“Seas” the opportunity to hear from attorneys who practice in the deep waters of local harbor management in Connecticut and Massachusetts.
In this EBC Ocean and Coastal Resources “Coffee Hour”, Attorneys John Casey of Robinson+Cole and Glenn Wood of Rubin and Rudman will discuss how recent legal decisions from courts in Connecticut and Massachusetts have changed the “regulatory” tides with respect to local harbor management and what this means for existing and future development along the coast.
In Armstrong v. Secretary of Energy and Environmental Affairs, the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court found that certain regulations promulgated under the Chapter 91 regulatory framework (Massachusetts’s public trust doctrine) are invalid because they give an unlawful amount of authority to the Secretary of the Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs in approving a Municipal Harbor Plan, which allows for variances from the existing waterfront development permitting scheme. In Connecticut, The Appellate Court in Cohen v. State of Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection clarified the role and powers of local harbor management commissions in the state coastal permitting process. This meeting will provide an opportunity to first discuss the waterfront development regulatory framework within Connecticut and Massachusetts and then review the recent legal decisions and how they could impact existing and future coastal development.
EBC Discussion Meetings are open to EBC Members only. The intention of the meeting is to provide an opportunity for EBC Members to connect with others and discuss a current issue in the industry. Moderation will be light and all are encouraged to ask questions and provide their thoughts.
Find out more about the EBC Ocean and Coastal Resources Committee.
