Tag Archives: National Ocean Policy
Trump administration replaces Obama-era ocean policy
The Trump administration has revoked an environmental and economic management program for the United States’ coastal ecosystems and replaced it with a program that the president says “streamlines federal coordination.” The National Ocean Policy (NOP), created by an executive order by President Barack Obama in July 2010, established a comprehensive program to ensure the sustainability of the country’s coastal areas and the health of oceans and the Great Lakes. According to a White House news release issued Tuesday, President Donald Trump’s repeal of the 2010 executive order was done because of “excessive bureaucracy created by the previous administration,” citing the National Ocean Council’s 27 departments and agencies. >click to read<17:17
From the White House – Executive Order Regarding the Ocean Policy to Advance the Economic, Security, and Environmental Interests of the United States – >click to read<
Hearing – National Ocean Policy: Stakeholder Perspectives, Tuesday, December 12, 2017 2:30 p.m.
U.S. Sen. Dan Sullivan (R-Alaska), chairman of the Subcommittee on Oceans, Atmosphere, Fisheries, and Coast Guard, will convene a hearing titled “National Ocean Policy: Stakeholder Perspectives,” at 2:30 p.m. on Tuesday, December 12, 2017. The hearing will examine the state of the National Ocean Policy and the program’s interaction with existing laws and regulations for ocean management. Witnesses: – Ms. Bonnie Brady, Executive Director, Long Island Commercial Fishing Association – Mr. Christopher Guith, Senior Vice President, Global Energy Institute, U.S. Chamber of Commerce – Mr. Dan Keppen, Executive Director, Family Farm Alliance – Ms. Kathy Metcalf, President and CEO, Chamber of Shipping of America click here to read, and the link will open to watch the proceedings tomorrow @ 2:30 pm
Enviros Stressed! How We Can Defend the Ocean now that Trump Will Be at the Helm of the Ship of State
Like a rogue wave the Election Day victory of Donald Trump for President has left about half the nation stunned and the other half giddy. Among those most worried – environmentalists who are girding for a long series of battles around climate and expecting attacks on keystone agencies, executive orders and legislation including pollution emission standards, the Clean Water Act and the EPA. As Ocean conservationists we face huge challenges including the prospect of the National Ocean Policy being deep sixed. President Obama launched this in 2010 with the intent to encourage closer collaboration between federal agencies and to coordinate ocean uses at the regional level. What former Coast Guard Commandant Thad Allen called, “putting urban planning into the water column.” Still, some Republicans consider it the Obamacare of the Ocean so there’s a strong likelihood it will be scuttled. We can also expect continued Senate inaction on ratifying the Law of the Seas Convention, the UN treaty by which most of the world’s nations agree on issues relating to navigation, scientific exploration and territorial claims on and below the ocean. Hillary Clinton had pledged to see it passed if she became President but some Senate Republicans see it as a UN power grab. Because of this, we expect the U.S. to remain a non-signatory power. Read the rest here 16:54
Last two public hearings for Northeast Regional Ocean Plan – tonight in R.I., tomorrow night in Maine
A plan to improve (?) management facets of the ocean and coasts of the northeastern U.S. states is headed for its final public hearings in Rhode Island and Maine. The second-to-last hearing about the Northeast Regional Ocean Plan is scheduled for Wednesday night at the Coastal Institute of the University of Rhode Island in Narragansett, Rhode Island. The last one is Thursday night at Glickman Library of the University of Southern Maine in Portland, Maine. The ocean plan is an outgrowth of the National Ocean Policy established by presidential executive order in 2010. It deals with many aspects of ocean planning, including marine life and habitat, commercial and recreational fishing and discusses national security. Website for the Northeast Regional Planning Body click here 13:11
Voters need to take action to save fishing industry – By Christian Putnam
The federal government could take a page from Gov. Baker’s playbook when it comes to breaking through bureaucratic roadblocks and promoting efficiency. Instead the Obama administration created the National Ocean Policy in 2010 by executive order as a way to deal with the oceans and the future of commercial fishing. In 2012, an implementation plan was outlined, resulting in a 2016 work plan. The National Ocean Policy was billed as a process by which stakeholders could have more direct and immediate control over stewardship of the oceans and the resources within. Instead it has turned into a regulatory burden that requires the participation of many federal agencies, creating an extended process in reacting to changes in the environment and the needs of stakeholders, including the endangered New England Commercial Fisherman. After 40 years of the Magnuson-Stevens Act, it has become apparent that the federal government is just not that good at managing our fisheries resources. Read the rest here 17:38
Mid Atlantic: National Ocean Policy threatens new regulatory burdens
Since its creation by Executive Order in 2010, the Obama administration has hailed its National Ocean Policy (NOP) as a non-regulatory, stakeholder-driven initiative that will lead to reduced burdens and less uncertainty for ocean user groups. In reality, it’s nothing of the sort. This was highlighted recently during a hearing held by the U.S. House Natural Resources’ Water, Power and Oceans Subcommittee on the implications of the NOP, where House Natural Resources Committee Chairman Rob Bishop summed up many of the concerns of stakeholders when he noted that “it’s creating more uncertainty, and it certainly is not helping the industry and it’s not helping the environment.” You know what? He’s right. The Long Island Commercial Fishing Association (LICFA) has been closely monitoring the development and implementation of the NOP since its establishment six years ago. We’ve had no other choice, as we represent stakeholders in New York’s $1.4 billion boat-to-table seafood industry, with Long Island in particular landing 99 percent of the state’s wild-caught seafood. Read the rest here 16:42
Overreach of Obama’s National Ocean Policy Begins in NY, issues 10-year Ocean Action Plan
