According to a press release from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the Obama administration is kicking off National Ocean Month by holding a series of public forums and information sessions in order to get input from local communities on or near oceans or depend on them for recreational or economic reasons. The information sessions and public forums throughout National Ocean Month are to aid the Obama administration in gaining public input as it develops the country's first policies geared toward the nation's fragile ocean areas.
The information sessions and public forums will be held in part by the EPA along with the National Ocean Council and other environmental partners and federal agencies. In total, 12 different sessions will take place across the country starting next week, with two of the sessions focusing specifically on the Great Lakes Region, in collaboration with the U.S. Coast Guard, and the Gulf of Mexico, which was hit by the BP Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill last year and recently experienced the one-year anniversary this past April.
The EPA noted this announcement was part of President Barack Obama's action to create a national ocean policy. According to Environment News Service, President Obama established the ocean policy last July in order to create a collective effort to manage the country's coasts, oceans, and the connecting Great Lakes. The policy, which focuses on the importance of marine ecosystems, also officially created the National Ocean Council.
As noted by the ENS article, in the announcement of Obama's establishment of the national ocean policy, EPA Administrator Lisa Jackson said, "The new national policy provides a clear road map for all federal agencies to work together, with local partners, to protect our vital waters for future generations."
The press release also emphasized that the information sessions and public forums are critical to developing a working and successful national ocean policy and these public information sessions are part of the a month-long comment period being held by the National Ocean Council.
According to the National Ocean Council website, the other information sessions will take place between June 9 and July 1; locations include Washington, D.C.; Barrow and Anchorage, Alaska.; Chicago; Honolulu; San Francisco; and Portland, Ore. However, the EPA and National Ocean Council are encouraging members of the public who can't attend a session to submit their comments.
Rachel Bogart provides an in-depth look at current environmental issues and local Chicago news stories. As a college student from the Chicago suburbs pursuing two science degrees, she applies her knowledge and passion to both topics to garner further public awareness.
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