From: The Maritime Executive

NOAA Policy Director, Sally Yozell, will participate in the first-ever National Business Forum on Marine Spatial Planning (MSP), on behalf of Dr. Jane Lubchenco, Undersecretary of Commerce and NOAA Administrator.

The National Business Forum on MSP (13-14 July, Washington, D.C.) is for businesses that care about their future use of marine space and resources. The Forum is the only event that brings the ocean business community together to develop a strategy to address common concerns about MSP.

The National Business Forum provides a unique opportunity to hear directly from NOAA about the latest Coastal and Marine Spatial Planning (CMSP) developments and engage in a direct dialogue with the government on these plans.

NOAA will be addressing the following questions and more at the Forum:

§  What is the status of CMSP and the plans for the next several years?

§  What is the role of the National Ocean Council, federal agencies, regional planning bodies, state, local and other government agencies?

§  What is the process and timeline for regional planning bodies to organize and for regional plans to be developed and implemented?

§  What are the plans and processes for engaging other stakeholders, especially the private sector?

The U.S. National Ocean Council (NOC) recently released nine strategic action plan outlines for public review. The nine objectives identified by the National Policy for the Stewardship of the Ocean, our Coasts, and the Great Lakes are prioritized to address some of the most pressing challenges. One of the nine objectives is CMSP with a specific goal to “implement comprehensive, integrated, ecosystem-based coastal and marine spatial planning and management in the United States.” More information can be found at: www.whitehouse.gov/administration/eop/oceans/sap

Ocean businesses won’t want to miss this unparalleled opportunity to learn if and how implementation of the nine NOC objectives will impact your business by attending the National Business Forum on MSP. There will not be another opportunity to have your voice heard at the ground level of these major new policy developments.

The National Business Forum on MSP is being co-organized by the WOC and the Battelle Memorial Institute as a service to the responsible ocean business community. It is a non-profit event co-sponsored by the Battelle Memorial Institute and the National Ocean Industries Association (NOIA).