National Ocean Policy Draft Implementation Plan
As part of President Obama's National Policy for the Stewardship of the Ocean, Our Coasts, and the Great Lakes, the National Ocean Council released a draft National Ocean Policy Implementation Plan to address some of the most pressing challenges facing the ocean, our coasts, and the Great Lakes. The draft Implementation Plan describes more than 50 actions the Federal Government will take to improve the health of the ocean, coasts, and Great Lakes, which support tens of millions of jobs, contribute trillions of dollars a year to the national economy, and are essential to public health and national security.
The draft Implementation Plan will ensure the Federal Government targets limited resources effectively to deliver demonstrable results for the American people, including predictability for users, more efficient and coordinated decision-making, and improved sharing of data and technology. For each action, the Plan outlines key milestones, identifies responsible agencies, and indicates the expected timeframe for completion.
Click here to read the draft Implementation Plan.
Click here to read frequently asked questions on the draft Implementation Plan.
We Want to Hear From You
We are relying on your input to inform development of the final Implementation Plan and help ensure the National Ocean Policy is working for our Nation. The National Ocean Council held an extensive public comment period on the draft National Ocean Policy Implementation Plan to provide stakeholders, users, and the public time to review and provide their input. The public comment period closed on March 28, 2012.
Comments received have been collated and posted on the National Ocean Council website. The National Ocean Council will review and incorporate comments before finalizing the Plan in 2012. The Plan will be reviewed annually and modified as needed based on new information or changing conditions.
More on the Development of the draft Implementation Plan
The draft Implementation Plan was developed with significant input from national, regional, and local stakeholders and the general public. The National Ocean Council sought public comment from January through April 2011 and June through July 2011, and held 12 regional listening sessions around the country. In addition, the Governance Coordinating Committee, composed of State, Tribal, and local government officials, and the Ocean Research Advisory Panel, composed of expert representatives from a range of ocean sectors, provided input for the Plan.
In mid-2011, the National Ocean Council released for public comment outlines for nine Strategic Action Plans that provided an initial view on how Federal agencies might address the nine priority objectives highlighted in the National Ocean Policy. The outlines, by design, were draft products that served as an early and valuable point in the Implementation Plan development process for focusing public and stakeholder input.
During the public comment period that was open June 2 - July 2, 2011, the National Ocean Council received over 400 contributions from over 200 individuals and groups. In addition, approximately 1000 individuals and groups participated in and provided comments at 12 regional listening sessions around the country. The National Ocean Council agencies evaluated more than 850 specific comments from stakeholders and the public, many representing multiple submissions of very similar comments. We considered all of the comments and accepted many, incorporating them into the draft Implementation Plan.
Click here to read past public comments and learn about the Strategic Action Plans.
National Ocean Policy Implementation Guidance for the FY 2013 Budget.
