FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: September 18, 2009
Contact: Court Squires (202) 543-5509
White House Releases Long Awaited Framework for National Ocean Policy
Washington, DC - The White House Council on Environmental Quality's Interagency Ocean Policy Task Force today released its interim report for a national policy aimed at protecting, maintaining and restoring the health of ocean, coastal and Great Lakes ecosystems and the economies they support.
"It has taken 40 years - from the Stratton Commission report - to get to this point," said Marine Fish Conservation Network Executive Director Bruce Stedman, "And, it is long overdue. We're delighted to see it and the overarching objectives are ones we strongly support. We appreciate the adaptive nature of the proposed planning process, and the concern for urgent action reflected in the report."
The Task Force report outlines nine objectives for a national ocean, coastal and Great Lakes policy, starting with the adoption of an ecosystem approach to conservation and management as a foundational principle. To achieve this objective, the Task Force calls for better coordination and comprehensive planning (commonly termed "marine spatial planning") among federal agencies, the states and tribes, highlighting the need for a coordinated system of scientific data collection and monitoring to make informed decisions about the uses of ocean and coastal resources. The report underscores the importance of sustainable land use practices in order to improve water quality in coastal marine waters, as well as actions to strengthen the ability of marine and Great Lakes ecosystems to adapt in an era of rapid global climate change, including the newly ice-free portions of the Arctic Ocean.
The policy will affect the 3.4 million square nautical miles of ocean territory in the United States known as the exclusive economic zone (EEZ), an area larger than the combined land area of all fifty states. This vast territory is held in the public trust and encompasses a rich diversity of living marine resources that are important to the economy, quality of life and the health of coastal and ocean ecosystems. In recognition of the national importance of the EEZ and its value to the American public, in June the Obama administration ordered the Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ) to lead this Task Force, comprised of federal agencies, to develop recommendations for a national ocean policy and a planning mechanism to implement the policy.
To view the interim report and make comments on the draft visit:
http://www.whitehouse.gov/administration/eop/ceq/initiatives/oceans/interimreport/ 
