- Joint Ocean Commission Initiative

Subscribe
Follow Us New Website! Questions?
In This Issue
Letter from our Leadership
Joint Initiative Highlights
Leadership Council Spotlight with Frances Beinecke
Letter from our Leadership
Winter 2015: JOCI launches three­year strategy to develop national ocean action plan
Greetings and welcome to the Joint Initiative Winter 2015 Newsletter. Along with our recently redesigned
website, www.jointoceancommission.org, we have a new look and feel for our quarterly newsletter that
we hope will make it easier to find content of interest to you. Over the past few months, JOCI has been working to elevate critical ocean policy issues that need to be
addressed by this Congress and administration and identifying longer­term priorities for the next set of
leaders in 2017 and beyond. In this issue of our newsletter, we discuss JOCI’s new strategy, recent
1
activities, and meetings with key leaders including Counselor to the President John Podesta, OMB
Director Shaun Donovan, CEQ Chair Mike Boots, Under Secretary of State Catherine Novelli, Special
Advisor on Arctic Science and Policy Admiral Robert Papp, and Secretary of Commerce Penny Pritzker.
We also share insights from our interview with Leadership Council member and recently retired Natural
Resources Defense Council President Frances Beinecke. JOCI recently launched its three­year strategy which ultimately aims to develop the awareness,
leadership, and commitment necessary to ensure actions are taken to improve how the United States
uses and manages our oceans and secures their health and productivity into the future. The active
engagement of regional leaders in the development of national ocean policies is vital to ensure that
issues of national significance and regional importance are addressed and effective policies are
implemented. As part of this process, on December 4 JOCI held the first of four regional roundtables,
the Arctic Ocean Leadership Roundtable. More information on the Arctic Roundtable can be found in the
JOCI Highlights below. We hope you enjoy our Winter 2015 updates and encourage you to check out our website for more
information on what JOCI has planned!
Joint Initiative Highlights
JOCI Discusses Federal Ocean Funding Priorities| January 2015
JOCI spent much of the fall and winter distilling ocean policy funding priorities, communicating them
effectively to key decision makers, and cultivating and educating ocean champions. These efforts
included discussions about federal ocean funding during a January meeting with Counselor to the
President John Podesta, OMB Director Shaun Donovan, and CEQ Chair Mike Boots and an October
meeting with OMB Program Associate Director Ali Zaidi and senior OMB officials. Last fall, JOCI
leadership also met with Secretary of Commerce Penny Pritzker and spoke with NOAA Administrator
Kathryn Sullivan about the status of the National Ocean Policy and the importance of continued support
for ocean exploration, environmental education, and addressing ocean acidification.
Sherri Goodman Named President and CEO of Consortium for Ocean Leadership | January 2015
JOCI Leadership Council member Sherri Goodman was recently appointed President and CEO of the
Consortium for Ocean Leadership, succeeding Leadership Council member Bob Gagosian. Ocean
Leadership represents 95 public and private ocean research education institutions, aquaria, and
industry with the mission to shape the future of ocean science. Congratulations Sherri on your new role!
JOCI Launches Strategy with Arctic Ocean Leadership Roundtable | December 2014
JOCI officially launched its three­year strategy on December 4 when it brought together a diverse group
of leaders and experts in Washington, DC to identify critical actions to address key Arctic ocean policy
2
priorities. Discussions focused on how to support the United States at it assumes chairmanship of the
Arctic Council, environment and climate change, commercial activities and related infrastructure needs,
and safety and security issues in the region. In Spring 2015, the Joint Initiative will travel to Alaska for the
second part of the Arctic Roundtable to build from the December discussions and facilitate the
meaningful engagement of Alaskan leaders and stakeholders in the development of a national ocean
policy agenda for action.
In the months leading up to the December 4 Arctic Roundtable, JOCI Leadership Council members met
with leaders and experts such as Under Secretary of State Catherine Novelli and Arctic advisor Admiral
Robert Papp to discuss the JOCI’s strategy, plans to engage on Arctic issues, and how JOCI could assist
the State Department with its ocean priorities. JOCI continues to engage with the State Department as
the strategy implementation process continues.
Illegal, Unreported, and Unregulated (IUU) Fishing Task Force Support | December 2014
JOCI continues to express support for the efforts of the Presidential Task Force on Combatting IUU
Fishing and Seafood Fraud. On December 16, the Task Force released its recommendations for a strong
and comprehensive framework to enhance the tools available to combat IUU fishing and seafood fraud.
JOCI applauded these recommendations in a press statement and, back in September, also submitted a
letter of support to Task Force Co­Chairs Under Secretary Catherine Novelli and Under Secretary
Kathryn Sullivan. JOCI commends the IUU task force for demonstrating leadership on an issue that
undermines efforts to sustainably manage and conserve global marine species. Last year, JOCI also
submitted a strongly worded letter to Senate leadership on IUU fishing and was quoted extensively in a
Senate Foreign Relations Committee hearing on the topic.
