Notice2022-21480
Ocean Climate Action Plan
Primary source
Metadata and text below are from the Federal Register, a public-domain U.S. government work. Always verify the official published version before relying on it for any legal matter.
Published
October 4, 2022
Issuing agencies
Science and Technology Policy Office
Abstract
The Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP) and the Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ), on behalf of the interagency Ocean Policy Committee (OPC), request input from all interested parties to inform the development of a U.S. Ocean Climate Action Plan (OCAP) that will help guide and coordinate actions by the Federal government and civil society to address ocean, coastal, and Great Lakes-based mitigation and adaptation solutions to climate change. The OCAP will summarize planned Federal ocean-based climate action and the benefits of these actions, identify gaps in knowledge and application of knowledge to emerging ocean-climate issues, and recommend actions to advance the effectiveness of the Nation's response to the impacts of climate change. The input received will be used to inform the development of the OCAP.
Full Text
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<title>Federal Register, Volume 87 Issue 191 (Tuesday, October 4, 2022)</title>
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[Federal Register Volume 87, Number 191 (Tuesday, October 4, 2022)]
[Notices]
[Pages 60228-60230]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [<a href="http://www.gpo.gov">www.gpo.gov</a>]
[FR Doc No: 2022-21480]
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OFFICE OF SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY POLICY
Ocean Climate Action Plan
AGENCY: Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP).
ACTION: Notice of request for information.
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SUMMARY: The Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP) and the
Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ), on behalf of the interagency
Ocean Policy Committee (OPC), request input from all interested parties
to inform the development of a U.S. Ocean Climate Action Plan (OCAP)
that will help guide and coordinate actions by the Federal government
and civil society to address ocean, coastal, and Great Lakes-based
mitigation and adaptation solutions to climate change. The OCAP will
summarize planned Federal ocean-based climate action and the benefits
of these actions, identify gaps in knowledge and application of
knowledge to emerging ocean-climate issues, and recommend actions to
advance the effectiveness of the Nation's response to the impacts of
climate change. The input received will be used to inform the
development of the OCAP.
DATES: Responses are due by 11:59 p.m. eastern time on November 18,
2022. Submissions received after the deadline may not be taken into
consideration.
ADDRESSES: Interested individuals and organizations should submit
comments electronically to <a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#5b34383e3a351b34282f2b753e342b753c342d"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="bfd0dcdaded1ffd0cccbcf91dad0cf91d8d0c9">[email protected]</span></a> and include ``RFI
Response: OCAP'' in the subject line of the email. Email submissions
should be machine-readable (PDF, Word) and should not be locked or
password protected.
Instructions: Response to this RFI is voluntary. Each individual or
organization is requested to submit only one response. Commenters can
respond to one or many questions. Submissions are suggested to not
exceed a total of five (5) pages in 12 point or larger font.
Submissions should clearly indicate which questions are being
addressed. Responses should include the name of the person(s) or
organization(s) filing the response. Responses containing references,
studies, research, and other
[[Page 60229]]
empirical data that are not widely published should include copies of
or electronic links to the referenced materials. Responses containing
profanity, vulgarity, threats, or other inappropriate language or
content will not be considered.
OSTP or CEQ may post responses to this RFI, without change, on
their websites. OSTP and CEQ, therefore, request that no business
proprietary information, copyrighted information, or personally
identifiable information be submitted in response to this RFI. Please
note that the U.S. Government will not pay for response preparation, or
for the use of any information contained in the response.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Scott Doney, 202-456-4444,
<a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#97c4f4f8e3e3b9d4b9d3f8f9f2eed7f8e4e3e7b9f2f8e7b9f0f8e1"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="b7e4d4d8c3c399f499f3d8d9d2cef7d8c4c3c799d2d8c799d0d8c1">[email protected]</span></a>.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Background: Urgent and immediate action is needed to tackle the
climate crisis through mitigation of and adaptation to the impacts of
climate change. Climate change threatens valuable marine resources and
the communities that depend on them. The ocean, as a critical heat and
carbon sink and with capacities for both mitigation and adaptation
climate solutions, is an integral component of the Biden-Harris
Administration's ``all-hands-on-deck'' approach to climate action.
Examples of ocean-based climate solutions include: harnessing ocean
renewable energy, protecting and restoring ecosystems that sequester
carbon and support biological diversity, expanding the extent and level
of protection of marine protected areas, pursuing responsible and
efficacious ocean-based carbon dioxide removal and sequestration, and
decarbonizing shipping. These ocean-based climate solutions can also
provide abundant co-benefits, including good-paying jobs, sustainable
livelihoods and communities, and healthier ocean ecosystems that
support future discovery and innovation. Ocean-based climate solutions
can also provide an opportunity to advance more equitable access to the
benefits provided by the ocean to people, and to create a diverse
workforce.
