The Mid-Atlantic Regional Ocean Council’s (MARCO) Committee on the Ocean (MACO) this week held its 4th annual Mid-Atlantic Ocean Forum virtually. This year’s event was focused on sustainable ocean ecosystems and planning for sustainable ocean economies, and included federal ocean policy updates from NOAA and White House officials regarding implementation of the America the Beautiful 30×30 conservation initiative and development of a National Strategy for a Sustainable Ocean Economy and subsequent Sustainable Ocean Plan, as well as discussion on the potential formation of a MACO Ocean Conservation Work Group and previous efforts to identify Ecologically Rich Areas in the Mid-Atlantic.
A detailed summary is provided below.
Sustainable Ocean Ecosystems
NOAA
During a panel discussion on conservation strategies, NOAA Senior Advisor Letise LaFeir provided background and an update on the Biden administration’s “America the Beautiful” conservation initiative. In doing so, she called the goal to conserve at least 30% of U.S. lands and waters by 2030 one component of the initiative, noted ongoing work to develop the American Conservation and Stewardship Atlas (saying another round of stakeholder input will be sought once a beta version is released in December), and said that individual agencies have developed conservation action plans to further the initiative’s six focus areas.
Referencing examples of how NOAA and other agencies “have been working together to make progress” and implement America the Beautiful, LaFeir cited restoration of a commercial fishing prohibition in the Northeast Canyons and Seamounts Marine National Monument, expansion of the National Marine Sanctuary and National Estuarine Research Reserve Systems, and support for fish habitat conservation and Gulf Corps projects.
As to interagency coordination, LaFeir also discussed the principal-level Interagency Working Group co-chaired by CEQ and the Departments of the Interior, Commerce, and Agriculture, as well as subcommittees specific to the Atlas (co-chaired by NOAA, U.S. Geological Survey, and USDA), engagement and collaborative conservation (multiple subgroups), and steering (linking policy and data decisions across subcommittees for presentment to the principals).
As to upcoming actions, LaFeir said that a call for nominations to serve on the Marine & Coastal Area-Based Federal Advisory Committee announced by the White House in December is anticipated later this spring. The Committee will advise the NOAA Administrator on science-based approaches to area-based protection, conservation, restoration, and management in coastal and marine areas, including but not limited to America the Beautiful-related activities.
Asked during Q&A how states can develop and advance marine protection and conservation objectives, she encouraged states to engage community-based organizations and philanthropic groups within their states, noting that the latter can provide needed technical assistance/capacity and funding. She also stressed opportunities to strengthen existing conservation areas in addition to creating new ones.
Virginia
Virginia Coastal Zone Management Program Manager and MARCO Board Member Laura McKay addressed whether the Mid-Atlantic Committee on the Ocean (MACO) should create an Ocean Conservation Work Group. In doing so, she reviewed goals from the 2016 Mid-Atlantic Regional Ocean Action Plan and noted areas including the identification and assessment of Ecologically Rich Areas (ERAs) that she said stalled amid issues and concerns. Describing what the ERA effort would have involved, McKay said that resulting maps would have included “fuzzy boundaries” that “weren’t meant to be regulatory boundaries at all.”
McKay also noted other areas that stalled, including the evaluation of management options under the Coastal Zone Management Act, development and publication of ocean health indicators, and development of an ocean action plan performance and monitoring evaluation plan.
Referencing the “dismantling” of the Regional Planning Bodies, McKay called the Mid-Atlantic Committee on the Ocean (MACO) “our way of pulling back to the table” federal agencies, the Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council, and federally-recognized tribes. She also cited recent efforts including the America the Beautiful 30×30 conservation initiative, and asked how MACO could support them.
Addressing the question of whether MACO should create an Ocean Conservation Work Group, McKay identified considerations including desired outcomes from such a group, the products or tools such a group could develop that would support marine conservation, what a successful work group collaboration would look like and how it could strengthen partnerships and connections, and what such group could do to advance conservation priorities with MACO partners.
During Q&A, given the concerns about the ERA effort and fears that it could result in exclusion and prohibited uses, McKay said she has been thinking about the notion of fisheries and recreation conservation areas as “a more politically palatable approach” to conservation. She specifically said that while hard boundaries are established for shipping lanes and wind energy leases, such boundaries do not currently exist to set aside areas for fishing and recreation.
She also said that the idea behind ERAs had been to identify the best remaining places that are important to protect and conserve and determine whether they are being adequately protected and conserved.
Following the panel discussion, breakout groups addressed the merits of a potential MACO Ocean Conservation Work Group.
Other
Other panelists from The Nature Conservancy, Rutgers University, and Monmouth University’s Urban Coast Institute (see here and here) addressed a project to develop climate, wildlife, and future fish projections for ocean planning, aquaculture as a conservation tool in the Mid-Atlantic, Mid-Atlantic Ocean Data Portal resources and updates, and a community-level model for determining marine fish habitat on the Northeast Shelf.
Planning for Sustainable Ocean Economies
Federal Update
The White House Office of Science & Technology Policy’s Principal Asst. Director for Oceans and Environment and Ocean Policy Committee Executive Director Deerin Babb-Brott provided an update on the development of a National Strategy for a Sustainable Ocean Economy, with the U.S. having committed to developing a Sustainable Ocean Plan for all federal waters by 2026 through its becoming a member of the High-Level Panel for a Sustainable Ocean Economy. In doing so, as stated during the Northeast Regional Ocean Council briefing, he said that the National Strategy will be developed to serve regional interests and create a Sustainable Ocean Plan.
