June 22, 2018 — The fate of the Mid-Atlantic Ocean Action Plan, which took years to develop and was starting to be used by government, industry and researchers, is in limbo after actions taken by President Donald Trump this week.
On Tuesday, Trump scrapped a 2010 executive order by President Barack Obama that made environmental protection the focus of the nation’s ocean policy. It also created nine Regional Planning Bodies to write blueprints for protecting the health of the oceans up to the federal limit of 200 miles out, while promoting sustainable uses.
In its place, Trump issued a new executive order to make jobs and economic development the main focus of federal policy, ended the regional groups and established a federal Interagency Ocean Policy Committee.
The administration said the action was to eliminate bureaucracy and streamline federal coordination, in a fact sheet accompanying the order.
But it leaves those starting to implement the Mid-Atlantic plan uncertain about how to proceed.