Notice2023-13839
Request for Information; National Strategy for a Sustainable Ocean Economy
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
June 29, 2023
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 National Strategy for a Sustainable Ocean Economy (National Strategy). The National Strategy will describe the vision, goals, and high-level actions for a robust, equitable, secure, sustainable ocean economy enabled by healthy, resilient ocean ecosystems. It will build on current Federal, Tribal, Territorial, State, and regional sustainable ocean management practices and identify needs and opportunities to enhance these efforts with new and emerging science, technology, knowledge, and policy. Through this request for information (RFI), the Ocean Policy Committee seeks public input on what the goals and outcomes of the National Strategy should be, and how the Federal Government can best advance sustainable management of ocean, coastal, and Great Lakes resources and ecosystems of the United States.
Full Text
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<title>Federal Register, Volume 88 Issue 124 (Thursday, June 29, 2023)</title>
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[Federal Register Volume 88, Number 124 (Thursday, June 29, 2023)]
[Notices]
[Pages 42111-42113]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [<a href="http://www.gpo.gov">www.gpo.gov</a>]
[FR Doc No: 2023-13839]
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OFFICE OF SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY POLICY
Request for Information; National Strategy for a Sustainable
Ocean Economy
AGENCY: Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP).
ACTION: Notice of request for information (RFI).
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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 National Strategy for a Sustainable
Ocean Economy (National Strategy). The National Strategy will describe
the vision, goals, and high-level actions for a robust, equitable,
secure, sustainable ocean economy enabled by healthy, resilient ocean
ecosystems. It will build on current Federal, Tribal, Territorial,
State, and regional sustainable ocean management practices and identify
needs and opportunities to enhance these efforts with new and emerging
science, technology, knowledge, and policy. Through this request for
information (RFI), the Ocean Policy Committee seeks public input on
what the goals and outcomes of the National Strategy should be, and how
the Federal Government can best advance sustainable management of
ocean, coastal, and Great Lakes resources and ecosystems of the United
States.
DATES: Responses are due by 11:59 p.m. Eastern Time on August 28, 2023.
Submissions received after the deadline may not be taken into
consideration.
[[Page 42112]]
ADDRESSES: Comments must be submitted via the Federal eRulemaking
Portal at <a href="http://regulations.gov">regulations.gov</a>. However, if you require an accommodation or
cannot otherwise submit your comments via <a href="http://regulations.gov">regulations.gov</a>, please
contact the program contact person listed under FOR FURTHER INFORMATION
CONTACT. OSTP will not accept comments by fax or by email, or comments
submitted after the comment period closes. To ensure that OSTP does not
receive duplicate copies, please submit your comments only once.
Additionally, please include the Docket ID at the top of your comments.
Federal eRulemaking Portal: Go to <a href="http://www.regulations.gov">www.regulations.gov</a> to submit
your comments electronically. Information on how to use
Regulations.gov, including instructions for accessing agency documents,
submitting comments, and viewing the docket, is available on the site
under ``FAQ'' (<a href="https://www.regulations.gov/faq">https://www.regulations.gov/faq</a>).
Privacy Note: OSTP's policy is to make all comments received from
members of the public available for public viewing in their entirety on
the Federal eRulemaking Portal at <a href="http://www.regulations.gov">www.regulations.gov</a>. Therefore,
commenters should be careful to include in their comments only
information that they wish to make publicly available. OSTP requests
that no proprietary information, copyrighted information, or personally
identifiable information be submitted in response to this RFI.
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 the equivalent 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 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.
Please note that the U.S. Government will not pay for response
preparation, or for the use of any information contained in the
response. A response to this RFI will not be viewed as a binding
commitment to develop or pursue the project or ideas discussed.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Deerin Babb-Brott, OSTP Asst. Director
for Ocean Policy, (202) 456-3267.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Background: The Nation's ocean, coasts, and Great Lakes support
strong local economies and provide good-paying jobs, healthy food,
carbon storage, energy, recreation, culture and heritage,
transportation, trade, mobility for our armed forces, natural
protection from storm surge and floods, and numerous other benefits.
But many of these benefits are not inexhaustible, and the ocean is
vulnerable to the impacts of human activity. The myriad impacts of
climate change, habitat and biodiversity loss, and ocean pollution, for
example, continue to degrade the health, productivity, and resilience
of ocean ecosystems and make clear the integral connection between a
healthy ocean, coasts, and Great Lakes and the health, prosperity,
security, and well-being of all Americans.
To address these continuing challenges, the Administration is
committed to advancing the science, knowledge, tools, and activities
that support sustainable policies, management, and practices as
solutions. Because the challenges are numerous and their scale is
great--for example, the country's ocean, coastal, and Great Lakes areas
cover as much area as the terrestrial United States--solving them will
require a whole-of-country effort, with critical roles for Tribal
Nations, local, State, and Territorial governments, the private sector,
academia, non-governmental organizations, a wide range of stakeholders,
and the public. Actions to address these challenges are being developed
and implemented across the country--at all scales, by governments,
organizations, businesses, academia, and people of all kinds who are
developing new science and tools, recognizing the critical importance
of Indigenous Knowledge, building new technologies, and employing
policies, management, and practices that prioritize sustainable
outcomes and reflect the resilience, interconnectedness, value, and
productivity of natural systems. Ocean policies, management, and
practices focused on achieving healthy communities, ecosystems, and
economies are needed to provide abundant co-benefits, including good-
paying jobs, thriving communities, and healthy ocean ecosystems that
support future discovery and innovation. These solutions can also
provide an opportunity to advance more equitable access to the benefits
provided by the ocean to people, and to create and sustain a diverse
workforce.
