Federal & State Ocean Planners held public meeting at Rockland Library June 4th: AUDIO recordings

On June 4, 2013, the Rockland Library hosted a public meeting  by representatives of the Northeast Regional Ocean Council.  NROC was created  by the federal Ocean Policy Task Force  set up to implement  Executive Order 13547 "Stewardship of the Ocean, Our Coasts, and the Great Lakes".  The Rockland meeting was the last in a series held around New England.
Listen below to the presentations that were given.(mp3s) 

The Task Force's goal: developing a national  policy that stimulates: 

"Effective Decision Making", "Healthy Ocean and Coastal Ecosystems:, and   "Compatibility Among Past, Current and Future Ocean Uses"  Those goals are detailed in their 3 page draft ocean planning goals paper (pdf) Read more about the Ocean Policy Task Force and its purpose in hosting this event, below the recordings. 

1. Introduction by Kathleen Leyden  3min38sec 
2. Meeting attendees identified. 8min 47sec
3. Meeting facilitator intro. 2min 12sec
4. Betsy Nicholson, NOAA. 13min38sec
5. Betsy Nicholson Q&A. 5min 31sec
6. John Weber, NROC. Part 1. 9min 12sec
7. John Weber, NROC Part 2. 9min 26sec  
8. Betsy Nicholson NOAA 9min 57sec
9 Betsy Nicholson NOAA. 3min 46sec 
10. Closing remarks. 3min 38sec


Background: On July 19, 2010 President Obama signed  Executive Order 13547 --Stewardship of the Ocean, Our Coasts, and the Great Lakes.  The executive order implements the recommendations of the Ocean Policy Task Force (pdf) The task force  is "composed of  24 senior-level officials from executive departments, agencies, and offices across the Federal government and led by the Chair of the Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ)."

EO 13547 makes it "the policy of the United States" for ocean related agencies to meet ten standards in their permit and license decision making. Each agency must 

• (i) protect, maintain, and restore the health and biological diversity of ocean, coastal, and Great Lakes ecosystems and resources;
• (ii) improve the resiliency of ocean, coastal, and Great Lakes ecosystems, communities, and economies;
• (iii) bolster the conservation and sustainable uses of land in ways that will improve the health of ocean, coastal, and Great Lakes ecosystems;
• (iv) use the best available science and knowledge to inform decisions affecting the ocean, our coasts, and the Great Lakes, and enhance humanity's capacity to understand, respond, and adapt to a changing global environment;
• (v) support sustainable, safe, secure, and productive access to, and uses of the ocean, our coasts, and the Great Lakes;
• (vi) respect and preserve our Nation's maritime heritage, including our social, cultural, recreational, and historical values;
• (vii) exercise rights and jurisdiction and perform duties in accordance with applicable international law, including respect for and preservation of navigational rights and freedoms, which are essential for the global economy and international peace and security;
• (viii) increase scientific understanding of ocean, coastal, and Great Lakes ecosystems as part of the global interconnected systems of air, land, ice, and water, including their relationships to humans and their activities;
• (ix) improve our understanding and awareness of changing environmental conditions, trends, and their causes, and of human activities taking place in ocean, coastal, and Great Lakes waters; and
• (x) foster a public understanding of the value of the ocean, our coasts, and the Great Lakes to build a foundation for improved stewardship.

(More information coming.)