[Federal Register Volume 88, Number 124 (Thursday, June 29, 2023)]
[Notices]
[Pages 42111-42113]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2023-13839]


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OFFICE OF SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY POLICY


Request for Information; National Strategy for a Sustainable 
Ocean Economy

AGENCY: Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP).

ACTION: Notice of request for information (RFI).

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SUMMARY: The Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP) and the 
Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ), on behalf of the interagency 
Ocean Policy Committee (OPC), request input from all interested parties 
to inform the development of a National Strategy for a Sustainable 
Ocean Economy (National Strategy). The National Strategy will describe 
the vision, goals, and high-level actions for a robust, equitable, 
secure, sustainable ocean economy enabled by healthy, resilient ocean 
ecosystems. It will build on current Federal, Tribal, Territorial, 
State, and regional sustainable ocean management practices and identify 
needs and opportunities to enhance these efforts with new and emerging 
science, technology, knowledge, and policy. Through this request for 
information (RFI), the Ocean Policy Committee seeks public input on 
what the goals and outcomes of the National Strategy should be, and how 
the Federal Government can best advance sustainable management of 
ocean, coastal, and Great Lakes resources and ecosystems of the United 
States.

DATES: Responses are due by 11:59 p.m. Eastern Time on August 28, 2023. 
Submissions received after the deadline may not be taken into 
consideration.

[[Page 42112]]


ADDRESSES: Comments must be submitted via the Federal eRulemaking 
Portal at regulations.gov. However, if you require an accommodation or 
cannot otherwise submit your comments via regulations.gov, please 
contact the program contact person listed under FOR FURTHER INFORMATION 
CONTACT. OSTP will not accept comments by fax or by email, or comments 
submitted after the comment period closes. To ensure that OSTP does not 
receive duplicate copies, please submit your comments only once. 
Additionally, please include the Docket ID at the top of your comments.
    Federal eRulemaking Portal: Go to www.regulations.gov to submit 
your comments electronically. Information on how to use 
Regulations.gov, including instructions for accessing agency documents, 
submitting comments, and viewing the docket, is available on the site 
under ``FAQ'' (https://www.regulations.gov/faq).
    Privacy Note: OSTP's policy is to make all comments received from 
members of the public available for public viewing in their entirety on 
the Federal eRulemaking Portal at www.regulations.gov. Therefore, 
commenters should be careful to include in their comments only 
information that they wish to make publicly available. OSTP requests 
that no proprietary information, copyrighted information, or personally 
identifiable information be submitted in response to this RFI.
    Instructions: Response to this RFI is voluntary. Each individual or 
organization is requested to submit only one response. Commenters can 
respond to one or many questions. Submissions are suggested to not 
exceed the equivalent of five (5) pages in 12 point or larger font. 
Submissions should clearly indicate which questions are being 
addressed. Responses should include the name of the person(s) or 
organization(s) filing the response. Responses containing references, 
studies, research, and other empirical data that are not widely 
published should include copies of or electronic links to the 
referenced materials. Responses containing profanity, vulgarity, 
threats, or other inappropriate language or content will not be 
considered.
    Please note that the U.S. Government will not pay for response 
preparation, or for the use of any information contained in the 
response. A response to this RFI will not be viewed as a binding 
commitment to develop or pursue the project or ideas discussed.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Deerin Babb-Brott, OSTP Asst. Director 
for Ocean Policy, (202) 456-3267.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 
    Background: The Nation's ocean, coasts, and Great Lakes support 
strong local economies and provide good-paying jobs, healthy food, 
carbon storage, energy, recreation, culture and heritage, 
transportation, trade, mobility for our armed forces, natural 
protection from storm surge and floods, and numerous other benefits. 
But many of these benefits are not inexhaustible, and the ocean is 
vulnerable to the impacts of human activity. The myriad impacts of 
climate change, habitat and biodiversity loss, and ocean pollution, for 
example, continue to degrade the health, productivity, and resilience 
of ocean ecosystems and make clear the integral connection between a 
healthy ocean, coasts, and Great Lakes and the health, prosperity, 
security, and well-being of all Americans.
    To address these continuing challenges, the Administration is 
committed to advancing the science, knowledge, tools, and activities 
that support sustainable policies, management, and practices as 
solutions. Because the challenges are numerous and their scale is 
great--for example, the country's ocean, coastal, and Great Lakes areas 
cover as much area as the terrestrial United States--solving them will 
require a whole-of-country effort, with critical roles for Tribal 
Nations, local, State, and Territorial governments, the private sector, 
academia, non-governmental organizations, a wide range of stakeholders, 
and the public. Actions to address these challenges are being developed 
and implemented across the country--at all scales, by governments, 
organizations, businesses, academia, and people of all kinds who are 
developing new science and tools, recognizing the critical importance 
of Indigenous Knowledge, building new technologies, and employing 
policies, management, and practices that prioritize sustainable 
outcomes and reflect the resilience, interconnectedness, value, and 
productivity of natural systems. Ocean policies, management, and 
practices focused on achieving healthy communities, ecosystems, and 
economies are needed to provide abundant co-benefits, including good-
paying jobs, thriving communities, and healthy ocean ecosystems that 
support future discovery and innovation. These solutions can also 
provide an opportunity to advance more equitable access to the benefits 
provided by the ocean to people, and to create and sustain a diverse 
workforce.
    To engage the Nation in developing a vision, goals, and high-level 
actions for sustainable management of the ocean, coasts, and Great 
Lakes, the Ocean Policy Committee, a Congressionally mandated, Cabinet-
level interagency committee charged with coordinating Federal ocean 
policy (https://www.noaa.gov/interagency-ocean-policy), will develop a 
National Strategy for a Sustainable Ocean Economy (National Strategy) 
in consultation with federally recognized Tribes and input from 
governments, civil society, the private sector, and the public. The 
National Strategy will: (1) describe a vision and goals for sustainable 
management of the U.S. ocean, coasts, and Great Lakes; (2) characterize 
and assess needs and opportunities to achieve the vision and goals; (3) 
identify existing and new high-level actions by Federal, Tribal, State, 
Territorial, regional, and local governments that can advance 
sustainable management; and (4) describe how those actions will be 
implemented to engage and build on the work of and partnerships with 
civil society, the private sector, and the public.
    Examples of subject matter that may be addressed by the National 
Strategy include, but are not necessarily limited to: ocean food and 
human health; ocean energy and resources; ocean-based tourism; ocean 
transportation; new ocean industries; climate change; marine and 
coastal ecosystems; ocean pollution; equity and environmental justice; 
ocean literacy and skills; economic valuation of coastal and ocean 
natural capital; ocean science and technology; ocean finance; 
Indigenous Knowledge, ancestral and historical areas of importance, and 
national security.
    At the Federal level, the National Strategy will take into account 
current actions related to the sustainability of the nation's ocean, 
coasts, and Great Lakes, including, but not necessarily limited to: the 
Ocean Climate Action Plan (https://www.whitehouse.gov/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/Ocean-Climate-Action-Plan_Final.pdf), the National 
Nature Assessment (https://www.globalchange.gov/nna), and the National 
Strategy to Develop Statistics for Environmental-Economic Decisions 
(https://www.whitehouse.gov/ostp/news-updates/2023/01/19/fact-sheet-biden-harris-administration-releases-national-strategy-to-put-nature-on-the-nations-balance-sheet/).The Ocean Policy Committee is 
coordinating the development of the National Strategy in conjunction 
with the United States'