Jane Lubchenco Named Science Envoy for the Oceans | December 2014
On December 3, the U.S. Department of State named JOCI Leadership Council member Dr. Jane
Lubchenco as the first Science Envoy for the Oceans. Jane is part of the fourth cohort of the U.S. Science
Envoy Program, started by President Obama in 2009 to advise the White House, the Department of
State, and the scientific community about potential opportunities for international cooperation. She is the
first to focus on oceans. Congratulations Jane!
JOCI Convenes Ocean Trust Fund Study Group | November 2014
The JOCI staff has assembled a group of colleagues who have the commitment and expertise in
exploring potential strategies to create a dedicated oceans trust fund, a long­standing proposal
supported by many ocean advocates over the last several Congresses. On November 21, this group
met to discuss a JOCI white paper that outlines past ocean trust fund efforts and discusses potential
opportunities to revisit this subject in the 114th Congress. JOCI is continuing discussions on this topic
and is exploring potential opportunities to engage leaders on Capitol Hill about this critical need.
3
Leadership Council Spotlight with Frances Beinecke
Frances Beinecke is the former President of
the Natural Resources Defense Council
(NRDC) and currently serves on the boards of
the World Resources Institute and Meridian
Institute. She is a member of the Leadership
Council of the Yale School of Forestry and the
Yale School of Management's Advisory Board.
Ms. Beinecke was appointed by President
Obama to the National Commission on the BP
Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill and Offshore
Drilling. Photo by Anders Hansson.
You have had a very distinguished career in the environmental field and lead a major environmental
organization that focuses on a whole range of topics. What environmental issues are you most
passionate about, and, more specifically, what ocean issues are you most interested in?
The issue that consumes me every day is climate change. From an ocean perspective, the changing
chemistry of the ocean through ocean acidification is a major concern. There are many other ocean
issues that we work on at the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) including marine protected
areas, the National Ocean Policy, and how the ocean is used from an energy standpoint.
What activities are you currently engaged in that would be of interest to the Leadership Council?
NRDC has been my full time job, so that is where I have been focused. Looking at the Arctic, a number
of years ago I was on the Aspen Institute’s Arctic Commission. It was very interesting trying to figure out a
series of recommendations we could put in place for the Arctic that could get support. We were focused
principally in the international sphere with the U.S. taking over the chairmanship of the Arctic Council in
2015, which is now only a few months away. Under your leadership, NRDC started a campaign on establishing a clean energy future that curbs
climate change. What are some major challenges and opportunities you see in guiding this country
toward a clean energy future especially with regards to coastal and offshore areas?
Ocean acidification and sea level rise are happening at a faster rate than anticipated, so resilience and
climate change adaptation along the coastline is very important. Another challenge is energy
development in the ocean. If there is going to be development, hopefully some important areas will be
off limits through a program of marine protected areas. Finally, the whole issue of ecosystem­based
management— identifying how the oceans and coastlines should be used in a proactive way before the
development proposals come forward— is very important. The National Ocean Policy calls for that kind
of planning. From our point of view at NRDC, accelerating that planning so it can guide development is
an important next step.
What is your take on the recent boom in offshore wind leases in the Atlantic? Is this part of the
answer to combatting climate change?
I went to Denmark nine years ago specifically to look at offshore wind. I think we are a country that
depends on energy development. If we take climate change seriously we have to unleash renewable
energy at a much more accelerated rate and at a much more expansive level that includes offshore
wind.
Because the Joint Initiative just hosted its Arctic Ocean Leadership Roundtable, it seems pertinent
to discuss that region. What do you see as the biggest opportunities for the U.S. as it serves in its
role as Chair of the Arctic Council?
We are very pleased that the U.S. has decided to pursue an Arctic­wide network of marine protected
areas as part of its Chairmanship of the Arctic Council. Such a network is a critical component of an
ecosystem­based management approach for the region. The Arctic is the fastest changing region in the
world from a climate change standpoint. Putting that network in place and figuring out how we manage
the resources in the most protective way before the area is completely open to fishing, oil and gas
leasing, and marine transportation is important. There is tremendous pressure to open areas as quickly
4
as possible, and I think the U.S. can take a strong position as the chair to put the planning and systems
in place before the development goes forward.
What is next for you as you transition out of your role as President of NRDC?
I hope I will be free to spend more time on issues that I really care about like climate and protecting the
oceans. The next stage for me is to delve into these issues and make a contribution specifically in the
policy realm without balancing my NRDC responsibilities at the same time.
Is there anything else you would like to share?
The Joint Initiative has a really important role to play. The people associated with it have a large amount
of knowledge and experience and can make a tremendous contribution by using that proactively to
ensure that the oceans get the recognition they deserve and that policy initiatives are put in place and
carried out.
Copyright © 2015 Joint Ocean Commission Initiative, All rights reserved.
5