United States Commission on Ocean Policy
Encyclopedia
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
Commission on Ocean Policy (sometimes known as the Watkins Commission, after the chairman of the commission during its first gathering, James Watkins
James D. Watkins
Admiral James David Watkins is a retired United States Navy officer and former Chief of Naval Operations who also served as U.S. Secretary of Energy during the George H. W. Bush Administration and chaired U.S. government commissions on HIV/AIDS and ocean policy. Watkins has also served on the...
) was created by an act of the 106th United States Congress
106th United States Congress
The One Hundred Sixth United States Congress was a meeting of the legislative branch of the United States federal government, composed of the United States Senate and the United States House of Representatives. It met in Washington, DC from January 3, 1999 to January 3, 2001, during the last two...
known as the Oceans Act of 2000
Oceans Act of 2000
The Oceans Act of 2000 established the United States Commission on Ocean Policy, a working group tasked with the development of what would be known as the National Oceans Report.The objective of the report is to promote the following:...
. The commission's mandate was to establish findings and develop recommendations for a new and comprehensive national ocean policy. The final report was delivered in September 2004, and shortly afterwards the commission was terminated, as scheduled by the Oceans Act.
Working groups
Working group
A working group is an interdisciplinary collaboration of researchers working on new research activities that would be difficult to develop under traditional funding mechanisms . The lifespan of the WG can last anywhere between a few months and several years...
s to address the following issues:
- Governance
- Research, Education and Marine Operations
- Stewardship
- Investment and Implementation
History
The previous review of U.S. ocean policy had been conducted thirty-five years before by the Stratton Commission, published in 1969. To account for changes in the intervening years, the U.S. Congress decided to form the Commission on Ocean Policy to conduct a new review, and develop recommendations for future ocean policy. The Oceans Act of 2000 was passed in the SenateUnited States Senate
The United States Senate is the upper house of the bicameral legislature of the United States, and together with the United States House of Representatives comprises the United States Congress. The composition and powers of the Senate are established in Article One of the U.S. Constitution. Each...
June 6, 2000, and become effective on January 20, 2001.
The Commission is composed of 16 members. Per the Act, the House of Representatives
United States House of Representatives
The United States House of Representatives is one of the two Houses of the United States Congress, the bicameral legislature which also includes the Senate.The composition and powers of the House are established in Article One of the Constitution...
and Senate
United States Senate
The United States Senate is the upper house of the bicameral legislature of the United States, and together with the United States House of Representatives comprises the United States Congress. The composition and powers of the Senate are established in Article One of the U.S. Constitution. Each...
Majority each nominated eight people, and the President
President of the United States
The President of the United States of America is the head of state and head of government of the United States. The president leads the executive branch of the federal government and is the commander-in-chief of the United States Armed Forces....
appointed four from each list.
The Commission began its work in September 2001 with a series of nine regional meetings and 18 additional site visits in every coastal region of the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
and the Great Lakes
Great Lakes
The Great Lakes are a collection of freshwater lakes located in northeastern North America, on the Canada – United States border. Consisting of Lakes Superior, Michigan, Huron, Erie, and Ontario, they form the largest group of freshwater lakes on Earth by total surface, coming in second by volume...
. The Commission heard testimony from 445 experts, including many of the nation’s top ocean scientists and researchers, environmental organizations, industry, citizens, and government officials, as well as receiving written testimony from countless others.
The Commission released its Preliminary Report on April 20, 2004, for review by the nation’s Governors and other stakeholders.
On September 20, 2004, the Commission submitted its Final Report to the President and Congress, "An Ocean Blueprint for the 21st Century". On December 19, 2004, the Commission officially expired, as called for under the Oceans Act of 2000.
External links
- Official Commission web site
- PDF version of the Oceans Act of 2000
- The Commission's final report
- Naval Institute Proceedings 2001 Index Don WalshDon WalshDon Walsh is an American oceanographer, explorer and marine policy specialist. He and Jacques Piccard were aboard the bathyscaphe Trieste when it made a record maximum descent into the Mariana Trench on 23 January 1960, the deepest point of the world's ocean...
- 1965 Coastal Zone Information Center NOAA (35 pp)
- Tales of Not-so Ancient Mariners: A Marine Technology Review from the MTS Archives (Summer 2006)