90 



OCTOBER 18, 1993 



TESTIMONY OF THE CAPE COD COMMISSION 



BEFORE THE SUBCOMMITTEE ON ENVIRONMENT AND 



NATURAL RESOURCES OF THE HOUSE COMMirTEE ON 



MERCHANT MARINE AND FISHERIES 



Mr, Chairman, and members of the Subconunittee, I am Alix Ritchie, a member and 

 the immediate past chair of the Cape Cod Commission. I am pleased to be here 

 today on behalf of Barrwtable County and the Cape Cod Commission, to conunent 

 on the Biological Opinion prepared by the National Marine Fisheries Service 

 (NMFS), on the effects of the proposed operation of the Massachusetts Water 

 Resources Authority's (MWRA) outfall, as described in the NPDES permit 

 application before the Environmental Protection Agency, on endangered and 

 threatened spedes and their habitats in Massachusetts and Cape Cod bays. My 

 remarks are based on analysis that has been performed for Barnstable County by a 

 panel of five scientists selected for their expertise and special qualifications in fields 

 relevant to this review. 



The federal government has highlighted the national significance of Massachusetts 

 and Cape Cod bays by taking three signficant actions: 



* designation of the bays as an Estuary of National Significance; 



• designation of Stellv/agen Bank as a National Marine Sanctuary; and 



» proposing the designation of eastern Cape Cod Bay as Critical Habitat for the 

 right whale. 



Cape Codders have always been aware of the productivity and value of Cape Cod 

 and Massachusetts Bays and Stellwagcn BaiUc. Concern for the region's resources, 

 and the long term impact the IvfWRA project may have on this ecosystem, 

 particularly on the endangered and theatened spedes it supports, have led regional 

 and local governments on Cape Cod, as well as many individual Cape Codders, to 

 carefully scrutinize tlie MWRA project 



Residents' concerns led Barnstable County's legislative body, the Assembly of 

 Delegates, to pass a resolution in November 1991, a copy of which has been 

 submitted for the record, outlining the County's major concerns regarding the 

 MWRA facihty. The resolution includes a set of specific actions to be taken to 

 protect the bays' ecosystem. Many of these actions are embodied in tlie 

 Conservation Recommendations and Additional Studies specified in the Opinion. 

 We are pleased to see that NMFS agrees udth the County's call to action, and we 

 believe that these measures are vital to the protection of our endangered spedes. 



