During a presentation today at a meeting of the Northeast Regional Ocean Council, White House Office of Science and Technology Policy Asst. Director for Oceans and Environment and Ocean Policy Committee Executive Director Deerin Babb-Brott discussed the administration’s support for regional ocean partnerships and how the Ocean Policy Committee will leverage their activities as a national model in terms of lessons learned, engagement practices, and data portals.
Babb-Brott also talked about the administration’s development of an Ocean Climate Action Plan, citing opportunities to advance and elevate regional priorities, fill information gaps, better represent and support indigenous knowledge and tribal engagement, support underserved communities and equitable distribution of benefits, and further partnerships and collaboration.
In doing so, he talked about marine-based carbon dioxide removal as an information need to be able to think about environmental impacts and policy implications, and noted conversations with some who think carbon dioxide removal should be thought of in the context of ocean planning so that opportunities are not foreclosed, or that informed decisions are being made about where infrastructure development might be considered. Babb-Brott noted the administration’s goal to release the Ocean Climate Action Plan in January 2023.
Babb-Brott also discussed the administration’s commitment last year to develop a Sustainable Ocean Plan (Plan) within 5 years, saying it will build on efforts at the regional, state, federal, academic, tribal, and private sector levels to identify key actions to advance sustainability. In advance of the Plan, he talked about efforts to first develop a National Strategy through a national and community-wide conversation, which he said would start with tribal consultations and discussions with regional ocean partnerships, fishery management councils, regional ocean observing associations, and the broader stakeholder community (including through a Federal Register notice in the next couple of months seeking comments and input).
Babb-Brott underscored the importance of incorporating existing regional priorities into this initiative and elevating and prioritizing regional work already done and placing such information across all U.S. regions under a common language that is understandable and can be used as a basis for national policy (likening it to a Coastal Zone Management model to ensure nationally consistent ocean and coastal objectives).
In that regard, he said that this effort will not require a substantial new lift going forward, but is rather another opportunity to magnify the importance of regional work already conducted. He also called it an opportunity to write a first draft of the next generation of how the United States engages in ocean and coastal management, and talked about how it can be a tool for addressing regional priorities and efforts such as those related to the Ocean Climate Action Plan, nature-based solutions, natural capital accounting, climate-ready fisheries, elevating indigenous knowledge, and new science and technology.
During Q&A, asked whether the National Strategy could move toward a devolution to regional or local authorities for sea area of seabed leasing and licensing, Babb-Brott said that while that had not come up in discussions to date, the administration would entertain ideas brought forward as recommendations for consideration.
Lastly, Babb-Brott discussed regional data priorities and best practices, noting the Ocean Policy Committee’s Ocean Resource Management Subcommittee and work groups focused on regional data priorities, best practices for tribal consultation, and best practices for stakeholder engagement. In doing so, he noted close coordination with the Marine Cadastre team and a desire to advance regional priorities.
NROC is a regional ocean partnership formed in 2005 by the Governors of Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, and Connecticut to provide a voluntary forum for states and federal partners to coordinate and collaborate on the development of goals and priorities and address regional coastal and ocean management challenges with creative solutions that support balanced uses and conservation of the Northeast’s ocean and coastal resources.
