The National Ocean Policy, created by President Obama, created
a number of regional planning bodies comprised of eNGOs, federal, and state
entities in the hopes of establishing an organized process for ocean planning. During
the week of September 21, the Mid-Atlantic Regional Planning Body convened an
in-person meeting in Norfolk, VA. COA continues to monitor and take part in
this process, however, it remains to be seen how effective this planning body
will be. COA’s criticisms of this structure are numerous, including:
-
the Mid-Atlantic RPB is co-headed by the Bureau
of Ocean Energy Management, the federal agency in charge of permitting oil and
gas drilling and wind turbine construction in the ocean
-
there is no priority given to conservation of
habitat
-
the process itself is insulated from the general
public – while many eNGOs are working within this framework, there are few
opportunities for the public to engage
-
this process is a top-down approach and
bureaucratically structured. It is nearly impossible for the public to be
involved
We will continue to stay involved in this issue and update
as necessary.
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