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What is the Gulf of Mexico Program
The Gulf of Mexico Program was formed in 1988 by the Environmental Protection
Agency as a non-regulatory, inclusive partnership to provide a broad geographic
focus on the major environmental issues in the Gulf. The mission of the
Program is “ to facilitate collaborative actions to protect, maintain,
and restore the health and productivity of the Gulf of Mexico in ways
consistent with the economic well-being of the Region.” The partnership
includes representation from state and local governments and the citizenry
in each of the five Gulf States; the private sector (business and industry);
federal agencies responsible for research, monitoring, environmental protection,
and natural resource management; and the academic community. This partnership
has been very effective in providing:
- A mechanism for addressing complex problems that cross federal, state,
and
international jurisdictional lines;
- A better coordination among federal, state, and local programs, increasing
the
effectiveness and efficiency of the long-term commitment to manage and protect Gulf resources;
- A regional perspective to access and provide the information and
address research
needs required for effective management decisions;
- A forum for affected groups using the Gulf, for public and private
educational institutions,
and for the general public to participate in the solution process.
Through its partnerships, the Gulf Program is working with the scientific community; policymakers at the federal, state, and local levels; and the public to help preserve and protect the Gulf. It has made significant progress in identifying the environmental issues in the Gulf ecosystem and in organizing a program to address those issues.
The Gulf of Mexico Program is successful because of the partnerships that make it work. The Program provides a tool to leverage the resources of 18 different Federal agencies, a variety of environmentally minded agencies from the states of Alabama, Florida, Louisiana, Mississippi, and Texas; and numerous public and private organizations. The success comes from the Program’s ability to engage many people across the Gulf region for leadership and to implement projects that move us in an environmentally and economically sound direction. Spanning the broad range of environmental concerns from the local to the regional and national presents a significant challenge to the agencies and organizations that have partnered under the banner of the Gulf of Mexico Program, and the Program has met that challenge.
