Weighing in on National Oceans Policy

Wind farm off the coast of Jutland, Denmark ©The Copenhagen Post

Warwick, RI
On September 24^th, The Nature Conservancy in Rhode Island spoke at a hearing held by the national Ocean Policy Task Force, held at the Rhode Island Convention Center. The Task Force, charged by President Obama to make recommendations for a unified approach to managing the countries oceans and Great Lakes, was in town for its only stop on the east coast.

The Conservancy spoke on the record in support of the Task Force’s interim report, specifically in support of three key ideas:

• Promote regional ocean governance, so that state and federal agencies see our oceans as ecosystems, shared by many with often narrow interest or jurisdiction,
• Encourage smart marine spatial planning that looks carefully at habitat and biodiversity as part of a wide review of impacts, and
• Help our coastal communities plan for a changing world due to sea level rise and storm surges by working with nature, protecting and restoring “living shorelines” that can protect our coasts at a fraction of the cost of destructive, engineered solutions.

The Conservancy was highlighted in Rhode Island news as part of the Task Forces visit. Janet Coit submitted an opinion piece to the Providence journal and Kevin Essington was interviewed on WRNI about ocean issues. To read and hear these pieces go to:

Janet Coit: Oceans and the Ocean State  and  Presidential Task Force on Ocean Policy Meets in Providence

The Task Force has 90 days to complete its work. To read more and to provide comment on their interim report go to http://www.whitehouse.gov/oceans