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What has two categories, nine priority objectives, and aims to address some of the most pressing challenges facing our oceans, coasts, and Great Lakes?
The National Ocean Council’s Strategic Action Plan, of course!
On June 2nd, the Council released an introduction to, and content outlines for, the nine priority objectives that make up the Strategic Action Plan (SAP). The SAP was mandated by a White House Executive Order released last year, which incorporated the Final Recommendations of the Interagency Ocean Policy Task Force established the year before. The task force, the Council, and the whirlwind of activity surrounding them, have all been in the name of maintaining “healthy, resilient, and sustainable oceans, coasts, and Great Lakes resources for the benefit of this and future generations.”
The nine priorities of the SAP, which are split into two categories (“How we do Business” and “Areas of Special Emphasis”) cover everything from broad “ecosystem-based management” principles to “changing conditions in the Arctic,” and are intended to be fleshed out – with the help of public comments – and available in draft form later this year.
You can read previously submitted comments on the SAP outlines or submit your own comments until July 2, 2011. Need a quick overview? Law firm Perkins Coie has a good one here.