Similar to his briefing for the Northeast Regional Ocean Council outlined above, he also highlighted the launch of a new website for the Ocean Policy Committee and the Committee’s support for regional ocean partnerships and incorporating effective regional work products into actions and agency processes at the federal level.
Asked during Q&A for advice on how to future-proof regional ocean planning priorities regardless of the White House occupant, Babb-Brott referenced regions themselves as representatives of cross-sectoral perspectives of what matters and is important, calling that inherently strong over time. He also said to focus and pay attention on those things that are evergreen, durable, and of value and utility to everyone (referring to data portals, ocean science and technology, and maximizing the ocean’s economic, social, and cultural value as examples).
In response to a question about how to prepare for federal outreach on the development of the National Strategy for a Sustainable Ocean Economy, he advised MARCO to keep doing what it is already doing and to be prepared to offer suggestions on what is important to the region and what is needed to accomplish those goals, calling it an opportunity to shape the future for the region and nation.
Sustainable Ocean Economy Issues in the Mid-Atlantic
In a panel discussion addressing the accommodation of future demands for ocean space to sustain port access and maritime navigation, U.S. Coast Guard Marine Transportation Specialist John Stone discussed the “triple challenge” of increasing capacity of the Marine Transportation System (MTS) and reducing the environmental footprint of shipping amid an increasingly complex MTS environment. In doing so, he talked about the rise in uses including offshore wind and spaceports and the increase in existing activities (e.g., bigger ships), noting the Coast Guard’s role in marine planning and working with the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management and shipping and offshore wind industries. Stone also addressed how autonomous technology is helping to create a safer MTS.
During Q&A, Stone said that a revised circular regarding Coast Guard roles and responsibilities vis-à-vis offshore renewable energy facilities is being prepared for a likely Fall 2022 release, as well as a marine guidance notice to mariners on operations in/around offshore renewable energy facilities (Fall 2022 publication goal). He also noted that shipping fairways in the Gulf of Mexico were reactionary to the oil boom before passage of the Ports and Waterways Safety Act in 1978, and that they are trying to avoid that scenario in the Atlantic by ensuring all waterway users have a stake in the discussion on offshore wind to enable informed decisions.
Chamber of Shipping of America Maritime Affairs Director Sean Kline talked about regulatory, economic/political, geographic, and other factors that affect shipping in the Mid-Atlantic. He specifically talked about the need to build carbon-free ships as quickly as possible to meet the 2050 goal for carbon-free shipping, while noting the need for fuel consistency and reliability. Kline also discussed the need to address commercial vessel underwater noise and build that into ship design at the forefront, continue engagement on offshore wind, and remain flexible when taking ocean planning factors into account and maintain effective communication/stakeholder engagement (beyond Federal Register notices and emails).
MARCO Senior Advisor/Northeast Regional Ocean Council Executive Director Nick Napoli reviewed the Mid-Atlantic Ocean Data Portal and how it can be used to understand maritime patterns, provided an overview of shipping-related data requests and potential future work (e.g., port to port routes, space launch/recovery areas, potential conflicts like anchoring and cables, potential future conditions), and summarized maritime outreach activity.
In a panel discussion on community impacts and economic opportunities related to offshore wind, New Jersey Board of Public Utilities Clean Energy Division Deputy Director Jim Ferris talked about New Jersey’s State Agreement Approach to offshore wind transmission, Port of Virginia Economic Development Director Chris Gullickson discussed the Portsmouth Marine Terminal as the wind energy hub of the future, and American Clean Power Association VP for Offshore Wind Josh Kaplowitz talked about the state of the U.S. offshore wind industry and voiced a desire to provide assurances and address anxiety and uncertainty expressed by the fishing community.
Blue Carbon
During a panel discussion blue carbon as a climate change mitigation strategy in the Mid-Atlantic, Delaware Geological Survey Associate Scientist Daniel Warner discussed mapping and modeling blue carbon storage in Delaware coastal wetlands, New Jersey Dept. of Environmental Protection Research Scientist Metthea Yepsen talked about blue carbon as a climate change mitigation strategy in New Jersey, and Center for the Blue Economy Research Director Charles Colgan addressed estimating the economic value of blue carbon in the Mid-Atlantic region.
Keynote
New York Deputy Sec. of State Kisha Santiago-Martinez highlighted opportunities for coastal and ocean funding through the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, including for coastal zone management, ocean observing, regional ocean partnerships, and climate change. She also noted New York’s efforts to implement energy and climate goals, stressing the importance of cross-sector coordination and the merging of community development with ocean planning and the role of offshore wind in meeting their goals. In doing so, Santiago-Martinez said that underserved communities are facing impacts from climate change, discussed how her state is prioritizing environmental justice, and underscored the importance of diversity, equity, and inclusion, bridging ocean and coastal spaces, and engaging communities early on so that projects are ready to move forward when funding becomes available.
Santiago-Martinez also called the Biden administration’s 30×30 conservation initiative an opportunity to protect more areas, and noted the importance of carefully considering spatial planning and the data tools available to carry out such planning.
MARCO is a regional ocean partnership established in 2009 by the Governors of New York, New Jersey, Delaware, Maryland, and Virginia.
