To: President Biden
Cc:
Chair Gina McCarthy, National Climate Task Force
Chair Brenda Mallory, White House Council on Environmental Quality
Dr. Eric Lander, Director, White House Office of Science and Technology Policy
Secretary Deb Haaland, Department of Interior
Secretary Jennifer Granholm, Department of Energy
Secretary Gina Raimondo, Department of Commerce
Secretary Pete Buttigieg, Department of Transportation
Special Presidential Envoy for Climate John Kerry, Department of State
Dr. Rick Spinrad, Under Secretary of Commerce for Oceans and Atmosphere & NOAA Administrator

On behalf of [XX] organizations and businesses supportive of protecting and restoring America’s ocean, coasts, and Great Lakes, we’re grateful for the bold action your Administration has taken thus far to respond to the climate crisis--the greatest threat our planet faces. We appreciate your commitment to rapid decarbonization and your recognition that our ocean and Great Lakes offer important mitigation and adaptation opportunities as we seek to scale and broaden our solutions for reducing emissions. In order to make the most of these opportunities, we ask that your Administration design and implement an ambitious U.S. ocean climate action plan. This will support your commitments to reduce emissions and increase resilience while providing good jobs, protecting vulnerable communities, and safeguarding our natural resources. We stand ready to work with your Administration on this effort.

A 2020 analysis estimated that investments in ocean-based climate mitigation measures in the United States could reduce GHG emissions by up to 13.7 percent annually by 2050. Actions by your Administration to incorporate key ocean priorities in the Build Back Better agenda (including developing marine renewable energy, transitioning to zero-carbon shipping and port infrastructure, and restoring ecosystems); to establish a new U.S. Nationally Determined Contribution that recognizes the role of ocean-based solutions; and to establish a Climate Council at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, are important steps toward leveraging ocean-based climate mitigation as part of an all-of-government approach to addressing the climate crisis. However, much more remains to be done to ensure these commitments are implemented in ways that ensure actions are coordinated and have maximum positive impact on climate and ocean health and the economic well-being of communities.

Now is also the time to ensure federal agencies are working as one to deliver on the promise that ocean-based climate action represents while also achieving the Administration’s priorities of equity and justice in our climate solutions. Fortunately, the Congressionally authorized Ocean Policy Committee (OPC), co-chaired by the Council on Environmental Quality and the Office of Science and Technology Policy, was specifically designed to provide the agency coordination and collaboration that is required.

We urge the Administration to develop a U.S. ocean climate action plan as one element of your larger plan to reduce GHG emissions by 50-52 percent by 2030 and ensure a more resilient future. Building on the recommendations that your Administration has already put forward, this plan should ensure actions being taken across agencies are brought together to address:

-Accelerating the nation’s rapid, just, and equitable transition from offshore oil and gas to offshore renewable energy. Coordinating these actions through the plan ensures that key stakeholders can participate and new energy development will not negatively impact other ocean-related goals. This includes facilitating more effective and holistic planning, development and implementation of marine renewable energy projects; and ensuring the offshore wind projects necessary to realize the Administration’s 30GW goal are implemented in a timely, well-sited, and environmentally sensitive manner that supports good jobs and community development. This also includes ending new offshore oil and gas lease sales and preventing new oil and gas activity in any undeveloped areas.

-Implementing strategies for effective investment in coastal resilience and adaptation needs, with an emphasis on nature-based solutions. A positive initial step would be strengthening accounting for the multiple benefits provided by so-called “blue carbon” ecosystems such as salt marshes, seagrass meadows, and mangroves. This should also include coordinated review of programs such as those under the Coastal Barrier Resources Act, the National Flood Insurance Program, and others that support preparedness for coastal flooding.

-Implementing strategies for the reduction of CO2 emissions from domestic and international maritime transportation to realize the United States’ goal of zero-carbon shipping by 2050, in coordination with efforts to reduce underwater noise emissions that are stressing the resilience of marine life. The plan should also include improving port infrastructure to allow for cold ironing and other portside incentives to reduce emissions; fleet upgrades; and development of alternative fuels as well as reducing harmful local pollution and providing good paying jobs.

