Background

In July 2010, President Obama issued an Executive Order that established a National Policy for the Stewardship of the Ocean, Our Coasts, and the Great Lakes (National Ocean Policy). The Order adopted the Final Recommendations of the Interagency Ocean Policy Task Force, and among nine priority objectives, called for nationwide implementation of Coastal and Marine Spatial Planning (CMSP). The policy also instituted the National Ocean Council to coordinate and provide guidance on efforts for all priority objectives.

The National Ocean Policy calls for "robust" stakeholder involvement, as highlighted in the Final Recommendations: "In addition to coordination and cooperation among all levels of government, robust public and stakeholder engagement is integral to a successful CMSP process. Given the multi-objective nature of CMSP it is critical to ensure there are numerous opportunities for a broad range of input to gain a better understanding of the human uses and influences on the planning area, and expectations, interests, and requirements for the future."*

Regional Planning Bodies are responsible for stakeholder engagement, as noted in Section 5 of the Final Recommendations: "The regional planning body would ensure there is frequent and regular stakeholder engagement throughout all phases of the CMSP process, including development, adoption, implementation, evaluation, and adaptive management phases."**

CMSP involves the assessment of all of the various uses of coastal and marine waters, including commercial fishing and shipping, species habitat, offshore energy development, homeland security, and recreation, among others. Each region of the United States and its territories is charged with developing a plan for harmonizing and managing these uses over the next five years, and there is general understanding that extensive stakeholder, tribal, and governmental involvement will be required to create a workable plan.

*Page 47 – United States. White House Council on Environmental Quality. Final Recommendations of the Interagency Ocean Policy Task Force. July 19, 2010.Web. November 2011. http://www.whitehouse.gov/files/documents/OPTF_FinalRecs.pdf
** Page 56 – United States. White House Council on Environmental Quality. Final Recommendations of the Interagency Ocean Policy Task Force. July 19, 2010.Web. November 2011. http://www.whitehouse.gov/files/documents/OPTF_FinalRecs.pdf.

For comments or questions about CMSP Stakeholder Engagement Tracking, please contact: Lauren Nutter.

This page was last updated 7/17/2019.