Ocean Zoning Discussion Forum

November 18, 2011
Friday

(SitNews) – Numerous Alaska priorities including funding for aviation, weather satellites, fisheries enhancement and rural development are contained in an appropriations bill supported by U.S. Sen. Mark Begich (D-AK) & U. S. Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) which passed the Senate yesterday. The appropriations bill, which funds numerous federal departments, is now on its way to President Obama’s desk.

“Alaska has unique needs, from accurate weather forecasting to safe aviation for our rural communities, and I’m pleased we successfully fought to fund them in this legislation,” Sen. Begich said. “These critical investments in Alaska’s ferries, airports and communities will provide businesses the access and resources needed to create jobs and promote efforts to revitalize our economy.”

U.S. Senator Lisa Murkowski supported final passage of an appropriations bill that combines three appropriations bills – meaning millions for Alaska’s infrastructure and industry in the next fiscal year have been sent to President Obama for his signature.  Murkowski serves on the U.S. Senate Appropriations Committee and 6 different Appropriations Subcommittees.

When signed, many Alaskan imperatives can now count on resources for the next year, including:

From: The Dispatch

OCEAN CITY — A potential plan to effectively zone vast areas of the open ocean along the nation’s coastlines got more play this week with a congressional committee hearing on Wednesday.

Last year, based on the recommendations of the Interagency Task Force on Ocean Policy, President Barack Obama issued an executive order calling for a National Ocean Policy, a policy that could include a somewhat controversial “marine spatial zoning” of the seas off the nation’s coastlines, including here in Ocean City and the mid-Atlantic.

The president called for the creation of a National Ocean Council, an organization of stakeholders to coordinate federal regulation of activities along the nation’s coasts.

A pillar of the recommendations is the creation of a plan to implement the same type of planning and zoning practices applied on land to open areas of ocean off the coast.

In essence, if the plan comes to fruition, some areas of open ocean could be zoned to allow for industrial uses such as offshore drilling, shipping and alternative energy, while others could be set aside only for recreational uses such as fishing or boating.