The Biden-Harris Administration has set goals and directed action
for many of these opportunities, including to:
<bullet> provide 40% of overall benefits of Federal investment
relating to climate change and other areas to disadvantaged communities
(Executive Order 14008: Tackling the Climate Crisis at Home and Abroad,
January 27, 2021; <a href="https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/presidential-actions/2021/01/27/executive-order-on-tackling-the-climate-crisis-at-home-and-abroad/">https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/presidential-actions/2021/01/27/executive-order-on-tackling-the-climate-crisis-at-home-and-abroad/</a>);
<bullet> produce 30 gigawatts of energy from offshore wind by 2030
(FACT SHEET: Biden Administration Jumpstarts Offshore Wind Energy
Projects to Create Jobs, March 29, 2021; <a href="https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/statements-releases/2021/03/29/fact-sheet-biden-administration-jumpstarts-offshore-wind-energy-projects-to-create-jobs/">https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/statements-releases/2021/03/29/fact-sheet-biden-administration-jumpstarts-offshore-wind-energy-projects-to-create-jobs/</a>
);
<bullet> conserve at least 30% of U.S. lands and waters by 2030
(Executive Order 14008: Tackling the Climate Crisis at Home and Abroad,
January 27, 2021; <a href="https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/presidential-actions/2021/01/27/executive-order-on-tackling-the-climate-crisis-at-home-and-abroad/">https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/presidential-actions/2021/01/27/executive-order-on-tackling-the-climate-crisis-at-home-and-abroad/</a>);
<bullet> working with the International Maritime Organization,
achieve zero emissions from international shipping by no later than
2050 (FACT SHEET: President Biden's Leaders Summit on Climate, April
23, 2021; <a href="https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/statements-releases/2021/04/23/fact-sheet-president-bidens-leaders-summit-on-climate/">https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/statements-releases/2021/04/23/fact-sheet-president-bidens-leaders-summit-on-climate/</a>).
More than 20 Federal agencies have developed adaptation and
resilience plans in response to Executive Order 14008 (FACT SHEET:
Biden Administration Releases Agency Climate Adaptation and Resilience
Plans from Across Federal Government, October 7, 2021; <a href="https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/statements-releases/2021/10/07/fact-sheet-biden-administration-releases-agency-climate-adaptation-and-resilience-plans-from-across-federal-government/">https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/statements-releases/2021/10/07/fact-sheet-biden-administration-releases-agency-climate-adaptation-and-resilience-plans-from-across-federal-government/</a>).
To outline a vision for ocean climate action, the Ocean Policy
Committee, a Congressionally mandated, Cabinet-level interagency
committee charged with coordinating Federal ocean policy, (<a href="https://www.noaa.gov/interagency-ocean-policy">https://www.noaa.gov/interagency-ocean-policy</a>), will develop an Ocean Climate
Action Plan (OCAP) that will: (1) summarize and assess current and
planned Federal, ocean-related mitigation and adaptation activities,
including but not necessarily limited to green shipping, blue carbon,
biodiversity conservation and protection, ecosystem restoration,
nature-based solutions, marine renewable energy, ocean-based carbon
dioxide removal and sequestration, climate-ready aquaculture and
fisheries, and other ocean-climate related actions; (2) characterize
the benefits (e.g., mitigation, adaptation, and associated co-benefits)
of such actions and how they contribute to Administration climate
change and equity and environmental justice goals; (3) identify needs
and opportunities to more effectively address climate change impacts
through additional mitigation or adaptation actions; and (4) identify
how we can utilize current knowledge to support existing action, and
define new knowledge needed to better understand and address important
emerging issues such as ocean-based carbon dioxide removal.
Questions To Inform Development of the Plan
Respondents may provide information for one or as many topics below
as they choose. Submissions should clearly indicate which questions are
being addressed.
An interagency workgroup co-led by the Department of the Interior,
the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, and the National
Science Foundation, in partnership with the CEQ, the OSTP, the National
Climate Task Force, and other Federal agencies and entities, will
develop the OCAP with input from the public, States, Tribal Nations,
scientists, and a wide range of stakeholders. While agencies and the
workgroup have received ad hoc recommendations on ocean-climate
solutions, this request for information offers a formal comment period
to collect input specific to the development of the OCAP. The group is
seeking input from the public on the following:
1. Background information. Please briefly describe the role that
you/your organization has in ocean-based climate solutions. If
relevant, please describe how you/your organization engages with
underserved communities.
2. Critical Actions. What ocean-based climate solutions should be
considered, and over what time scales? What are specific examples of
ocean-based climate mitigation and adaptation activities that the
United States should seek to advance? Which are higher priority? Are
there actions that should be avoided, and if so, why?
3. Knowledge, Science, and Technology. What kind of research is
needed to implement and evaluate the effectiveness and impacts of
ocean-based climate solutions? How can Indigenous knowledge be
highlighted to inform solutions? What are important questions, issues,
and unknowns that need to be addressed? What existing technologies
might advance implementation of ocean-based climate solutions, and what
innovations are needed?
4. Environmental Justice, Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion. How can
the benefits of ocean-based climate
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solutions be shared equitably? How should we engage communities in
local implementation? How should we ensure that ocean-based climate
solutions are implemented in ways that do not harm underserved
communities? What opportunities exist for training and employing a
diverse and inclusive blue workforce in implementing ocean-based
climate solutions?
5. Partnerships and Collaboration. What solutions can/should come
from outside of government? Where and how can the Federal government
partner with external stakeholders across regions and sectors to
effectively mitigate and adapt to climate change through ocean-based
climate solutions?
6. Additional Comments: Please provide any other input that you
believe is pertinent to this RFI, within the page limit.
Please note that the OCAP will also inform the OPC's work to
develop a National Strategy for a Sustainable Ocean Economy (National
Strategy), which will describe a vision and set high-level goals for
the sustainable management of the Nation's ocean, coasts, and Great
Lakes, and frame development of a national plan towards a sustainable
ocean economy. For more information, see <a href="https://www.noaa.gov/interagency-ocean-policy">https://www.noaa.gov/interagency-ocean-policy</a>. OSTP and CEQ will solicit public comment on
the National Strategy through public notice in the Federal Register.
Dated: September 29, 2022.
Stacy Murphy,
Operations Manager.
[FR Doc. 2022-21480 Filed 10-3-22; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3270-F8-P
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