President Obama set a new policy on Monday to improve coordination and communication between various agencies that administer the use of U.S. coastal waters, including the Great Lakes. 
The newly created National Ocean Council will try to make sense of the different rules from different agencies on the use of U.S. coastal waters and the Great Lakes. While the council will not change any existing laws or regulations, its main focus will be on how best to manage the competing uses of the oceans and Great Lakes. The council will include the secretaries of all Cabinet-level federal agencies and representatives of other federal environmental and economic agencies. State and tribal authorities will be consulted and allowed to comment on future recommendations made by the council. Among the issues that would be addressed by the council would be the ability of ocean and coastal ecosystems to remain resilient or to adapt to the effects of climate change and to the expected acidification of the ocean. Promoting and implementing sustainable practices on land would address concerns about water quality. The policies call for special attention to the Arctic Ocean and adjacent areas that are expected to face dramatic changes from warming, including sea level rise. A key facet of the new national policy will be a reliance on scientific knowledge, which will require greater financial support for scientific research and for the tools needed to conduct that research. It’s unfortunate that it took an oil spill to galvanize the leadership in Washington to wake up and take notice of what’s going on in our oceans. But, the fact that they have, is most welcomed at his time. Hopefully, the council can develop a compressive response to maintaining this vital resource for all to enjoy and prosper from.
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