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A periodic update on ocean policy issues for the members of the Washington State Ocean Policy Work Group and other interested parties. |
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To access previous issues of the newsletter, please click here. |
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This newsletter is compiled from information received from work group members, research done at the University of Washington, and other relevant ocean policy forums.
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Issue Highlights:
WA Ocean Policy Work Group update
State Ocean Policy News
Regional Ocean Governance
Congressional News
Other News
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Washington State
Developments
Ocean Policy Work Group Update
The Washington Ocean Policy Work Group held its fourth meeting in Olympia, WA on Wednesday, December 7th, 2005, the final meeting in preparation of their first report. The first report of the OPWG will be available in early January, 2006. See the report of Meeting #4 at the link below.
Report of Meeting #1 - August 22, 2005 (PDF, 5mb)
Report of Meeting #2 - September 23, 2005 (PDF, 140k)
Report of Meeting #3 - November 4, 2005 (PDF, 755k)
Report of Meeting #4 - December 7, 2005 (PDF, 118k)
 State Ocean
Governance Update
Note: We hope to track the most active States in ocean policy. We are currently tracking numerous State ocean policy developments. The following are selected examples, and we hope to continue to include further examples in future issues. If you have specific updates on State activities, please contact the newsletter (see left).
Oregon
On December 15, 2005, Governor Ted Kulongoski sent a letter to members of the Oregon Congressional delegation inviting them to support his efforts to have the Oregon Coast named a National Marine Sanctuary. The designation of National Marine Sanctuary status would secure long-term stewardship of the coast by providing a unique federal-state partnership to enable a broad plan of action regarding the marine environment and uses such as fisheries, research, energy development, water quality, and recreation. View the press release.
OPAC meeting notice: The next Oregon Ocean Policy Advisory Council meetings will be held on January 20th in Newport, OR and on March 17th in Tillamook, OR. The public is invited to attend.
Hawaii
In 2005, Governor Linda Lingle issued an Executive Order forming the Hawaii Ocean and Coastal Council (HOCC). View a document describing the HOCC.
Governor Linda Lingle and Peter Young, Board of Land and Natural Resources Chair,
recently signed the regulations that establish all State waters in the Northwestern
Hawaiian Islands (NWHI) as a marine refuge. Read the press release.
Alaska
The state's Ocean Policy Cabinet met with federal agencies and the North Pacific Fishery Management Council on Nov. 16 to
discuss how to go about doing ecosystem-based management in the
Aleutian Island ecosystem. Discussion followed about a future Aleutian Island Ecosystem Forum (AIEF) and a steering committee was formed from the
state-federal-council leaders attending the meeting. The NPFMC has a website pertaining to their ecosystem work – including information on the proposed AIEF.
A direct link to the Nov. 2005 draft meeting summary can be seen here.
There is also a site for the Nov. 2005 agenda/proposal.
The annual Alaska Marine Science Symposium is coming up, January 22-25. There will be a session on Ocean Policy, Resource Management and Governance on Tuesday the 24th in the evening from 7:30 to 9pm.
The University of Alaska at Anchorage has posted information about the 9th Annual UAA Science-to-Engineering Workshop entitled “Coastal Erosion Responses for Alaska”. The conference will be held on January 4, 2006.
Massachusetts
In response to the recommendation from the Massachusetts Ocean Management Task Force for comprehensive ocean management, bill S. 529, An Act Relative to Oceans, was favorably reported out of the Joint Committee on Environment, Natural Resources and Agriculture on Monday, December 12, 2005, and is currently pending in the legislature. Text of this bill can be found on the Massachusetts General Court website.
Consistent with the need to assess the coastal/ocean economy, as described by the U.S. Commission on Ocean Policy (See Chapter 1 and Appendix C of Final Report), Massachusetts has put out a contract to undertake an “Assessment of the Ocean and Coastal Economy in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts”, funded at $75,000. Information acquired and analyzed through this project will include economic information on sectors that either depend directly or indirectly on ocean and coastal resources, in order to assign estimated monetary value to the Massachusetts marine economy, and to help justify the need for ocean management. CZM expects this project to be completed by Summer 2006.
As a result of the federal Energy Policy Act that was passed earlier this year, the U.S. Minerals Management Service (MMS) now has lead authority for renewable energy projects, such as wave, wind, or solar energy on offshore lands, and other projects that make alternative use of existing oil and natural gas platforms. For the Cape Wind project in Nantucket Sound, MMS will assume the role currently held by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and will issue the final Environmental Impact Statement when it is complete. A press released issued by MMS explaining the change is available online.
