04-R 268

2004 -- H 8540

Enacted 05/19/04

J O I N T R E S O L U T I O N

STRONGLY ENDORSING THE RECOMMENDATIONS OF THE PRELIMINARY REPORT OF THE UNITED STATES OCEAN COMMISSION ON OCEAN POLICY

Introduced By: Representatives Murphy, Fox, Naughton, Crowley, and Ginaitt

Date Introduced: May 18, 2004

     WHEREAS, The Oceans Act of 2000 (P.L. 106-256) mandated the presentation of the

preliminary report of the U.S. Ocean Commission on Ocean Policy (the Report) for review by the

nation’s governors and interested stakeholders and this report was delivered to Rhode Island in

April 2004; and

     WHEREAS, The General Assembly of the State of Rhode Island is a stakeholder for

ocean and marine management in that Article 1, Section 17 of the Rhode Island Constitution

states that “it shall be the duty of the general assembly to provide for the conservation of the air,

land, water, plant, animal, mineral and other natural resources of the state, and to adopt all means

necessary and proper by law to protect the natural environment of the people of the state by

providing adequate resource planning for the control and regulation of the use of the natural

resources of the state and for the preservation, regeneration and restoration of the natural

environment of the state”; and

     WHEREAS, The House of Representatives and the Senate of Rhode Island have been

studying the state’s bays, rivers and watersheds, and have submitted relevant legislation; and

     WHEREAS, The Report emphasizes the need for more effective coordination among

federal agencies with ocean management responsibilities and calls for a new integrated

framework to improve decision-making; and

     WHEREAS, The House of Representatives has developed legislation (2004-H8359

Substitute A as amended and its companion 2004-S3113) to establish an inter-agency

coordination team to be known as the Rhode Island Bays, Rivers, and Watersheds Coordination

Team (the Coordination Team). This follows the federal model recommended in the report and

provides for inter-agency systems-level planning at the state level an active coordination with

federal and local partners; and

     WHEREAS, The Report recommends the formation of a National Ocean Council and

Regional Ocean Council; and the creation of the coordination team will strengthen coordination

within the state and better position the state to interact with neighboring states and these federal

and regional entities recommended in the report; and

     WHEREAS, The Report also recommends coordination with local, nongovernment

organizations and academic institutions; and the coordination team is also mandated to coordinate

their efforts with these entities. Therefore, the coordination team will serve as an important bridge

between activities at the local and state levels and those at the regional and federal levels; and

     WHEREAS, The Report calls for an ecosystem-based management approach that moves

away from the current fragmented system of managing the nation’s oceans and coasts. The

purpose of establishing the coordination team has a similar goal: to provide a forum for agencies

within the state to systematically work together to combine their respective jurisdictions and

responsibilities in order to manage the state’s bays, rivers, and watersheds comprehensively using

an ecosystem-based approach; and

     WHEREAS, The Senate has developed legislation to improve the function of state

agencies with responsibilities for managing Rhode Island’s marine environment and related

watersheds (2004-S3026 as amended and 2004-H8440, 2004-S3027, 2004-S3028, and 2004-

S3040); and

     WHEREAS, House bills 2004-H8359 Substitute A as amended, 2004-H8440 and Senate

bills 2004-S3113, 2004-S3026 as amended, and 2004-S3028 recognize the need for watershed-

based management approaches; and

     WHEREAS, The systems-level plan, as defined in 2004-H8359 Substitute A as amended,

and 2004-S3113, the Rivers Policy and Classification Plan, as defined in 2004-S3026 as amended

and 2004-H8440, the Marine Resources Development Plan, as defined in 2004-S3028, and the

plan to manage nutrient loadings and eliminate conditions of eutrophication, as defined in 2004-

S3040 will address critical issues for the Rhode Island portion of the U.S. coastline and have the

potential to serve as components of a comprehensive, national, management strategy for the

nation’s oceans and coast; and

     WHEREAS, The systems-level plan, as defined in 2004-H8359 Substitute A as amended

and 2004-S3113 and the Marine Resources Development Plan as defined in 2004-S3028, include

the promotion of the sustainable economic development of the group of businesses, institutions,

and people in Rhode Island that are dependent on the state’s bays, rivers, and watersheds, and are

in keeping with the national goal of utilizing ocean and coastal resources in a sustainable way;

and

     WHEREAS, The Report emphasizes the need to develop a national Integrated Ocean

Observing System to provide the necessary information upon which to base management

decisions including the collection of current, validated, and readily accessible scientific and

socio-economic data. The work of the environmental and economic monitoring collaboratives, as

defined by 2004-H8359 Substitute A as amended, 2004-S3113, and 2004-S3027 as amended, will

accomplish this purpose and provide the information necessary to assess the progress of planning

initiatives as well as allow for adaptive management. Developing this coordinated data gathering

capability at the state level is a first step towards tying Rhode Island into a national Integrated

Ocean Observing System; and

     WHEREAS, One of the elements called for in the systems-level plan, as defined in 2004-

H8359 Substitute A as amended and 2004-S3113, for Rhode Island’s bays, rivers, and watersheds

is a strategy for the promotion of education and outreach. This is a critical step in fostering the

kind of stewardship the Report recognizes as an important component of management; now,

therefore be it

     RESOLVED, That this General Assembly of the State of Rhode Island and Providence

Plantations hereby strongly endorses the recommendations of the preliminary report of the U.S.

Ocean Commission on Ocean Policy; and be it further

     RESOLVED, That the Secretary of State be and he hereby is authorized and directed to

transmit duly certified copies of this resolution, along with copies of the legislation referenced

herein, to the Chairman of the U.S. Commission on Ocean Policy, Admiral James D. Watkins,

USN (Ret.), U.S. Senator Jack Reed, U.S. Senator Lincoln Chaffee, U.S. Congressman James

Langevin, and U.S. Congressman Patrick Kennedy.

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LC03447

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