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Tony MacDonald Director Urban Coast Institute Monmouth University November 30, 2009 Slide 2 MARCO June 4, 2009 Mid-Atlantic Governors Ocean Summit sign Agreement on Ocean Conservation and MARCO. Principles: Protect, conserve and sustainably develop Ecosystem-based Management Regional Coordination / National Support Partnership with States, Feds and Stakeholders Slide 3 MARCO PRIORITIES Habitat Protection Climate Change / Adaptation Water Quality Offshore Renewable Energy Slide 4 Slide 5 Habitat Protection 1) Protect the 10 major offshore canyons from harmful or damaging activities. 2) Identify other key Mid-Atlantic habitats, such as migration corridors, at risk from damaging activities and seek appropriate protection measures. 3) Create a regional internet mapping system to identify areas unsuitable for certain activities due to the presence of key habitats. 4) Create Mid-Atlantic marine habitat protection and restoration policies to guide management. Slide 6 Marine Spatial Planning A process to facilitate decision-making based on suitability of areas Ensuring protection of critical habitats, and Encouraging appropriate development of offshore renewable energy Slide 7 Climate Change / Adaptation 1) Identify key infrastructure vulnerable to sea level rise and flood hazards. 2) Acquire data to assess regional vulnerability to climate change and seal level rise impacts to infrastructure and coastal habitats. 3) Create a regional/ national GIS. 4) Facilitate information exchange. 5) Initiate sea level rise adaptation measures to collectively reduce the regions vulnerability. Slide 8 Water Quality 1) Promote greater federal investments for infrastructure upgrades to regions wastewater treatment infrastructure. 2) Reduce amount of human derived debris and floatables entering waterways and the ocean. 3) Improve delivery and expand data collected on water quality to better predict and assess effectiveness. 4) Develop agenda to address atmospheric sources of nitrogen and other toxins that contaminate ocean waters. Slide 9 Renewable Offshore Energy 1) Develop and finalize shared research and monitoring protocols for assessing impacts of energy development in terms of construction and operation on ocean and coastal resources. 2) Define regulatory steps, time frames, and potential barriers to development of offshore renewable energy resources. 3) Complete an offshore use map to facilitate siting of renewable energy projects to minimize adverse impacts to other ocean users and ecological services. Slide 10 Ocean Policy Task Force Federal and State Policy Context Executive Branch: Ocean Policy Task Force Preliminary Policy, Framework and Implementation, and MSP Framework by Dec 12 National Legislation (Energy, Climate change, CZMA, O & C Mapping Integration Act) MMS & NOAA: Multipurpose Marine Cadastre Regional Ocean Governance - NROC & MARCO Stakeholder Summit on December 9 & 10 State led efforts - Energy Master Plan, Alternative energy siting regulations, coastal hazards, CZM rules.