On January 12, 2012, the National Ocean Council released a Draft National Ocean Policy Implementation Plan aimed at implementing the nine Priority Objectives identified by President Obama's June 2010 Executive Order through more than 50 action items. The Draft Implementation Plan is the latest step in the Council's effort to develop and assist federal, state and local agencies with the implementation of a National Ocean Policy that is consistent with the Executive Order.
Background
On June 12, 2009, President Obama issued a Presidential Memorandum creating an Interagency Ocean Task Force charged with developing recommendations for a National Ocean Policy and a recommended framework for effective Coastal and Marine Spatial Planning ("CMSP"). The Task Force conducted stakeholder meetings and briefings through fall 2009, issued an interim report on September 10, 2009, and released an interim framework for CMSP on December 9, 2009. On July 19, 2009, the Task Force released its final recommendations and President Obama issued the Executive Order adopting those recommendations and creating the National Ocean Council to help guide agency implementation of the recommendations. In January 2011, the Council released a document outlining the legal authorities related to the implementation of CMSP and released a Notice of Intent and Request for Comments for the development of Strategic Action Plans ("SAPs") that addressed the Priority Objectives identified in the 2010 Executive Order. On June 2, 2011, the Council released the draft outline SAPs for public comment and conducted a series of listening sessions with stakeholders.
Draft Implementation Plan
The Draft Implementation Plan consists of more than 50 actions related to the nine original Priority Objectives to be taken by the federal government to implement the National Ocean Policy. For each action, the Draft Implementation Plan identifies key milestones, responsible agencies and the expected timeframe for completion. The nine Priority Objectives and Draft Implementation Plan's action items are as follows:
- Ecosystem-Based Management ("EBM"):
Adopt EBM as a foundational principle for the comprehensive
management of the ocean, our coasts and the Great Lakes.
The action items identified are (1) establish a framework for
collaboration and a shared set of goals for federal implementation
of EBM; (2) establish a science framework to support science-based
EBM implementation; (3) build capacity to implement EBM through
training on principles, best practices and decision-support tools;
and (4) identify and implement location-based pilot projects that
foster an EBM approach to managing ocean and coastal
resources.
- Inform Decisions and Improve Understanding:
Increase knowledge to continually inform and improve management
and policy decisions and the capacity to respond to change and
challenges; better educate the public through formal and informal
programs about the ocean, our coasts and the Great Lakes.
The action items identified are (1) advance fundamental
scientific knowledge through exploration and research; (2) provide
scientific information to support emerging sustainable uses of
resources including renewable energy, aquaculture and
biotechnology; (3) provide the data and tools necessary to support
science-based decision making and ecosystem-based management; (4)
integrate social and natural scientific information into decision
making; (5) develop human capacity and the skilled workforce
necessary to conduct ocean research and manage ocean, coastal and
Great Lakes resources; and (6) increase ocean and coastal literacy
by expanding the accessibility and use of ocean content in formal
and informal educational programming for students, educators and
the public.
- Ocean, Coastal and Great Lakes Observation, Mapping and
Infrastructure: Strengthen and integrate federal and
non-federal ocean observation systems, sensors, data collection
platforms, data management and mapping capabilities into a national
system and integrate that system into international observation
efforts. The action items identified are (1) assess the
status of the Federal Oceanographic Fleet; (2) improve unmanned and
satellite remote sensing systems; (3) advance observation and
sampling technologies for exploring and understanding the
complexities of land, ocean, atmosphere, ice, biological and social
interactions on a global scale; (4) provide local and regional
observation systems to support a variety of ocean, coastal and
Great Lakes users; (5) coordinate and leverage ocean and coastal
mapping efforts to improve access to existing data and efficiently
collect future data; (6) improve mapping capabilities and mapping
products; and (7) develop an integrated ocean and coastal data
collection, processing and management system to support real-time
observations.
- Coordinate and Support: Better coordinate
and support federal, state, tribal, local and regional management
of the ocean, our coasts and the Great Lakes. Improve
coordination and integration across the federal government and, as
appropriate, engage with the international community.
The action items identified are (1) support regional
priorities and enhance regional partnerships; (2) strengthen
existing partnerships and establish new partnerships, as
appropriate, to enhance the actions within the Implementation Plan;
(3) reduce barriers to implementation of the National Ocean Policy;
(4) develop cross-cutting budget analyses that address priority
areas in the National Ocean Policy; (5) improve efficiency of
permitting ocean, coastal and Great Lakes uses; and
(6) address high-priority ocean policy issues through
international engagement by promoting the exchange of information
and expertise.
