The Situation
The Executive Order signed on July 19, 2010 established the National Ocean Policy which will guide the development of several US regional ocean management plans designed to balance wise use and protection of shared ocean resources.
The Project
With the recommendations that were provided by the Interagency Ocean Policy Task Force for Coastal and Marine Spatial Planning , the National Ocean Policy will initiate and put forth a Plan (or series of regional plans) to better protect and manage our ever-increasing needs from coastal and ocean waters.
Role in Coastal and Marine Spatial Planning
The National Ocean Policy is a comprehensive policy tool that mandates the development of regional ocean plans that are grounded in the principles of coastal and marine spatial planning.
Challenges & Applications
Coordinating efforts and addressing needs of multiple Federal, Tribal, State and NGO entities -across several US regions– is an unprecedented undertaking. The challenges associated with the development of region-wide ocean management plans will be numerous and formidable. Fortunately a few states, MA prime among them, have considerable, successful experience in coastal and marine spatial planning—much of the work recently completed in MA can be scaled up for national application with reduced time and cost.
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Our coastal and ocean waters are “life support” for all of America—they provide millions of jobs, food, transportation, influence climate and weather and produce much of the oxygen we breathe. Wise and coordinated management of these shared resources is paramount to our national security and economy. |