The White House Wants To Hear From You

The Interior Department, the Coast Guard, the EPA, NOAA, the CDC, USGS and a host of other agencies will all have a role in implementing the nation's first-ever national ocean policy. The White House released a draft version of the policy's implementation plan yesterday, calling on agencies to work together to develop efficient, coordinated permitting processes, improve water quality, provide climate change forecasts and improve environmental response in the Arctic. It also includes plans for agencies to consolidate all their ocean data in a new section of Data.gov. The administration is asking for public comments on the plan. The comment period closes on Feb. 27.