Joint Ocean Commission Initiative
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The Joint Ocean Commission Initiative is a bipartisan, collaborative effort of the members of the Pew Oceans Commission and the United States Commission on Ocean Policy to accelerate meaningful ocean policy reform. The Joint Initiative is co-chaired by former White House Chief of Staff Leon E. Panetta and former Chief of Naval Operations Admiral James D. Watkins (U.S. Navy, Ret.), chairs of the Pew and U.S. Ocean Commissions, respectively. The Joint Initiative is guided by a 10-member task force, made up of five members from each Commission. The Joint Initiative works closely with networks of people involved in national, regional, state and local ocean policy issues from all fields, including scientists, industry representatives, advocacy groups and policy makers. The Joint Initiative serves as a resource to policy makers at all levels of government who are interested in pursuing ocean policy reforms consistent with the Commissions' recommendations.
[edit] Background
Pursuant to the Oceans Act of 2000, President George W. Bush established the U.S. Commission on Ocean Policy, chaired by Admiral James D. Watkins. The 16-member commission presented recommendations for a new and comprehensive national ocean policy. Their final report, An Ocean Blueprint for the 21st Century [1], was released in 2004.
Concurrently, the Pew Charitable Trusts established the Pew Oceans Commission [2], led by the Honorable Leon E. Panetta. The 18-member group presented its recommendations on ocean policy reform in their 2003 report, America's Living Oceans: Charting a Course for Sea Change [3].
The two reports contained strikingly similar recommendations. To further their overlapping and complementary recommendations and to act as one unified force for our nation’s oceans, the members of the two Commissions came together in 2005 as the Joint Ocean Commission Initiative.
[edit] The Joint Ocean Commission Initiative today
The Joint Initiative has accomplished much since its inception, and its activities are having significant impacts on ocean policy reform at the national, regional, and state levels. The Joint Initiative has become a focal point of attention for national decision-makers, state and local governments, other organizations working at the national, regional, and state levels. The members of the Joint Initiative are regularly called on as experts to advise Congress and have appeared as key witnesses at numerous hearings on ocean policy. Currently, the Joint Ocean Commission Initiative focuses its efforts in seven priority areas: national ocean policy reform, regional and state ocean leadership, international ocean leadership, ocean science, research, and education, fisheries management reform, new funding, and oceans and climate change. The Joint Initiative views each of these seven policy priorities as an integral part of reforming ocean and coastal policy and improving ocean health while bolstering the ocean economy for all citizens of the United States. Each of these seven priority areas [4] is guided by a set of principles outlined by the Joint Initiative. One key priority for the Joint Initiative is addressing the critical role oceans play in climate change. The Joint Initiative is often cited in the media as experts on ocean issues and stories about its work have appeared in major national newspapers and media markets in coastal states.
[edit] From Sea to Shining Sea
In June 2006 the Joint Initiative released a national ocean policy action plan for Congress, From Sea to Shining Sea: Priorities for Ocean Policy Reform [5]. The plan was created at the request of ten prominent U.S. senators to provide a guide for legislative and funding priorities.
The action plan responds to the Senators’ request to identify the most urgent priorities for congressional action to implement the two Commissions’ recommendations. The plan includes the top ten steps Congress should take to address the most pressing challenges, the highest funding priorities, and the most important changes to federal laws and the budget process to establish a more effective and integrated ocean policy. The report identifies the following priorities:
- Adopting a statement of national ocean policy that acknowledges in legislation the importance of oceans to the nation’s economic and ecological health and establishes a framework for all other ocean legislation.
- Establishing a strengthened National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) in law and working with the Bush Administration to improve federal agency coordination on ocean and coastal issues;
- Enacting legislation to create incentives for ecosystem-based management that builds upon existing and emerging regional efforts to involve federal, state, tribal, and local governments, as well as the private sector, nongovernmental organizations, and academic institutions;
- Reauthorizing an improved Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act that relies more strongly on science to guide management actions to ensure the long-term sustainability of U.S. fisheries;
- Enacting ocean and coastal bills that has made significant progress through the legislative process in the 109th Congress;
- Incorporating ocean-related science and education into the new national innovation and competitiveness initiative, capitalizing on the growing economic potential associated with our oceans and the attraction they hold for students;
- Enacting legislation to authorize and fund the Integrated Ocean Observing System;
- Acceding to the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, allowing the U.S. to share its expertise, capitalize on economic opportunities, and protect is sovereign interests;
- Establishing an Ocean Trust Fund in the U.S. Treasury as a dedicated source of funds for improved management and understanding of ocean and coastal resources by the federal and state governments; and
- Securing additional funding to support management, science, and education programs that are the foundation of robust national ocean policy.
