The Council on Environmental Quality today published a summary of the new interagency Ocean Policy Committee’s meeting on June 12.
During the meeting, the Committee received updates from the Ocean Resource Management and Ocean Science & Technology Subcommittees. The ORM Subcommittee continues to work with agencies to compile federal data to meet regional data needs and will develop a plan to publicly release the data, with a goal of providing the Committee with a draft data report in July. The OST Subcommittee is compiling a list of projects to advance ocean science and technology research (with a focus on addressing forecasting the physical and biological coastal environment, exploring the unknown ocean, and inspiring next-generation ocean technology), and will present recommendations to the Committee in July.
Committee member agencies were encouraged to continue their engagement in the development of the National Oceanographic Partnership Program’s (NOPP) proposed summit, and the Dept. of Energy described an opportunity under NOPP to develop new ocean observing technologies powered by renewable energy.
In addition, the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management described two offshore projects as case studies for ongoing implementation of the “One Federal Decision” executive order whereby agencies committed to establish and coordinate a timely process for environmental reviews of major infrastructure projects. In doing so, BOEM detailed its role and responsibilities as the lead agency and discussed the importance of addressing potential conflicts early on, its efforts to address them, and challenges related to the projects.
Lastly, NOAA provided an update on its ocean exploration program and opportunities to enhance its mission, with the Committee tasking the agency with developing options to increase the effectiveness and maximize the value of federal ocean exploration investments, while NOAA, EPA, and other agencies discussed their efforts on marine debris, key findings of a recent report to Congress, and the importance of the issue. The Committee will continue to discuss potential action items to address marine debris.
Committee Deputies will convene later this summer to review Subcommittee draft products, after which time they will be submitted to the Committee for approval. The Committee expects to hold its next Principals meeting in December.
