Story and photos by Joseph Sapia
Years in the making, a draft of the Mid-Atlantic Regional Ocean Action Plan has been released by a group composed of federal, state and American Indian agencies and now awaits comment from the public.
The 134-page draft, which covers Atlantic Ocean coastal waters up to 200 miles offshore from New York to Virginia, deals with a variety of issues, including transportation, commercial fishing, wind power, recreation and national security.
The draft, released July 6, is open for comment until Sept. 6. Then, the draft’s author, the Mid-Atlantic Regional Planning Body (RPB), will review the comments and is expected to submit a finalized plan to the National Ocean Council by the end of the year.
The National Ocean Council is expected to either approve or turn down the plan in early 2017.
The importance of the plan is that it puts various agencies of the federal government, American Indians and New York, New Jersey, Delaware, Maryland and Virginia – which the Sandy Hook-based American Littoral Society (ALS) estimated at 140 or so agencies – talking and sharing information, rather than working independently only to later find out there is disagreement.
“It’s them coming to the table to work that out,” said Sarah Winter Whelan, ALS’ ocean policy program director. “The hope is to head that off before it happens.”
“One of the really positive things is all the relationships (between) the agencies,” said Cindy Zipf, executive director of the Sandy Hook-based Clean Ocean Action.
“I think they’ve come a long way,” said Matt Gove, Mid-Atlantic police manager of the Surfrider Foundation, a surfing-environmental group. “I think they’ve made a historic first step in managing the ocean, bringing agencies together.”
Gove, Whelan and about 45 others attended an open house – the second of five scheduled – at Monmouth University Thursday, July 14.
Three open houses – in Virginia, Maryland and Delaware – also have been held. The last of the open houses is scheduled for 6 to 8 p.m. Wednesday, July 27, at Suffolk County Community College in Selden, New York.
At the Monmouth University open house, agencies represented as part of the RPB included the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection (DEP), National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), federal Department of Transportation (USDOT), Coast Guard and Navy. The RPB is part of the federal Bureau of Ocean Energy Management.
“This is an effort to pull together all the diverse agencies to better collaborate,” said Elizabeth Semple, acting manager of the DEP’s Office of Coastal and Land-Use Planning.
Kevin Hassel, the DEP’s coordinator of Coastal and Marine Spatial Planning, said the plan does not impose new regulations. Instead, “it’s a huge help in how we manage everything,” Hassel said.
“I think it’s really awesome, great,” Fred Akers, administrator of the Great Egg Harbor Watershed Association in South Jersey, told the agencies panel.
But Akers expressed disappointment the draft made no mention of federal national scenic and recreational rivers, such as the Great Egg Harbor River.
But representatives at the Monmouth University open house welcomed input from stakeholders, such as environmental groups and the general public. People’s voices show “everyone cares about the ocean,” said John Kennedy, director of the USDOT’s Maritime Administration.
“You can actually change the course of our discussions,” Kennedy said.
Specifics of the draft include such things as: mapping shifts in ocean species and habitats, developing a strategy for debris reduction, addressing navigation needs, conducting an inventory of obsolete pipelines and telecommunication cables, and identifying priority research needs.
Years in the making, a draft of the Mid-Atlantic Regional Ocean Action Plan has been released by a group composed of federal, state and American Indian agencies and now awaits comment from the public.
The 134-page draft, which covers Atlantic Ocean coastal waters up to 200 miles offshore from New York to Virginia, deals with a variety of issues, including transportation, commercial fishing, wind power, recreation and national security.
The draft, released July 6, is open for comment until Sept. 6. Then, the draft’s author, the Mid-Atlantic Regional Planning Body (RPB), will review the comments and is expected to submit a finalized plan to the National Ocean Council by the end of the year.
The National Ocean Council is expected to either approve or turn down the plan in early 2017.
The importance of the plan is that it puts various agencies of the federal government, American Indians and New York, New Jersey, Delaware, Maryland and Virginia – which the Sandy Hook-based American Littoral Society (ALS) estimated at 140 or so agencies – talking and sharing information, rather than working independently only to later find out there is disagreement.
“It’s them coming to the table to work that out,” said Sarah Winter Whelan, ALS’ ocean policy program director. “The hope is to head that off before it happens.”
“One of the really positive things is all the relationships (between) the agencies,” said Cindy Zipf, executive director of the Sandy Hook-based Clean Ocean Action.
“I think they’ve come a long way,” said Matt Gove, Mid-Atlantic police manager of the Surfrider Foundation, a surfing-environmental group. “I think they’ve made a historic first step in managing the ocean, bringing agencies together.”
Gove, Whelan and about 45 others attended an open house – the second of five scheduled – at Monmouth University Thursday, July 14.
Three open houses – in Virginia, Maryland and Delaware – also have been held. The last of the open houses is scheduled for 6 to 8 p.m. Wednesday, July 27, at Suffolk County Community College in Selden, New York.
At the Monmouth University open house, agencies represented as part of the RPB included the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection (DEP), National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), federal Department of Transportation (USDOT), Coast Guard and Navy. The RPB is part of the federal Bureau of Ocean Energy Management.
