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CRE Comments on the National Ocean Council’s Draft Implementation Plan
The Center for Regulatory Effectiveness submitted comments on the National Ocean Council’s (NOC) Draft National Ocean Policy Implementation Plan. The CRE recommended:
To ensure public involvement in the implementation of CMSP and to ensure that CMSP is based on sound science, CRE recommends that:
(1) NOC publishes in the Federal Register a notice of its intentions to include non-federal datasets on ocean.data.gov, thereby giving the public an opportunity to provide meaningful data to the NOC on a 24/7 basis.
(2) NOC continue to emphasize that no data from a non-federal database can be utilized by the NOC unless it determines that such data is DQA compliant.
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The President’s 2013 USGS Budget Proposal (US Geological Survey)
Editors Note: The President’s 2013 Budget for USGS calls for an increase of $6.8 million allocated to provide the science and information necessary to assess resource potential, ecosystem and community vulnerability, and develop management tools for coastal, oceanic and Great Lakes resources, in support of the National Ocean Policy.
From: USGS
The President”s 2013 budget request for the U.S. Geological Survey is $1.1 billion, $34.5 million above the 2012 enacted level. The 2013 proposal reflects administrative efficiencies and research priorities to respond to nationally relevant issues, including water quantity and quality, ecosystem restoration, hydraulic fracturing, natural disasters such as floods and earthquakes, and support for the National Ocean Policy.
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CRE Comments on Gulf of Mexico DEIS
On February 13, 2012, CRE filed comments on the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management’s Draft Environmental ImpactStudy for the Gulf of Mexico, Outer Continental Shelf, Western Planning Area and Central Planning Area, Oil and Gas Lease Sales for 2012–2017. CRE’s comments offered the following recommendations to BOEM: (1) the final EIS should reflect the conclusion that seismic does not adversely affect marine mammals under current BOEM regulations; (2) any new, significantly more stringent seismic regulations issued by BOEM will require a new proposed Information Collection Request; and (3) BOEM should further encourage the use of PAMGUARD as part of the protected species observer program.
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Hawaii Ocean Management Receives $250K Federal Boost (Maui Now)
Editor’s Note: Despite the explicit defunding of Coastal and Marine Spatial Planning (See CRE IPD here) NOAA continues to move forward with the implementation and funding of the National Ocean Policy.
From: Maui Now
By Sonia Isotov
The Office of Planning Coastal Zone Management Program has received a $250,000 grant award from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).
The competitive grant will help to strengthen the Department’s Ocean Resources Management Plan (ORMP) and implement the National Ocean Policy.
The ORMP, first adopted in 1994 and subsequently updated in 1998 and 2006, is a statewide plan that promotes an integrated approach to managing Hawaii’s marine and coastal zone resources.
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The Nature Conservancy Report on “Best Practices for Marine Spatial Planning”
The Nature Conservancy Report recently published a report on the “Best Practices for Marine Spatial Planning.”
The report can be found here: Best Practices for Marine Spatial Planning
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CRE Comments on BOEM’s 5-Year Oil and Gas Leasing Program
The Center for Regulatory Effectiveness (CRE) has submitted comments on the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management’s (BOEM) proposed 5-year offshore oil and gas leasing program.
The CRE’s comments are available here: Comments on Proposed 5-Year Program for 2012–2017–Center for Regulatory Effectiveness