[[Page 42113]]

participation in the ``High Level Panel for a Sustainable Ocean 
Economy'' (Ocean Panel; https://oceanpanel.org/), committing with 16 
other nations to develop sustainable ocean plans for their marine areas 
under national jurisdiction. This initiative aims to advance the 
prosperity, health, and security of participating nations through the 
sustainable management of their marine areas, and to provide a range of 
examples that can be considered as potential models by other nations. 
The U.S. National Strategy will serve as a sustainable ocean plan for 
the purposes of the Ocean Panel initiative.

Questions To Inform Development of the Strategy

    Respondents may provide information for one or as many topics below 
as they choose. Submissions should clearly indicate which questions are 
being addressed. An interagency work group under the Ocean Policy 
Committee and co-led by the Department of the Interior and the 
Department of the Navy, in partnership with the CEQ and OSTP, and other 
Federal agencies and entities, will develop the National Strategy with 
input from, Tribal Nations, local, State, and Territorial governments, 
the private sector, academia, non-governmental organizations, a wide 
range of stakeholders, and the public. The workgroup is seeking input 
from the public on high-level goals and how to achieve them in the 
following areas:
     Sustainable Ocean Economy. What should the national vision 
and high-level goals be for a sustainable ocean economy? Are there 
successful regional or local efforts that could be applied nation-wide? 
What elements or activities do you consider critical to a sustainable 
ocean economy? Are there other topics beyond those listed above (e.g., 
ocean food; ocean energy and resources; ocean-based tourism; ocean 
transportation; new ocean industries; climate change; marine and 
coastal ecosystems; ocean pollution; equity and environmental justice; 
ocean literacy and skills; economic valuation of the ocean's natural 
capital; ocean science, technology; ocean finance; Indigenous Knowledge 
and ancestral and historical areas of importance; and national 
security) that should be addressed?
     Ocean, Coasts, and Great Lakes Priorities. What are your 
priorities for sustainable management of the ocean, coasts, and Great 
Lakes at a local, state, Tribal, territorial, regional, and/or national 
scale? What key challenges do you face in achieving them? Are your 
priorities for ocean, coastal, and Great Lakes management reflected in 
existing workplans, strategy documents, or other materials? What 
practices/tactics are you employing or would you need to employ to meet 
those priorities?
     An Informed and Responsive National Strategy. Are there 
gaps in our knowledge of the ocean, coasts, and Great Lakes that need 
to be addressed to support sustainable ocean management? Are there 
opportunities to improve how we manage the use of marine ecosystems to 
maximize their benefits while minimizing human impacts on them? For 
example, and as relevant only to the U.S. Exclusive Economic Zone, how 
can the United States advance its commitment to a precautionary 
approach to seabed mining and other emerging ocean industries? What co-
management and co-stewardship practices are needed to meet ocean, 
coasts, and Great Lakes sustainability?
     Additional Considerations. Is there anything else you 
would like to be considered in the development of the National 
Strategy?
    Please note that this RFI is designed to complement existing 
Federal activities in this space. Previous relevant comments submitted 
to the RFIs for the Ocean Climate Action Plan (https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2022/10/04/2022-21480/ocean-climate-action-plan) and the National Nature Assessment (https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2022/10/31/2022-23593/framing-the-national-nature-assessment) will also be considered to inform the 
development of the National Strategy.

    Dated: June 26, 2023.
Stacy Murphy,
Deputy Chief Operations Officer/Security Officer.
[FR Doc. 2023-13839 Filed 6-28-23; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3270-F1-P