California
The California Ocean Protection Council will be holding its next meeting in Santa Barbara on January 13, 2006. For more details, consult this site. A detailed agenda will be posted on January 3, 2006.
In a recent letter to the White House-based Committee on Ocean Policy, the Joint Ocean Commission Initiative commended California for its progressive efforts to protect, restore and maintain its oceans and coasts, and urged the federal government and other states to consider the state's strategy as a model to help guide their efforts in reforming ocean policy. Read the text of the letter.
California and the World Ocean ’06: Implementing California’s Vision for Ocean and Coastal Protection. This international conference with as many as 1000 participants will take place September 17-20, 2006 in Long Beach, California and is a unique opportunity to positively influence the course of ocean and coastal protection. A CWO '06 Web site with more information will be announced soon. If you have any questions in the interim, please contact Marilyn Hauck from The Complete Conference at mhauck@completeconference.com or (916) 922-7032.
Florida
At their November 17th and 18th meeting, the Florida Oceans Council discussed state ocean research priorities. They considered over a dozen research themes and detailed memoranda are available on their website. The status and methods of the statewide Research Review can be seen here.
Regional Ocean
Governance
Gulf of Maine Council on the Marine Environment
In November 2005, the Gulf of Maine Council on the Marine Environment published a new document, “A Survey and Synthesis of Significant U.S. Law and Priorities Influencing Governance in the Gulf of Maine Region”, available here. The Council's last meeting was December 1-2, 2005.
Northeast Regional Oceans Council
In January 2006, States from the Northeastern U.S. will be participating in initial scoping meetings for the new Northeast Regional Oceans Council, initiated by Governor Carcieri of Rhode Island.
The Council will include the New England states of Rhode Island, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Vermont and Maine. A similar council will be formed by the Eastern Canadian Premiers to collaborate with the New England states. While a definite work plan has not yet been released, a Rhode Island press release states that “the NROC will lead efforts in the New England region to develop policies on important oceans issues, such as ocean exploration and scientific research, reduction of nutrient loading and pollution of coastal areas, environmentally-sensitive commercial uses of ocean resources, regulatory governance and public education” (RI Office of the Governor,
30 August 2005).
 Congressional
News
BEACH Act passes House
This week, the House passed H.R. 1721, a bill to reauthorize the Beaches Environmental
Assessment and Coastal Health Act (BEACH Act). The reauthorization extends funding for the program at $30 million annually through 2011. Under the BEACH Act, coastal and Great Lakes states are required to adopt pathogen criteria and monitor water quality for harmful contamination at beaches and coastal waters. As of April 2004, eleven out of the 35 coastal states had set pathogen criteria. The other 24 states use the Environmental Protection Agency's approved criteria. States use the monitoring data to detect when bacteria levels are too high and implement notification programs to protect recreational users. (Courtesy Coastal States Organization).
Senate Commerce Committee Approves Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act
On December 12, 2005, the Senate Commerce Committee unanimously approved measure S. 2012, also known as the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act, sponsored by Chairman Ted Stevens (R-Alaska). The bill expands its emphasis on conservation and scientific assessments, gives fishing council scientific advisory panels an elevated role and avoids language for ecosystems-based management that the U.S. Ocean Commission had recommended. It relaxes a provision for setting annual catch limits for commercial fishing, a change made after strong lobbying by senators representing New England states. The new language allows fishing councils an alternative to subtracting overcatch in a season from the next season's quota.
The amendment also adds several new programs to the legislation, including a disaster assistance package for Gulf Coast commercial fishers and a new research and protection scheme for deep sea coral. (Courtesy E&E News)
The text of the bill can be viewed here.
Other News
Coastal States Organization Weekly Reports
The Coastal States Organization publishes a weekly report highlighting items relevant to the ocean policy community. The report is published every Friday when Congress is in session. Current reports and the report archives are available online.
National Conference on Science, Policy, and the Environment: Energy for a Secure and Sustainable Future
In Washington, D.C. on January 26th and 27th, 2006, the National Council on Science and the Environment will be holding its 6th National Conference on Science, Policy and the Environment entitled, “Energy for a Secure and Sustainable Future.” Details about the conference can be found on their website.
NOAA National Weather Service declares Hawai'i first tsunami-ready state
On December 9, 2005, NOAA’S National Weather Service declared Hawai’i the first tsunami-ready state in the United States. Read NOAA’s press release about the announcement.
13th Annual Ocean Sciences Meeting--Honolulu, HI
The 13th Ocean Sciences Meeting, a joint meeting of ASLO, ERF, TOS and AGU, will be held 20-24 February 2006 in Honolulu, Hawaii. Link to the conference details.
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