Washington State Marine Spatial Planning Workship

Practical guidance and experience evaluating CMSP is very limited. Thus, the CRE is currently developing an evaluation method to analyze marine spatial plans. The CRE will be analyzing existing marine spatial plans of various states. Please continue to monitor this IPD for developments with the CRE’s research on CMSP.

On June 26, 2012, Washington State hosted a marine spatial planning  at the Olympic Natural Resources Center in Forks, WA. planning (MSP).

The video of the workshop is below:

Fosmark: Ocean Policy Respite Is Step in Right Direction (Roll Call)

From: Roll Call

By:  Kathy Fosmark

Recent House passage of an amendment providing for a pause in implementation of the new National Ocean Policy is a welcome development for those seeking to maintain and enhance the productivity of our nation’s marine and inland areas.

This action was supported by groups as varied as the American Farm Bureau Federation, the American Forest and Paper Association, the National Association of Home Builders, the National Fisheries Institute and the National Ocean Policy Coalition, among many others.

Obama’s national ocean policy threatens jobs and economic activities onshore and off (Fox News)

From: Fox News
By: Rep. “Doc” Hastings

In the famous poem “Paul Revere’s Ride,” Revere instructs his fellow patriots to use lanterns to signal whether there’s an attack coming by land or sea. While we may no longer have to fear the British, Americans should be warned of a new threat coming by sea in the form of President Obama’s National Ocean Policy and ocean zoning initiative.

President Obama is using the ocean as his latest regulatory weapon to impose new bureaucratic restrictions on nearly every sector of our economy. While marketed as a common sense plan for the development and protection of our oceans, it is instead being used to create a massive new bureaucracy that would harm our economy.

Courts Reject Post-Deepwater Horizon Environmental Challenges

King and Spaulding

Tim Engel

Soon after the Deepwater Horizon oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico, environmental groups launched wide-ranging challenges to all phases of offshore oil and gas exploration and development. They filed lawsuits against the Department of the Interior seeking to halt lease sales, cancel exploration plans, and even rescind permits for seismic surveys in the Gulf, at least until years-long environmental reviews were completed under a number of individual statutes–the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), the Endangered Species Act (ESA), the Marine Mammal Protection Act (MMPA), and the Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act (OCSLA). The environmental groups filed cases relating to ongoing Gulf of Mexico operations in the Fifth and Eleventh Circuits and in district courts in Louisiana, Alabama, and the District of Columbia. Two of these cases have now reached final decision.

Presidential Proclamation — National Oceans Month, 2012 (White House)

Presidential Proclamation — National Oceans Month, 2012

NATIONAL OCEANS MONTH, 2012
– – – – – – –
BY THE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
A PROCLAMATION

Our oceans help feed our Nation, fuel our economic engine, give mobility to our Armed Forces, and provide a place for rest and recreation. Healthy oceans, coasts, and waterways are among our most valuable resources — driving growth, creating jobs, and supporting businesses across America. During National Oceans Month, we reaffirm our commitment to the oceans and celebrate the myriad benefits they bring to all Americans.