President Trump on Tuesday 19 June issued an executive order creating a new panel that will advise him and his cabinet on policies that cover oceans, coasts and the Great Lakes.
Trump’s actions overturn a 2010 order issued by then-President Obama that led to the formation of regional planning bodies that were responsible for managing coastal development. Those organizations will be replaced by a new committee consisting mainly of federal department heads in an attempt to foster collaboration between agencies to address marine-related issues.
“Ocean industries employ millions of Americans and support a strong national economy,” Trump said in his order. “Domestic energy production from Federal waters strengthens the Nation’s security and reduces reliance on imported energy … Goods and materials that support our economy and quality of life flow through maritime commerce. Our fisheries resources help feed the Nation and present tremendous export opportunities. Clean, healthy waters support fishing, boating and other recreational opportunities for all Americans.”
The order seeks to bolster those benefits by improving public access to marine data and engaging with business leaders, scientists and other stakeholders on addressing policy issues.
Business leaders hailed Trump’s action. In a statement, Jack Belcher, managing director of the National Ocean Policy Coalition, said the new order falls in line with the organization’s objectives, such as encouraging data sharing and nurturing public-private partnerships.
“At the same time, it removes a significant cloud of uncertainty that has been hovering over a wide range of commercial and recreational interests that represent a broad cross-section of the American economy, threatening domestic jobs, economic activity, and recreational opportunities through new and unauthorized bureaucracies, mandates to federal agencies, and actions that could needlessly prohibit, limit, or delay access to public lands,” he said.
Congressional Democrats and conservation groups voiced concerns over Trump’s action. They said Obama’s oceans policy helped strike a balance between economic and ecological concerns and fear the new order may threaten that.
Seven Democrats, led by U.S. Rep. Raul Grijalva (D-Arizona) – the ranking member on the House Natural Resources Committee – wrote a letter to committee chair U.S. Rep. Rob Bishop (R-Utah) requesting a hearing to discuss the implications of Trump’s “short-sighted” order.
“President Trump is unilaterally throwing out many components of the (policy) and decades of work and input from Congress, two previous Administrations, policy experts and the American public that went into its creation,” the letter stated. “This important topic deserves our attention and oversight.”
