX II 

 REGIONAL OCS PLANNING EFFORTS 



New England has two major regional organizations involved in OCS 

 planning activities: the New England River Basins Commission (NERBC) 

 and the New England Regional Commission (NERCOM). 



The New England River Basins Commission has been active for several 

 years in helping the region plan for offshore oil-related development. 

 They established a New England Coastal Zone Task Force in 1974 which 

 provides a mechanism for the identification of issues of concern and 

 facilitates the transfer of information between state coastal zone 

 management programs. Issues pertaining to offshore oil and gas de- 

 velopment have been an important subject for the Task Force. It re- 

 cently formed subcommittees on oil spill contingency planning and 

 offshore pipeline planning. NERBC also provides the states with valu- 

 able technical assistance through an information center and various 

 studies. The New England OCS Technical Assistance Center created in 

 1974 serves as the central source for information on offshore oil 

 development in the region. Additionally, the Commission conducted 

 several OCS studies under agreement with the Resource and Land Invest- 

 igations (RALI) Program of the U.S. Department of Interior's Geological 

 Survey. Two of these studies— the Factbook and Estimates for New Eng- 

 land have been used extensively by the New England coastal states for 

 planning purposes. 



The New England Regional Commission has provided a forum for the 

 state governors to address regional concerns and has also financed 

 several studies which have provided the region with important informa- 

 tion regarding offshore oil development. NERCOM supported the first 



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