National Ocean Council and NOAA celebrate National Ocean Month

June 2, 2011

Today, the Obama Administration proclaimed June as National Ocean Month, recognizing that healthy oceans matter to all Americans.  The National Ocean Council will conduct a series of public listening sessions across the nation as it develops action plans to grow the economy and health of America’s coastal communities. 

In addition to sponsoring four of these sessions, NOAA will celebrate Ocean Month at the annual Capitol Hill Oceans Week next week, where Jane Lubchenco, under secretary of commerce for oceans and atmosphere, and NOAA Administrator will deliver this year’s keynote address about the critical role of oceans for our national security and prosperity.

As the nation's ocean agency, NOAA is taking a lead role in the implementation of the policy. NOAA’s expertise in mapping and charting, ocean observing, weather forecasting and environmental monitoring ensures the best science is available to inform decisions. Throughout the month, Lubchenco will participate in a number of important ocean-focused events:

Starting next week, the National Ocean Council will host a series of 12 public listening sessions across the country.  NOAA will be hosting four listening sessions in Hawaii and along the West Coast.  Building from the Executive Order issued by President Obama last July that established the National Ocean Policy and the Council charged with implementing the policy, these public engagement sessions mark the latest milestone in implementing an ocean policy that addresses the most critical issues facing our oceans. 
In addition, the National Ocean Council has launched a month-long online public review period for strategic action plan outlines.  These strategic actions plans, which will be developed over the summer, will propose attainable goals and specific, measureable actions the federal government can implement to address key challenges facing our ocean, coasts, and Great Lakes.

These outlines and their corresponding action plans were drafted with input from a wide range of stakeholders.  To participate in providing feedback for the strategic action plans outlines or to get more information on listening sessions please visit National Ocean Council.

NOAA’s mission is to understand and predict changes in the Earth's environment, from the depths of the ocean to the surface of the sun, and to conserve and manage our coastal and marine resources. Find us on Facebook.