To engage the Nation in developing a vision, goals, and high-level
actions for sustainable management of the ocean, coasts, and Great
Lakes, 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 a
National Strategy for a Sustainable Ocean Economy (National Strategy)
in consultation with federally recognized Tribes and input from
governments, civil society, the private sector, and the public. The
National Strategy will: (1) describe a vision and goals for sustainable
management of the U.S. ocean, coasts, and Great Lakes; (2) characterize
and assess needs and opportunities to achieve the vision and goals; (3)
identify existing and new high-level actions by Federal, Tribal, State,
Territorial, regional, and local governments that can advance
sustainable management; and (4) describe how those actions will be
implemented to engage and build on the work of and partnerships with
civil society, the private sector, and the public.
Examples of subject matter that may be addressed by the National
Strategy include, but are not necessarily limited to: ocean food and
human health; ocean energy and resources; ocean-based tourism; ocean
transportation; new ocean industries; climate change; marine and
coastal ecosystems; ocean pollution; equity and environmental justice;
ocean literacy and skills; economic valuation of coastal and ocean
natural capital; ocean science and technology; ocean finance;
Indigenous Knowledge, ancestral and historical areas of importance, and
national security.
At the Federal level, the National Strategy will take into account
current actions related to the sustainability of the nation's ocean,
coasts, and Great Lakes, including, but not necessarily limited to: the
Ocean Climate Action Plan (<a href="https://www.whitehouse.gov/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/Ocean-Climate-Action-Plan_Final.pdf">https://www.whitehouse.gov/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/Ocean-Climate-Action-Plan_Final.pdf</a>), the National
Nature Assessment (<a href="https://www.globalchange.gov/nna">https://www.globalchange.gov/nna</a>), and the National
Strategy to Develop Statistics for Environmental-Economic Decisions
(<a href="https://www.whitehouse.gov/ostp/news-updates/2023/01/19/fact-sheet-biden-harris-administration-releases-national-strategy-to-put-nature-on-the-nations-balance-sheet/">https://www.whitehouse.gov/ostp/news-updates/2023/01/19/fact-sheet-biden-harris-administration-releases-national-strategy-to-put-nature-on-the-nations-balance-sheet/</a>).The Ocean Policy Committee is
coordinating the development of the National Strategy in conjunction
with the United States'
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participation in the ``High Level Panel for a Sustainable Ocean
Economy'' (Ocean Panel; <a href="https://oceanpanel.org/">https://oceanpanel.org/</a>), committing with 16
other nations to develop sustainable ocean plans for their marine areas
under national jurisdiction. This initiative aims to advance the
prosperity, health, and security of participating nations through the
sustainable management of their marine areas, and to provide a range of
examples that can be considered as potential models by other nations.
The U.S. National Strategy will serve as a sustainable ocean plan for
the purposes of the Ocean Panel initiative.
Questions To Inform Development of the Strategy
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 work group under the Ocean Policy
Committee and co-led by the Department of the Interior and the
Department of the Navy, in partnership with the CEQ and OSTP, and other
Federal agencies and entities, will develop the National Strategy with
input from, Tribal Nations, local, State, and Territorial governments,
the private sector, academia, non-governmental organizations, a wide
range of stakeholders, and the public. The workgroup is seeking input
from the public on high-level goals and how to achieve them in the
following areas:
<bullet> Sustainable Ocean Economy. What should the national vision
and high-level goals be for a sustainable ocean economy? Are there
successful regional or local efforts that could be applied nation-wide?
What elements or activities do you consider critical to a sustainable
ocean economy? Are there other topics beyond those listed above (e.g.,
ocean food; ocean energy and resources; ocean-based tourism; ocean
transportation; new ocean industries; climate change; marine and
coastal ecosystems; ocean pollution; equity and environmental justice;
ocean literacy and skills; economic valuation of the ocean's natural
capital; ocean science, technology; ocean finance; Indigenous Knowledge
and ancestral and historical areas of importance; and national
security) that should be addressed?
<bullet> Ocean, Coasts, and Great Lakes Priorities. What are your
priorities for sustainable management of the ocean, coasts, and Great
Lakes at a local, state, Tribal, territorial, regional, and/or national
scale? What key challenges do you face in achieving them? Are your
priorities for ocean, coastal, and Great Lakes management reflected in
existing workplans, strategy documents, or other materials? What
practices/tactics are you employing or would you need to employ to meet
those priorities?
<bullet> An Informed and Responsive National Strategy. Are there
gaps in our knowledge of the ocean, coasts, and Great Lakes that need
to be addressed to support sustainable ocean management? Are there
opportunities to improve how we manage the use of marine ecosystems to
maximize their benefits while minimizing human impacts on them? For
example, and as relevant only to the U.S. Exclusive Economic Zone, how
can the United States advance its commitment to a precautionary
approach to seabed mining and other emerging ocean industries? What co-
management and co-stewardship practices are needed to meet ocean,
coasts, and Great Lakes sustainability?
<bullet> Additional Considerations. Is there anything else you
would like to be considered in the development of the National
Strategy?
Please note that this RFI is designed to complement existing
Federal activities in this space. Previous relevant comments submitted
to the RFIs for the Ocean Climate Action Plan (<a href="https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2022/10/04/2022-21480/ocean-climate-action-plan">https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2022/10/04/2022-21480/ocean-climate-action-plan</a>) and the National Nature Assessment (<a href="https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2022/10/31/2022-23593/framing-the-national-nature-assessment">https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2022/10/31/2022-23593/framing-the-national-nature-assessment</a>) will also be considered to inform the
development of the National Strategy.
Dated: June 26, 2023.
Stacy Murphy,
Deputy Chief Operations Officer/Security Officer.
[FR Doc. 2023-13839 Filed 6-28-23; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3270-F1-P
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