Geoscience Policy Monthly Review
june 2018
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President Trump signs executive order implementing a new national ocean policy
June 19, 2018
On June 19, President Donald Trump signed Executive Order (E.O.) 13840, “Ocean Policy to Advance Economic, Security, and Environmental Interests of the United States,” revoking and replacing much of the previous administration’s ocean policy. E.O. 13840 seeks to improve interagency coordination on ocean-related matters, public access to data, and engagement with marine industries, the science and technology community, and other stakeholders. On signing this order, President Trump became the third consecutive president to issue an executive order calling for the coordinated and comprehensive management of coastal and ocean resources.
Specifically, the new ocean policy calls for federal departments and agencies to coordinate their ocean-related activities to ensure effective management of ocean, coastal, and Great Lakes waters. The order highlights the need to ensure that federal regulations and management decisions do not prevent productive and sustainable use of those resources. It also directs agencies to continue promoting the lawful use of the ocean, facilitate the economic growth of coastal communities and ocean industries, and modernize the acquisition, distribution, and use of the best available ocean-related science and knowledge. In order to accomplish these goals, E.O. 13480 establishes a new interagency Ocean Policy Committee to provide advice regarding ocean-related policy matters.
A group of seven House Democrats quickly objected to the order signed by President Trump, claiming that his decision to revoke the existing National Ocean Policy (NOP) is “short-sighted” and will overturn years of critical ocean planning and policy. Based on recommendations from the Interagency Ocean Policy Task Force, the NOP was implemented in 2010 through President Barack Obama’s Executive Order 13547, “Stewardship of the Ocean, Our Coasts, and the Great Lakes,” which focused on ensuring the protection, maintenance, and restoration of ocean, coastal, and Great Lakes resources, enhancing our capacity to respond to climate change, and coordinating with our national security and foreign policy interests. In a letter to House Natural Resources Committee Chairman Rob Bishop (R-UT-1), led by Ranking Member Raúl Grijalva (D-AZ-3), the group of Democrats requested an oversight hearing to examine the implications of President Trump’s new policy.
Sources: E&E News; The Hill; Government Publishing Office; U.S. House, Committee on Natural Resources; White House, Office of the Press Secretary.
House and Senate pass appropriations legislation funding FY 2019 Energy and Water Development
June 28, 2018
In June 2018, the House and Senate consecutively passed the Energy and Water, Legislative Branch, and Military Construction and Veterans Affairs Appropriations Act, 2019 (H.R. 5895) to make progress on the appropriations process before the fiscal year (FY) 2019 deadline of September 30, 2018. The bill, dubbed a “minibus”, combines three appropriations bills: Energy and Water Development and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 2019; Legislative branch Appropriations Act, 2019; and Military Construction, Veterans Affairs, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 2019.
While the House version passed on a near party line vote (235 to 179) on June 8, the Senate’s amended version passed by a vote of 87 to 9 on June 25. Both versions of the bill include increased funding for the Department of Energy (DOE); however, the total funding and distribution among programs as well as the additional legislative proposals – known as riders – differ between the chambers’ bills. On June 28, the House named conferees – members of Congress who will negotiate final language – to work with Senate conferees, yet to be named, on reconciling the versions passed by each chamber.
More FY 2019 appropriations bills are slated to be considered in July, with Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell vowing to shorten the Senate’s August recess to proceed with appropriations legislation and nominee confirmation.
Sources: E&E News; Library of Congress; The Hill.
Senate Oceans Subcommittee reviews the first decade of the NOAA Digital Coast Program
June 5, 2018
The Senate Subcommittee on Oceans, Atmosphere, Fisheries, and Coast Guard held a hearing on June 5 to review the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s (NOAA) Digital Coast program. The program provides a free online database to help meet the unique needs of the coastal management community. The Digital Coast website incorporates various data sets, ranging from economic data to satellite imagery, that come from many sources – all of which are vetted by NOAA. Using this database, NOAA offers visualization and predictive tools, training courses on utilizing the tools, and information on coastal storms, water quality, and flooding vulnerability.
Subcommittee Chairman Dan Sullivan (R-AK), a strong supporter of the program, noted in his opening statement that the Digital Coast program enables our nation’s coastal communities to better manage resources, respond to emergencies, and plan for long term coastal resilience. Over the course of the hearing, the witnesses reported on how Digital Coasts operates and what it accomplished in the ten years since its establishment. Nicole LeBoeuf, the Deputy Assistant Administrator of NOAA’s National Ocean Service (NOS), reported that one third of all U.S. coastal communities have utilized Digital Coast and that its current benefits exceeded costs to taxpayers by a ratio of three to one. During the Q&A of the hearing, Senator Roger Wicker (R-MS) asked how the NOAA program saves taxpayer money and contributes to economic development. Paul Barnes, the Geographic Information Systems Director of Harrison County, Mississippi, explained that the economic benefits are mainly associated with community resilience. “If we plan properly,” Barnes stated, “We are able to ensure that we do not build infrastructure or public facilities or even residential structures in areas that are vulnerable… By building outside of those vulnerable areas, we are ensuring that we recover more quickly in the event of a disaster… The real economic development issue is being able to recover quickly, provide services, (and) generate revenue again.”
LeBoeuf also outlined Digital Coast’s strategic plan through 2021, which includes strengthening relationships with private and public sectors and providing improved decision support tools and training. Tyson Fettes, the Register of Deeds for Racine County, Wisconsin, reported on how the Digital Coast platform improved and facilitated Racine County’s response to a severe flooding event that occurred last June. David Millar, the Government Accounts Director for the multinational geoscience data services corporation Fugro, recommended that the program increase its marketing to improve awareness outside the government sector on the tools and resources Digital Coast provides.
Last year, Subcommittee Ranking Member Tammy Baldwin (D-WI) introduced the Digital Coast Act (S.110) to authorize the NOAA Digital Coast program. S. 110 unanimously passed the Senate last May and currently awaits a vote in the House. A bipartisan companion bill was also introduced in the House (H.R. 4062) in October and referred to the Subcommittee on Water, Power and Oceans.
Sources: E&E News; Library of Congress; National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration; U.S. Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation.