Our Stakeholder Letter to Senators Markey and Warren, and Congressman Keating
Alliance to Protect Nantucket Sound
American Bird Conservancy
Barnstable Clean Water Coalition
Barnstable Historical Commission
Barnstable Land Trust
Barnstable Municipal Airport Commission
Bay State Wind
Black Dog Tall Ships
Cahoon Museum of American Art
Cape Cod Chamber of Commerce
Cape Cod Life Publications
Cape Cod Marine Trades Association
Cape Cod Maritime Museum
Cape Cod Salties Sportfishing Club
Cape Wildlife Center
Catboat Charters
Cetacean Society International
Crosby Yacht Yard
Dennis Historical Commission
Earth Island Institute/International Marine Mammal Project
Edgartown Historic District Commission
Figawi Charities
Freedom Cruise Line Inc.
Gloucester Fishermen’s Wives Association
Greater Hyannis Chamber of Commerce
Greater Hyannis Civic Association
Harwich Chamber of Commerce
Harwich Conservation Trust
Historical Society of Santuit and Cotuit
Hyannis Business Improvement District
Hyannis Historical Society
Hyannis Marina
Hyannis Port Civic Association
Hy-Line Cruises
Island Queen/Island Commuter Corporation
Marine Renewable Energy Collaborative
Martha’s Vineyard Chamber of Commerce
Mashpee Chamber of Commerce
Mashpee Wampanoag Tribe
Massachusetts Commercial Fishermen
Massachusetts Competitive Partnership
Massachusetts Fishermen’s Partnership
Massachusetts Lobstermen’s Association
Nantucket Anglers’ Club
Nantucket Historic District Commission
Nantucket Historical Association
Nantucket Island Chamber of Commerce
National Association of Tribal Historic Preservation Officers (NATHPO)
Orenda Wildlife Land Trust
Osterville Anglers’ Club
Osterville Historical Museum
Oyster Harbors Marine
Passenger Vessel Association
Pegasus Foundation
Port of New Bedford
Preservation Massachusetts
Save Popponesset Bay
South Shore Lobster Fishermen’s Association
The Cultural Landscape Foundation
Town of Barnstable
Town of Dennis
Town of Edgartown
Town of Harwich
Town of Mashpee
Town of Nantucket
Town of Oak Bluffs
Town of Tisbury
Town of Yarmouth
United South and Eastern Tribes (USET)
Vineyard Conservation Society
Vineyard Wind
Wampanoag Tribe of Gay Head (Aquinnah)
Woods Hole, Martha’s Vineyard and Nantucket Steamship Authority
Yarmouth Chamber of Commerce
Yarmouth Historical Commission
June 17, 2019
Dear Senator Markey, Senator Warren and Congressman Keating:
We the undersigned write to you to urge you to introduce and support federal legislation to secure permanent protection for Nantucket Sound. Nantucket Sound and its historic, environmental, wildlife and cultural resources are of great importance to the regional economy – supporting commercial and recreational fishing, tourism, marine transportation, aviation, marine trades, and other businesses and industries that are vital to the Cape and Islands.
Permanent protection would preserve Nantucket Sound’s rich cultural and tribal heritage and the historic features of its maritime history, including the role of our fishing industry. It would maintain the Sound’s unique environment with respect to fish, marine mammals and birds. The area is a recognized habitat for many state and federally protected species, including roseate terns, piping plovers, sea turtles, right whales and grey seals. Protection would also promote tourism and benefit the regional economy of the Cape and Islands. As historic preservation advocates, environmentalists, commercial fishermen, tribes, businesses, chambers of commerce, municipalities, environmentalists, elected officials and others, we fully embrace this important preservation goal.
Nantucket Sound, Cape Cod and the Islands of Martha’s Vineyard and Nantucket form an integral part of the maritime history of this country. The adjacent land areas are home to numerous historic properties, including the National Historic Landmarks of Nantucket Island and the Kennedy Compound in Hyannis Port. This unique ecosystem is home to many different species of wildlife, including federally protected birds, and several types of seals, porpoises, turtles and whales. The Sound supports a fishing industry that is of historic significance and continuing economic importance, and it attracts millions of visitors each year to drive our local tourist economy. Nantucket Sound also has sacred value to the Native American people of the region and, as such, has been designated a traditional cultural property eligible for listing on the National Register of Historic Places.
We fully support protection for the historic, environmental, cultural and tribal resources of Nantucket Sound while allowing for continued commercial and recreational fishing activities and other ecologically and economically sustainable uses of the marine environment, including the siting of electrical transmission infrastructure from responsibly-sited clean energy projects. We urge you to designate the Sound as a National Historic Landmark to recognize this unique cultural, tribal, environmental and maritime history. We also urge you to prohibit the issuance of any leases or permits authorizing energy generation projects in the Sound while ensuring that no regulatory or management authority of commercial or recreational fishing activities is added through this legislation. Furthermore, we urge that this legislation not in any way prohibit or otherwise impact the installation of transmission infrastructure that is used exclusively to connect to the mainland grid offshore wind generation facilities whose turbine arrays are located more than 10 miles from an inhabited area or that are located in upland locations.
Such a bill would be precedent-setting legislation that achieves protection of the many public interest values of an entire marine ecosystem and does so without imposing additional cost or management responsibilities on government or new regulatory requirements on businesses or the public. We appreciate your prompt attention to enactment of federal legislation to preserve this national treasure in perpetuity. Thank you.
