The National Ocean Council has extended the public comment period on the draft National Ocean Policy Implementation Plan through 28 March 2012. This extension will provide stakeholders, users, and the public additional time to provide input to inform development of the final Implementation Plan.
The draft Implementation Plan is part of President Obama's "National Policy for the Stewardship of the Ocean, Our Coasts, and the Great Lakes." The draft plan does not encompass all Federal actions relating to ocean, coastal, and Great Lakes matters; rather, it focuses on the nine priority objectives highlighted under the National Ocean Policy. For each of the nine objectives, a suite of actions and their intended outcomes are described. For each action, key milestones are outlined, lead agencies or other responsible entities are identified, and time-frames are listed. This structure is designed to provide a clear layout of what will be accomplished and who will be engaged, as well as associated timelines.
Changing Conditions in the Arctic is the only priority objective that identifies a single region as an area of special focus. For further information, please see: Witness Fall 2011 National Ocean Policy in the Arctic Region.
For more information about the draft Implementation Plan and how to provide comment, please see: http://www.whitehouse.gov/administration/eop/oceans/implementationplan.