“This marks the first time a state member of the Mid-Atlantic Regional Planning Body for the National Ocean Policy has issued a statewide ocean action plan,” said DEC Commissioner Joe Martens in a statement. “This plan will help protect the more than 300 marine fish species reproducing and growing in these waters, support the valuable commercial and recreational fishing industries, as well as the 94 miles of New York State beaches that attract millions of visitors each year.” Read the rest here 22:07
The Squatters are coming! Bay State Making Plans for Ocean Development
In the third of five public hearings on the 2014 draft Massachusetts Ocean Management Plan, Coastal Zone Management (CZM) director Bruce Carlisle opened the Oct. 22 meeting by quoting the original 2004 Ocean Management Task Force” “The ocean can no longer be a place where use is determined on a first-come, first-served basis for competing multiple uses.” Read the rest here 17:39
Let the National Ocean Policy Bureaucracy Begin! – U.S. Initiates Prototype System to Gauge National Marine Biodiversity
NOAA and NASA are funding three demonstration projects that will lay the foundation for the first national network to monitor marine biodiversity at scales ranging from microbes to whales. The U.S. Department of the Interior’s Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) also plans to contribute. This joint effort supports the U.S. National Ocean Policy to,,, Read the rest here 07:44
Obama will propose vast expansion of Pacific Ocean marine sanctuary
The announcement — details of which were provided to The Washington Post — is part of a broader push on maritime issues by an administration that has generally favored other environmental priorities. The oceans effort, led by Secretary of State John F. Kerry and White House counselor John D. Podesta, is likely to spark a new political battle with Republicans over the scope of Obama’s executive powers. More here 05:20
Alaskan Beth Kerttula named White House director of National Ocean Policy
JUNEAU — Alaska’s Beth Kerttula, who left the Legislature earlier this year for a Stanford fellowship in ocean policy, has been tapped to become the new ocean policy director for the Obama White House. Read more here 06:46
NATIONAL OCEANS MONTH, 2014 BY THE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA A PROCLAMATION
Americans look to the oceans as natural treasures, a source of food and energy, and a foundation for our way of life. Our oceans, coasts, and Great Lakes provide jobs and attract tourism. They provide a habitat for scores of species. They are vital to our Nation’s transportation, economy, and trade, linking us with countries across the globe and playing a role in our national security. This month, we reaffirm our responsibility to keep our oceans and coastal ecosystems healthy and resilient. Read more here 11:28
VIDEO – Bureau of Land Management, NOAA, NMFS, US Interior, BOEM, National Ocean Policy Same Same Same
Support Nevada Cattle Rancher Cliven Bundy – You will be supporting your industry too. This is all too familiar. It must stop. Watch this video. 10:22
House Natural Resources Committee Chairman Doc Hastings presses Obama administration for ocean plan docs
Chief Surgeon Doc Hastings (R-Wash.)House Natural Resources Committee and his surgical team has ordered a P.E.T. scan of the National Ocean Policy to understand the workings of the inter-agency National Ocean Council, tasked to implement the Executive Ordered policy. The policy was designed to streamline inter-agency bureaucratic activity related to all thing’s Ocean’s and Great Lakes, including interconnected rivers and tributary’s. In addition to ridicules claim that the Ocean Policy consists of voluntary, non-regulatory guidelines, there is also the issue of not having the foggiest of just how much dough this plan will cost! Read the article @thehill Read the letter to Dr. Kathryn Sullivan, Acting Under Secretary, NOAA
Compass: New federal ocean policy bodes ill for Alaska – Rep. Charisse Millett, R-Anchorage,
ADN- Alaskans today have tremendous potential opportunities that can provide lasting benefits for decades to come. Plentiful energy and mineral resources, new Arctic shipping lanes, vibrant fisheries, and a bustling tourism i
ndustry are but a few of the areas that could all combine to usher in a new era of unprecedented economic and societal prosperity for the people of Alaska and beyond. Unfortunately, prospects for this bright future could potentially be delayed if not derailed as a result of President Obama’s issuance of the July 2010 and the recently-released National Ocean Policy Final Implementation Plan. continued
Final draft of ocean plan out, management details unclear. Don Young see’s right through it!
Peninsula Clarion – “From the very beginning, I have voiced my opposition to this red-taped monstrosity the administration calls a National Ocean Policy. Through hearings, in both Washington D.C., and Anchorage, and in meetings with fisherman from across the country, it’s become clear that this National Oceans Policy will bring a variety of negative implications, from both an economic and management prospective,” Young said in a statement. “From oil and gas, to fishing, agriculture, or home building, no industry on land or at sea escapes the net of this new policy.” continued
Fishing Industry Concerned About Ocean Zoning Plan
Maryland Coastal Dispatch – “This plan embodies the type of efficient, collaborative government that taxpayers, communities and businesses expect from their federal government,” said Nancy Sutley, Co-Chair of the National Ocean Council this week. “With increasing demands on our oceans, we must improve how we work together, share information and plan smartly to grow our economy, keep our ocean healthy and enjoy the highest benefits from our ocean resources now and in the future. continued
If you really want to keep our oceans healthy , Nancy, keep that junk away from it!
An Ocean Champion in the White House – hee hee hee yeah ok!
It should come as no surprise that a president who grew up in Hawaii and has been known to enjoy the occasional vacation on Martha’s Vineyard would prioritize policies that result in the improved management of America’s oceans and coasts. continued
National Ocean Policy Implementation Plan
To translate President Obama’s National Policy for the Stewardship of the Ocean, Our Coasts, and the Great Lakes into on-the-ground actions to benefit the American people, the National Ocean Council released the National Ocean Policy Implementation Plan. The Implementation Plan describes specific actions Federal agencies will take to address key ocean challenges, give states and communities greater input in Federal decisions, streamline Federal operations, save taxpayer
dollars, and promote economic growth. continued.
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