“This is an effort to pull together all the diverse agencies to better collaborate,” said Elizabeth Semple, acting manager of the DEP’s Office of Coastal and Land-Use Planning.
Kevin Hassel, the DEP’s coordinator of Coastal and Marine Spatial Planning, said the plan does not impose new regulations. Instead, “it’s a huge help in how we manage everything,” Hassel said.
“I think it’s really awesome, great,” Fred Akers, administrator of the Great Egg Harbor Watershed Association in South Jersey, told the agencies panel.
But Akers expressed disappointment the draft made no mention of federal national scenic and recreational rivers, such as the Great Egg Harbor River.
But representatives at the Monmouth University open house welcomed input from stakeholders, such as environmental groups and the general public. People’s voices show “everyone cares about the ocean,” said John Kennedy, director of the USDOT’s Maritime Administration.
“You can actually change the course of our discussions,” Kennedy said.
Specifics of the draft include such things as: mapping shifts in ocean species and habitats, developing a strategy for debris reduction, addressing navigation needs, conducting an inventory of obsolete pipelines and telecommunication cables, and identifying priority research needs.
Those attending the open house praised the way those behind the draft sought public input.
“That kind of response of ‘Yes’ and ‘Please, more’ I’ve never seen in a public meeting,” said Anne Merwin, director of ocean planning for the Ocean Conservancy.
“The plan does a good job of recognizing stakeholders be involved,” said Lyndie Hice-Dunton, ALS’s Mid-Atlantic ocean planning manager.
Various groups such as ALS and the Surfrider Foundation said they were preparing comments in response to the draft.
While many may view the ocean as open water, it is a complicated map of transportation lanes, telecommunication cables, commercial fishing areas, recreation uses and so on.
The draft has two main components: a healthy ocean and human uses of the ocean, Kennedy said. The RPB will monitor the plan and the idea is to update it every few years, Kennedy said.
“I feel the plan is almost there,” said Whelan, adding she thinks, perhaps, it could be strengthened by showing how it will implement its ideas.
As for the plan in general, the various agencies, despite different jurisdictions and missions, “may have more in common than they realize,” Whelan said.
“The plan would help them implement better,” she said.
The plan has its roots in 2009, when President Barack Obama created the Ocean Policy Task Force to foster better stewardship of the oceans and Great Lakes. In 2010, Obama created the National Policy for the Stewardship of the Ocean, Coasts and Great Lakes.
Now, to see how the plan takes action.
“The theory is they’re going to put all this great work into their daily business,” Gove said. And did Whelan think this plan would work, considering it was trying to bring together almost unheard of collaboration?
“If I didn’t, I wouldn’t be here,” she said. The draft of the Mid-Atlantic Regional
Ocean Action Plan is available at www.boem.gov/Ocean-Action-Plan/. The Bureau of Ocean Energy Management is at 1849 C Street NW, Washington, D.C., 20240; 202-208-6474.
Comments on the draft can be sent to MidAtlanticRPB@boem.gov or Robert P. LaBelle, Federal Co-Lead, Mid-Atlantic Regional Planning Body, BOEM, 45600 Woodland Road, Mailstop: VAM-BOEM DIR, Sterling, VA, 20166.
“That kind of response of ‘Yes’ and ‘Please, more’ I’ve never seen in a public meeting,” said Anne Merwin, director of ocean planning for the Ocean Conservancy.
“The plan does a good job of recognizing stakeholders be involved,” said Lyndie Hice-Dunton, ALS’s Mid-Atlantic ocean planning manager.
Various groups such as ALS and the Surfrider Foundation said they were preparing comments in response to the draft.
While many may view the ocean as open water, it is a complicated map of transportation lanes, telecommunication cables, commercial fishing areas, recreation uses and so on.
The draft has two main components: a healthy ocean and human uses of the ocean, Kennedy said. The RPB will monitor the plan and the idea is to update it every few years, Kennedy said.
“I feel the plan is almost there,” said Whelan, adding she thinks, perhaps, it could be strengthened by showing how it will implement its ideas.
As for the plan in general, the various agencies, despite different jurisdictions and missions, “may have more in common than they realize,” Whelan said.
“The plan would help them implement better,” she said.
The plan has its roots in 2009, when President Barack Obama created the Ocean Policy Task Force to foster better stewardship of the oceans and Great Lakes. In 2010, Obama created the National Policy for the Stewardship of the Ocean, Coasts and Great Lakes.
Now, to see how the plan takes action.
“The theory is they’re going to put all this great work into their daily business,” Gove said. And did Whelan think this plan would work, considering it was trying to bring together almost unheard of collaboration?
“If I didn’t, I wouldn’t be here,” she said. The draft of the Mid-Atlantic Regional
Ocean Action Plan is available at www.boem.gov/Ocean-Action-Plan/. The Bureau of Ocean Energy Management is at 1849 C Street NW, Washington, D.C., 20240; 202-208-6474.
Comments on the draft can be sent to MidAtlanticRPB@boem.gov or Robert P. LaBelle, Federal Co-Lead, Mid-Atlantic Regional Planning Body, BOEM, 45600 Woodland Road, Mailstop: VAM-BOEM DIR, Sterling, VA, 20166.