-Implementing the national goal to conserve and protect at least 30% of land and ocean by 2030 and advancing the campaign to conserve and restore America the Beautiful. The administration should designate marine protected areas and parks that provide for lasting protections of blue carbon and biodiversity; maximize their climate mitigation and adaptation potential; and prioritize inclusion of Indigenous and local communities to ensure their perspectives and priorities are central to the decision-making process.

To ensure that leveraging the mitigation and adaptation potential of the ocean is successful for each of the above action areas, the Ocean-Climate Action Plan should build on and accelerate action already underway while ensuring an inclusive, whole of government approach. The plan should include:

-Established goals for each of the action areas, with milestones and targets for achieving those goals;
-Identification of lead agencies and the other agencies that will work collaboratively with the lead agency to achieve the established goals;
-Identification and engagement of Tribes and key stakeholders, including States, civil society and the private sector;
-Specific steps that need to be taken to realize the climate benefits from each action area; and
-Potential barriers to success and strategies to overcome those barriers.

This plan should be created in support of the United States’ long-term low greenhouse gas emission development strategy, as committed to by Special Envoy Kerry. In this way, the plan would provide concrete implementation steps and identify gaps and needs for achieving the mitigation and resilience goals the Administration has already established, as well as engage key stakeholders. By creating a U.S. ocean climate action plan, the United States can also “lead by doing” internationally, allowing our domestic actions to rebuild our credibility while providing aid and technical assistance aimed at supporting rapid uptake of global solutions and equity for the most vulnerable nations.

Finally, we want to emphasize the critical need to center issues of equity and environmental justice in the development and implementation of ocean climate policies. As your Administration has recognized, economically disadvantaged communities and Indigenous and Tribal leadership have been marginalized for too long when it comes to decision-making related to climate change, despite the reality that these communities have borne the brunt of the negative health and economic ramifications of the climate crisis. We stand ready to support implementation of Justice40 in related programs and to ensure that these communities both help to create and benefit from new action related to U.S. ocean and coastal policies.

Once again, we thank you for the powerful steps you have taken thus far, your ongoing commitment to address the climate crisis, and your recognition that the ocean is crucial to that effort. We look forward to partnering with you in the development and implementation of a U.S. ocean climate action plan that can make our goals a reality.

Sincerely,


Current Signers:

National Ocean Protection Coalition
Blue Frontier
Healthy Ocean Coalition
Center for the Blue Economy
Sierra Club
Sachamama
Surfrider Foundation
International Marine Mammal Project of Earth Island Institute
Oceanic Preservation Society
The Ocean Project
Endangered Species Coalition
Maine Conservation Voters
Maine Unitarian Universalist State Advocacy Network
Seattle Aquarium
NY4WHALES
Northern Alaska Environmental Center
Oceana
SalmonState(Alaska)
Lopez-Wagner Strategies
Friends of Casco Bay
Ocean Defense Initiative
Only One
Inland Ocean Coalition
Inland Ocean Coalition - Arizona Chapter
Inland Ocean Coalition - Alaska Chapter
Inland Ocean Coalition - Buffalo Chapter
Inland Ocean Coalition - Central Texas Chapter
Inland Ocean Coalition - Colorado Chapter
Inland Ocean Coalition - Colorado State University Chapter
Inland Ocean Coalition - Great Lakes Chapter
Inland Ocean Coalition - Illinois Chapter
Inland Ocean Coalition - Montana Chapter
Inland Ocean Coalition - North Texas Chapter
Inland Ocean Coalition - University of Michigan Chapter
Inland Ocean Coalition - University of Colorado Chapter
Inland Ocean Coalition - Utah Chapter
Inland Ocean Coalition - Washington DC Chapter
Inland Ocean Coalition - Wyoming Chapter
Azul
National Aquarium
350 Maine
Creation Justice Ministries
Ocean Conservation Research
Seven Circles Founation
WILDCOAST
Conservation Voters of South Carolina
GreenLatinos
World Surf League
Mission Blue
League of Conservation Voters
Natural Resources Defense Council
Rachel Carson Council
TAO
Mystic Aquarium
Cetacean Society International