Recent listening sessions, public workshops, and review of the nine Strategic Action Plan outlines issued by the National Ocean Council (NOC) have offered little more to further explain the future of national ocean policy.

There is growing concern that the new ocean policy, especially coastal and marine spatial planning (also widely called ocean zoning), could cause unnecessary harm to economies across the United States. In Alaska, industries such as fishing, transportation, mining, tourism, forestry, oil and gas, and support sectors could all be impacted. These impacts will likely cause a larger burden on Alaskans than the rest of the nation.

Given Alaska has more coastline than the continental U.S. combined, a national ocean policy will have a greater impact on the state, further hampering the already slow processes with little or no added benefit to the environment. Alaskan stakeholders are discouraging a one-size-fits-all ocean policy.

RDC and member concerns

Although their own documents state that effective implementation will require regulations where appropriate, the NOC continues to state that the nine strategic action plans are not regulatory, and they will not replace other regulatory mechanisms. Even so, RDC continues to remind the NOC of the existing array of measures in place to protect the nation’s waters. These plans may lead to increased litigation on responsible resource development projects, with no added benefit to the environment. These projects create jobs in communities where few other jobs are available.

In Anchorage on June 10, members of the NOC received public comments from Alaskan stakeholders on the SAP outlines. Stakeholders also questioned the authority of the program, and where funding might come from. While the NOC came under fire for these important issues, RDC continued to support improving existing coordination of protection measures, instead of the addition of another layer of bureaucracy.

Doug Vincent-Lang, Acting Deputy Commissioner of the Department of Fish and Game for the State of Alaska, spoke to the importance of natural resources to Alaska’s economy. Vincent-Lang noted Alaska’s large Outer Continental Shelf boasts up to 29 billion barrels of oil and 209 trillion cubic feet of natural gas.

“Alaska’s interest in our managing coastal and marine resources cannot be overstated,” Vincent-Lang asserted.

Coastal and Marine Spatial Planning

Alaska accounts for one of the nine regional planning areas to be assigned a regional planning body (RPB), though the members of the RPB have not yet been announced. RDC has urged the NOC to involve stakeholders early, and to coordinate with existing measures and groups to define members of the RPBs.

June 21st marked a national gathering in Washington, D.C., with hundreds of online participants across the country. The focus of the three-day workshop was on National Coastal and Marine Spatial Planning (CMSP), with the first day dedicated to presentations and public testimony. The NOC has committed to future regional workshops, but has yet to propose the dates.

Presenters at the workshop, including Dr. Jane Lubchenco, Undersecretary of Commerce for Oceans and Atmosphere and Administrator of NOAA, spoke about CMSP being a “common vision.” But participants asked, whose vision?

Brent Greenfield of the National Ocean Policy Coalition testified to the NOC, urging that CMSP first be tested in a pilot project and “must rely on neutral government funding to ensure that Coastal and Marine Spatial Plans are not seen as being paid for by advocates.”

Additionally, there must be focus placed on using the best available science, and the amount of science used must be sufficient. RDC has advocated for further studies and research, and supports ocean access and safety through increased infrastructure and Coast Guard presence.

RDC’s ongoing efforts

RDC submitted comments addressing concerns on the nine SAP outlines. These and earlier comments can be found online at akrdc.org. RDC members are encouraged to get involved and to watch for action alerts regarding the next steps.

While RDC staff continues to monitor the advancement of ocean policy, RDC has joined the National Ocean Policy Coalition. The NOPC is a national group with 10 principles that support the development and implementation of a sound, balanced ocean policy. For more information on these guiding principles, and to view NOPC members and comment letters, please visit oceanpolicy.com.

Return to newsletter headlines