December 2008 – Peter Hill
December 2008 – Peter Hill, then Staff Member for the Joint Ocean Commission Initiative
Heather Mannix: The election is over and President-Elect Barack Obama is putting together his new Administration. What does this change in Administration mean for the ocean community?
PH: There is a lot of excitement in the ocean community surrounding the opportunities that many believe will result from the change in Administration. There is clearly a much greater focus on environmental issues, including a growing awareness of the importance of oceans, coasts, and Great Lakes. More importantly, the role of the environment is being tied directly to economic issues, such as energy policy and efforts to mitigate and adapt to climate change. Given the current state of the economy, reinforcing the link between oceans and the economy will continue to be important.
HM: What issues will drive the new Administration and where will oceans fit into this agenda?
PH: Clearly the new Administration will focus much of its attention and resources on addressing the economic crisis facing the nation, which is a priority no one will dispute. Thankfully, they are taking a very big-picture approach, looking for opportunities to stimulate the economy in ways that not only provide short-term benefits in terms of jobs, but will also lay the foundation for transitioning to a new economy. For the ocean science and management community this will hopefully result in the development of a new ocean science infrastructure that will become a pipeline for new information and products being sought by policymakers at all levels of government as they attempt to deal with climate change and the transition to clean energy.
HM: That sounds really promising. Will any changes be necessary in the ocean community to adapt to the new Administration?
PH: Perhaps the greatest change and challenge for the ocean community is the need to take a much broader approach to identifying and pursuing our priorities. One of the biggest problems the community faces is the diversity of competing interest ranging across the sciences –biological, chemical, geological, physical, social– and the management and education sectors. This competition is exacerbated by the inability and to identify a common set of priorities. The Joint Ocean Commission Initiative, building upon the recommendations of the reports issued by the U.S. Commission on Ocean Policy and Pew Oceans Commission, has been working to build consensus in the ocean community. While we’ve made some progress, I believe that a new opportunity exists with the new Administration’s focus on energy and climate issues. The oceans and coasts clearly have important roles to play in our efforts to address these national priorities, and they can provide a springboard to elevate even greater awareness of ocean issues in general.
HM: So, on a more specific level, what roles will CoML and marine biodiversity play in this new political environment?
PH: It is difficult to anticipate how individual programs will be incorporated into the new political regime. However, I believe that CoML is well positioned to continue its role as a major element in the effort to establish the baseline from which the nation and the global community can measure the effectiveness of new policies. Increasing ocean temperature and acidity will clearly have profound impacts on marine ecosystems and living marine resources. Monitoring these changes and anticipating the long-term impacts of profound shifts in ocean and coastal processes should be one of the key drivers of energy and climate policy. In fact, the foresight of CoML founders is impressive, since the biological record that it has accumulated over the past eight or so years is now being brought to bear in the effort to understand the implications of climate change.
HM: The Joint Ocean Commission Initiative publishes a “report card” each year that grades the government on the past year’s ocean policy performance. Last year’s report (for 2007) was pretty dismal. Looking backwards, can we get a “sneak peak” at what the report card for 2008 will look like this year?
PH: It is a work in progress and we anticipate releasing it later this spring along with an updated set of recommendations for the Administration and Congress. Unfortunately, the past year did not result in major action in many of the categories evaluated annually by the Joint Initiative. No funding bills were passed, the Law of the Sea Convention didn’t get out of the Senate, and virtually no federal ocean-related legislation was passed by Congress. However, we did see continued and expanded effort at the state and regional level, which has been the bright spot over the past few years. Again, the bright spot, if there is one, is growing recognition of the role ocean play in climate change and the importance of enhancing our understanding of ocean processes and ecosystem as part of the broader national effort to mitigate and respond to the impacts that are accompanying this change.
HM: In order to keep this momentum going on the awareness of the ocean’s role in climate change, we’ll need a leader. Who, or what agencies, do you think will be the leader(s) driving ocean issues forward in the next Administration and Congress?
PH: NOAA must continue helping guide this process, but it will be imperative for the other departments and agencies that play key roles in ocean science and policy –such as NASA, DOI, Navy, the Army Corps of Engineers, EPA, even USDA and DOE– to elevate their leadership on these issues. The demands and needs associated with oceans, coasts and Great Lakes are much too broad to house under a single roof. Thus, it is good to see the Obama Administration establish an office within the White House charged with coordinating interagency activity on environment and energy, to be lead by Carol Browner. The need for collaboration and integration has never been more important, but the real issue will be coordinating agency budgets to meet the new policy priorities.
As for Congress, there are new opportunities on both sides of the Hill and in both parties for new leadership as there have been several changes with Members of Congress that have typically been advocates for ocean policy. For example, the loss of Senator Stevens, and Senator Inouye’s new role as Chairman of Senate Appropriations Committee, has major implications for the Senate Commerce Committee. Senator Rockefeller’s new role as the Chair of the Senate Commerce Committee, and Representative Hasting’s elevation to the Ranking Member on the House Resources Committee, are major changes and it is unclear how this will impact the community. These changes are part of a broader transition we are experiencing and it is important for members of the ocean community to redouble their efforts to reach out to their Senators and Member of Congress to educate them on the importance of oceans to both the economy and ecosystem.
HM: So, with everything that’s been going on with the Joint Initiative over the past few years, and here in Washington in the last few months, what is it that you’re striving for?
PH: To become half the man my dog thinks I am. While that may be an unrealistic goal, establishing greater coordination and collaboration among the many interests in the ocean community is within reach.
