Battle Creek Enquirer

New ocean policy includes Great Lakes

July 22, 2010

Although often taken for granted, water is a
tremendously valuable resource. Our nation’s
oceans, lakes and rivers face increasing demands
for commercial and recreational uses. Many times
those demands are at odds with one another, and
problems arise.

Such conflicts are only going to grow in the years
ahead, so we’re glad that President Barack Obama
this week announced a new national policy to
strengthen how the United States manages its
oceans and coasts. In signing an executive order
establishing a new National Ocean Council, the
president did not create new regulations or
restrictions, but rather put into place a process by
which certain recreational and commercial activities
are assigned to specific areas. The process, known
as marine spatial planning, recognizes the
competing demands placed on our water resources
and seeks to help balance those varied interests in a
fair and reasonable way.

The new policy is based on recommendations from
an Ocean Policy Task Force established last year and
seeks to improve coordination and planning among
federal agencies as well as state and local
governments for the varied uses of the nation’s
coastal zones. It also aims to improve the
preservation of ecosystems.

The Great Lakes are included under the new policy,
and as we have said before, while we are glad to see
federal safeguards for the lakes, it also is important
that officials recognize the importance of preserving
these giant fresh-water bodies and don’t treat their
challenges and issues as secondary to those
affecting oceans.

The new national ocean policy is an
acknowledgement that oceans are not just
wilderness but rather a huge work zone that makes
significant contributions to the national economy. A
unified, thoughtful plan to guide the management of
such a vast resource is necessary and welcome.