Program Update: Advocacy – July 2010
Filed under: Action,News & Resources,Policy,Program Updates - Advocacy
On July 19, 2010, President Obama’s Ocean Policy Task Force released their final recommendations and President Obama signed an Executive Order to establish their recommendations into a National Ocean Policy. The Executive Order officially established a new National Ocean Council (NOC), which will be co-chaired by the Director of the Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP) and the Chair of the Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ). This week, the White House hosted two in a series of stakeholder meetings with regards to the implementation of the new National Ocean Policy. The stakeholder meetings this week were focused on ocean science and research and ocean observations. Ocean Leadership will be working closely with the Administration over the next twelve months as the NOC develops strategic action plans to further the national policy objectives, implements coastal and marine special planning activities, and develops budget guidance to meet the goals and objectives of the policy.
On July 27, Bob Gagosian and Chris D’Elia authored an Op-Ed in the Washington Post expressing the need for a comprehensive national science plan to address the Gulf of Mexico oil spill. There are still enormous amounts of oil and dispersants in the marine environment, which will have lasting effects on the Gulf ecosystems, economies, and society. Ocean Leadership is pushing for the development of a comprehensive national science plan to address the ecological and human impacts from the spill beyond the National Resources Damages Assessment process. BP has pledged $500 million to support an external, independent, peer-reviewed Gulf of Mexico Research Initiative. That effort has been in limbo for the past six weeks after the White House requested BP work the Gulf State Governors and state and local environmental and health authorities.
Today, the House of Representatives is considering a major oil spill legislative package, which includes some important provisions; most notably the establishment of an ocean trust fund entitled the Ocean Resources Conservation and Assistance Fund (ORCA) (section 605). The bill also codifies the Administration’s reorganization of the Minerals Management Service, includes provisions to strengthen offshore drilling standards, and eliminates the $75 million liability cap for companies involved in a spill. The Senate may take up a similar oil spill measure next week, which does not contain an ocean trust fund. The Senate Bill is comprised mostly of non-controversial measures including, S.3957, the Securing Health for Ocean Resources and Environment (SHORE) Act, which seeks to improve NOAA, Coast Guard, and coastal state’s ability to prevent and respond to spills. Both the House and Senate bills includes provisions establishing a NOAA-led Gulf of Mexico long-term environmental monitoring and research program.
Last week, the Senate Appropriations Committee approved the FY11 Commerce-Justice-Science spending bill. The bill gives $7.3 billion for NSF, $5.5 billion for NOAA, and $19.0 billion for NASA. The NOAA and NSF funding levels were close to the President’s Budget and well above the current year’s allocations. The House passed its version through subcommittee three weeks ago, which also funds NSF, NOAA, and NASA near the President’s requested levels. The House Defense Appropriations Subcommittee approved its FY11 measure, including a $535 million increase above the President’s request for the Navy’s Research, Development, Test, and Evaluation account. Finally, the President signed into law an emergency supplemental appropriations measure, which includes $7 million for NOAA to use for scientific investigations and sampling as a result of the Gulf of Mexico oil spill. These activities may be funded through the provision of grants to universities, colleges, and other research partners through extramural research funding.
