January 12, 2010 – Washington State Senator Kevin Ranker and eight co-sponsors introduced legislation (SB 6350) to “augment the marine spatial component of existing plans and improve coordination among state agencies in the development and implementation of marine management plans.” The bill requires the office of the governor to create a marine interagency team to recommend a potential framework for conducting marine spatial planning and integrating it into existing management plans.
January 4, 2010 – Massachusetts Secretary of Energy and Environmental Affairs Ian Bowles released that state’s comprehensive marine spatial plan to protect marine resources and foster sustainable uses in state waters. The final Ocean Management Plan provides new protections for critical environmental resources in nearly two-thirds of Massachusetts’ coastal waters and sets standards for the development of community-scale and commercial-scale offshore wind energy, as well as other infrastructure.
On June 12, 2009, President Obama signed a memorandum establishing an Interagency Ocean Policy Task Force, led by the White House Council on Environmental Quality. The Task Force is charged with developing recommendations in 180 days for a national ocean policy, a framework for improved stewardship, and effective coastal and marine spatial planning.
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There are a number of definitions for marine spatial planning. According to the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization, marine spatial planning is a public process of analyzing and allocating the spatial and temporal distribution of human activities in marine areas to achieve ecological, economic, and social objectives that usually have been specified through a political process.
The purpose of this website is to provide clear information to help managers, policy makers, and all those who use and appreciate the ocean, to understand the concept of marine spatial planning and advance its implementation in real-world settings.
Marine spatial planning is a rapidly evolving and dynamic topic area in which strong partnerships are essential. Therefore, users are encouraged to bookmark this website, since content will be frequently updated.
This website provides access to materials produced by the White House Council on Environmental Quality and Ocean Policy Task Force (OPTF). Users are encouraged to visit the OPTF website for the most current information.