- Regional Ecosystem Protection and Restoration:
Establish and implement an integrated ecosystem protection and
restoration strategy that is science-based and aligns conservation
and restoration goals at the federal, state, tribal, local and
regional levels. The action items identified are (1)
develop and transfer decision support tools to identify land
protection and restoration priorities; (2) reduce coastal wetland
loss and improve understanding of coastal wetland status and
trends; (3) incorporate carbon sequestration into costal habitat
conservation; (4) strengthen interagency collaboration to protect
and conserve coral reef ecosystems; (5) locate, control and, where
possible, eradicate invasive species populations; (6) identify
nationally significant marine and Great Lakes natural and cultural
areas in need of protection; and (7) improve the effectiveness of
coastal and estuarine habitat restoration projects.
- Resiliency and Adaptation to Climate Change and Ocean
Acidification: Strengthen resiliency of coastal
communities and marine and Great Lakes environments and their
abilities to adapt to climate change impacts and ocean
acidification. The action items identified are (1)
strengthen and integrate observations from the nation's
protected areas, research sites and observation systems into a
coordinated network of sentinel sites to track changes in the
condition of ocean, coastal and Great Lakes environments and
communities; (2) determine the impacts of climate change, ocean
acidification and interacting stressors on ecological, economic and
social systems; (3) provide critical projections of climate change
impacts on coasts and oceans at decision-relevant scales;
(4) assess the vulnerability of coastal and ocean environments
and communities to climate change and ocean acidification; (5)
strengthen interagency coordination on the development and
provision of information, training, guidance, tools and support for
adaptation practitioners; and (6) design, implement and evaluate
adaptation strategies to reduce vulnerabilities and promote
informed decisions.
- Water Quality and Sustainable Practices on
Land: Enhance water quality in the ocean, along our
coasts and in the Great Lakes by promoting and implementing
sustainable practices on land. The action items
identified are (1) reduce rural sources of excessive nutrients,
sediments, toxins and pathogens; (2) reduce urban sources of
excessive nutrients, sediments, toxins and pathogens; (3) minimize
impacts of hypoxia; (4) minimize impacts of harmful algal blooms;
(5) address threats posed by toxic chemicals and land-use practices
to human, environmental and wildlife health; (6) reduce the impacts
of trash and marine debris on ocean, coastal and Great Lakes waters
and associated watersheds through cooperative efforts aimed at
pollution prevention, reduction and removal; and (7) identify,
seek to protect and maintain high-quality near-shore ocean, coastal
and Great Lakes waters.
- Changing Conditions in the Arctic: Address
environmental stewardship needs in the Arctic Ocean and adjacent
coastal areas in the face of climate-induced and other
environmental changes. The action items identified are
(1) improve Arctic environmental response management; (2) observe
and forecast Arctic sea ice; (3) implement a distributed biological
observatory; (4) enhance communication systems in the Arctic; and
(5) advance Arctic mapping and charting.
- Coastal and Marine Spatial Planning: Implement comprehensive, integrated, ecosystem-based CMSP and management in the United States. The action items identified are (1) distribute a Handbook for Regional Coastal and Marine Spatial Planning; (2) convene regional workshops and CMSP exercises; (3) by 2015, incorporate all of the applicable non-confidential and other non-classified federal data identified for inclusion into a National Information Management System and Data Portal (ocean.data.gov); (4) establish regional planning bodies; and (5) within three to five years of their establishment, develop nine regional planning bodies (i.e., one per region) with Council-certified regional CMS Plans for the sustainable use and long-term protection of the ocean, coasts and Great Lakes.
Opportunities for Stakeholder Involvement
The Draft Implementation Plan is currently available for review, with the comment period scheduled to close on February 27, 2012. The Council has requested public comments on the Plan that will be considered in the final draft, expected in the Spring of 2012. Once the Plan is final, each of the 27 federal agencies participating in the Council will begin to implement the action items identified above. The agencies will also coordinate and collaborate with state, tribal and local authorities, regional governance structures, academic institutions, non-governmental organizations, recreational users, private enterprise, and other stakeholders. The Council views the Plan as adaptive and anticipates conducting annual reviews to ensure that new information is incorporated and the Plan is being implemented as efficiently and effectively as possible.
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