[edit] U.S. Ocean Policy Report Card
To monitor the nation’s collective progress toward fulfilling the recommendations of the two Commissions’ reports and advancing meaningful ocean policy reform, the Joint Initiative releases its annual U.S. Ocean Policy Report Card[1]. The Joint Initiative released its first report card for 2005, followed with a second year in 2006, and will release its 2007 report card in early 2008. The report card assesses progress over the year and more importantly provides specific recommendations about how to improve each categorical grade. Six subjects: national ocean governance reform; regional and state ocean governance reform; international leadership; research, science, and education; fisheries management reform; and new funding for ocean policy and programs. The 2007 report card will feature a new category, the link between oceans and climate change.
[edit] Ocean governance reform
Our current governance approaches and structures greatly hinder effective mechanisms for reversing the downward trend in ocean health. Successfully reversing the decline in our oceans requires a holistic approach based on a comprehensive national ocean policy, interagency coordination, and collaboration with states and stakeholders. Significant obstacles include a lack of a clear national ocean policy, confusing and overlapping jurisdictions, and fragmented laws. We must unify our nation around a common goal of protecting and restoring our ocean and coastal ecosystems so that they will continue to be healthy and resilient and able to provide the goods and services that people want and need. Sound ocean policy requires protecting our oceans and coasts while also understanding the relationships among social, cultural, economic, and ecological factors.
Effective national ocean governance includes federal support for regional and state ocean governance activities that are currently underway around the country. Many regions and states are organizing from the “bottom up,” often through the vision and leadership of Governors. States emerged as important champions for oceans in 2006, establishing new statewide initiatives in New York and Washington, as well as regional agreements to coordinate ocean management efforts on the West Coast and in the Gulf of Mexico. While federal agencies provide expertise and tools to assist these efforts when requested, a national framework is needed to provide structure for the proactive federal participation needed to help initiate new efforts or further stimulate existing efforts. Active participation by the federal agencies could increase the stability of existing efforts, promote progress in efforts that have stalled, and help empower states and regions in initiating new efforts where gaps exist. All levels of government need to play an active role in regional and state efforts to effectively address the critical issues facing marine ecosystems.
[edit] Law of the Sea Convention
The most critical issue regarding U.S. leadership in the international ocean policy arena is accession to the Law of the Sea Convention. The convention will help to protect our country’s economic and security interests, as well as the health of our ocean resources. President Bush, the Joint Chiefs of Staff, other leaders in the administration, major U.S. industries such as offshore energy, shipbuilding, and maritime commerce, and environmental groups agree that accession to the convention would support U.S. interests.
[edit] Research, science, and education
The Joint Initiative calls for a greater commitment to basic and applied research, monitoring and modeling, the infrastructure supporting ocean-related science, and the translation of scientific information into timely products that can be used by policy makers and managers. Although sophisticated monitoring systems have been in place for decades to measure changes in the atmosphere, no such systems exist for our oceans. The report card, echoing the administration’s ocean research priorities plan, calls for the implementation of an Integrated Ocean Observing System to provide critical data on ocean trends and processes that will improve our understanding of the ocean’s role in climate change. The Joint Initiative also stresses the importance of enhancing our nation’s commitment to formal and informal education. Building a scientifically literate workforce and a society that has a strong ocean and coastal stewardship ethic will require the incorporation of oceans and coasts into the curriculum of primary and secondary schools and beyond. In addition, a more aggressive campaign to educate the general public about the importance of oceans to their health and economic well-being is necessary.
[edit] Fisheries management
Congress passed and President George W. Bush signed the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Reauthorization Act. The bipartisan bill contains a number of improvements, including a stronger role for science in establishing sustainable harvest levels, setting a clear deadline line for ending overfishing, and authorizing the use of market-based approaches in fisheries management. The Joint Initiative worked closely with policy makers from both parties and the Administration to secure reauthorization of the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act, an important step forward for the effective management of the nation's fisheries.
[edit] New funding for ocean policy and programs
New federal funding for ocean policies and programs remained flat in 2006. Robust investments in ocean research and comprehensive management policies are needed to reverse the decline in our oceans. The Joint Initiative has identified $750 million in funding priorities that would be a significant step forward for research, management and education programs.
[edit] Linkages between oceans and climate change
One of the Joint Initiative’s top priorities is understanding and the link between the oceans and climate change and using that knowledge to improve ocean health. In Congressional testimony and a white paper written in July 2007, the Joint Initiative made recommendations to Congress on the most effective ways to incorporate science, management and education on ocean health into a national plan on climate change. The Joint Initiative recommended strengthening and codifying the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) to enhance; establishing a National Climate Change Response Office to guide federal programs and budget policies related to climate change; and investing in scientific research and education on the connection between the oceans and climate change
[edit] References
- ^ 2006 U.S. Ocean Policy Report Card, Jan. 30, 2007
[1] 2006 U.S. Ocean Policy Report Card, Jan. 30, 2007