Audra Parker
President and Chief Executive Officer
Alliance to Protect Nantucket Sound
Steve Holmer
Vice President of Policy
American Bird Conservancy
Zenas Crocker
Executive Director
Barnstable Clean Water Coalition
Historical Commissioners
Barnstable Historical Commission
Janet Milkman
Executive Director
Barnstable Land Trust
John T. Griffin, Jr.
Chairman
Barnstable Municipal Airport Commission
Peter Allen and Michael Ausere
Directors
Bay State Wind
Robert S. Douglas
President
Black Dog Tall Ships/Coastwise Packet Co.
Sara Johnson
Director
Cahoon Museum of American Art
Wendy Northcross
Executive Director
Cape Cod Chamber of Commerce
Brian Shortsleeve
Owner
Cape Cod Publications
Scott Zeien
President
Cape Cod Marine Trades Association
Elizabeth Rabideau
Executive Director
Cape Cod Maritime Museum
Jack Creighton
President
Cape Cod Salties Sportfishing Club
Zak Mertz
Executive Director
Cape Wildlife Center
Kurt Peterson
Captain
Catboat Charters
David Kaplan
President
Cetacean Society International
Gregory R. Egan
Vice President
Crosby Yacht Yard
Historic Commission
Dennis Historical Commission
Dave Phillips
Executive Director
Earth Island Institute/ International Marine Mammal Project
District Commission
Edgartown Historic District Commission
Leo Fein
President
Figawi Charities
Jack Sheeran
President
Freedom Cruise Line Inc.
Angela Sanfilippo
Executive Director
Gloucester Fishermen’s Wives Association
Todd Deluca
Executive Director
Greater Hyannis Chamber of Commerce
Deborah Krau
President
Greater Hyannis Civic Association
Board of Directors
Harwich Chamber of Commerce
Michael Lach
Executive Director
Harwich Conservation Trust
Board of Directors
Historical Society of Santuit and Cotuit
Elizabeth Wurfbain
Executive Director
Hyannis Business Improvement District
Jack MacDonald
President
Hyannis Historical Society
Wayne Kurker
President
Hyannis Marina
Jake Filoon
President
Hyannis Port Civic Association
Murray Scudder, Jr.
Vice President/Operation
Hy-Line Cruises
Charles Bardelis, Jr.
Owner and President
Island Queen/Island Commuter Corporation
John R. Miller
Executive Director
Marine Renewable Energy Collaborative of New England (MRECo)
Nancy Gardella
Executive Director
Martha’s Vineyard Chamber of Commerce
Mary Lou Palumbo
Executive Director
Mashpee Chamber of Commerce
Chuckie Greene
Director Natural Resources
Mashpee Wampanoag Tribe
Ron Borjeson
Vice President
Massachusetts Commercial Fishermen
Dan O’Connell
President and Chief Executive Officer
Massachusetts Competitive Partnership
Angela Sanfilippo
Executive Director
Massachusetts Fishermen’s Partnership
Arthur “Sooky” Sawyer
President
Massachusetts Lobstermen’s Association
Kris Wiggin
President
Nantucket Anglers’ Club
Board of Commissioners
Nantucket Historic District Commission
James Russell
Executive Director
Nantucket Historical Association
David W. Martin
President/CEO
Nantucket Island Chamber of Commerce
Valerie Grussing
Executive Director
National Association of Tribal Historic Preservation Officers (NATHPO)
Theresa M. Barbo
Executive Director
Orenda Wildlife Land Trust
Bruce Cunningham
President
Osterville Anglers’ Club
Jennifer Morgan Williams
Executive Director
Osterville Historical Museum
Peter Maryott
Vice President
Oyster Harbors Marine
Mr. Robert J. Lawler, Jr.
President
Passenger Vessel Association
Barbara Birdsey
Founder
Pegasus Foundation
Ed Anthes-Washburn
Port Director and NBPA Executive Director
Port of New Bedford
Jim Igoe
President and Chief Executive Officer
Preservation Massachusetts
Mike Oleksak
President
Save Popponesset Bay
John Haviland
President
South Shore Lobster Fishermen’s Association
Charles A. Birnbaum
President and CEO
The Cultural Landscape Foundation
Mark Ells
Town Manager
Town of Barnstable
Board of Selectmen
Town of Dennis
Board of Selectmen
Town of Edgartown
Board of Selectmen
Town of Harwich
Board of Selectmen
Town of Mashpee
Select Board
Town of Nantucket
Board of Selectmen
Town of Oak Bluffs
Board of Selectmen
Town of Tisbury
Dan Knapik
Town Administrator
Town of Yarmouth
Chief Kirk E. Francis, Sr.
President
United South and Eastern Tribes (USET)
Brendan O’Neill
Executive Director
Vineyard Conservation Society
Erich Stephens
Chief Development Officer
Vineyard Wind
Cheryl Andrews-Maltais
Chairwoman
Wampanoag Tribe of Gay Head (Aquinnah)
Robert B. Davis
General Manager
Woods Hole, Martha’s Vineyard and Nantucket Steamship Authority
Board of Directors
Yarmouth Chamber of Commerce
Yarmouth Historical Committee
Yarmouth Historical Commission
