WASHINGTON, April 16 (Reuters) – The White House released a plan on Tuesday aimed at protecting oceans, coastal and Great Lakes environments around the United States while safeguarding related businesses that support more than 44 million jobs.
The plan drew criticism from some Republican lawmakers who called it bureaucratic overreach but was lauded by environmental groups as smart management that supports economic development.
The National Ocean Policy Implementation Plan is meant to put into practice the National Ocean Policy, established by President Barack Obama in 2010. It will involve some 27 federal agencies, departments and offices, the White House Council on Environmental Quality said a statement.
“Without creating any new regulations or authorities, the plan will ensure the many federal agencies involved in ocean management work together to reduce duplication and red tape and use taxpayer dollars more efficiently,” the council said.
The plan aims to improve forecasting of ocean conditions, share data about severe storms and sea level changes, support regional marine planning and cut red tape in the federal permitting process for ocean-based industries.
Also addressed are ways to improve the ability to predict conditions in the Arctic as economic and other activity there increases.
Congressmen Doc Hastings of Washington state and Bill Flores of Texas, both Republicans, have criticized the ocean policy as creating more federal bureaucracy.
Flores questioned the White House statement that no new regulations or authorities would be established, saying this was contrary to information presented in congressional hearings.
“Why are we doing this if it has not been requested by the stakeholder?” Flores told Reuters.
But California Representative Lois Capps, a Democrat, praised the plan as a “coordinated, national approach.”
Sarah Chasis of the Natural Resources Defense Council, an environmental group, said the plan could foster a return to ocean health, which would support businesses such as fishing, tourism and clean energy development.
Another group, the Center for Biological Diversity, said the plan falls short by failing to address carbon pollution that makes the oceans more acidic, affecting marine life.
The White House said maritime economic activities in 2010 contributed $258 billion in GDP to the national economy and supported 2.8 million jobs.
Because so many people live near U.S. coasts, though, a much larger 41 percent of GDP, or $6 trillion, was generated in coastal counties, supporting some 44 million jobs and $2.4 trillion in wages in 2010, the White House said.
By Yimou Lee TAIPEI, March 7 (Reuters) – China has stepped up grey-zone warfare against Taiwan, aiming to make the areas around the democratic island “saturated” with balloons, drones and civilian boats,...
Austal USA has kicked off plans to construct a new manufacturing facility, marking a significant expansion of its shipyard capacity in Mobile, Alabama in support of U.S. Navy and Coast...
Oldendorff and Norsepower have announced an agreement to install three Norsepower Rotor Sails™ on board a modern bulk carrier to reduce its emissions. The vessel, Dietrich Oldendorff, will be equipped...
February 5, 2024
Total Views: 849
Why Join the gCaptain Club?
Access exclusive insights, engage in vibrant discussions, and gain perspectives from our CEO.
This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may affect your browsing experience.
Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. This category only includes cookies that ensures basic functionalities and security features of the website. These cookies do not store any personal information.
Any cookies that may not be particularly necessary for the website to function and is used specifically to collect user personal data via analytics, ads, other embedded contents are termed as non-necessary cookies. It is mandatory to procure user consent prior to running these cookies on your website.