3 governors push ahead on coastal resources

The governors of California, Oregon and Washington released eight issue-specific work plans Thursday to improve and sustain the health of the three states' shared coastal and ocean resources.

 With $500,000 in new funding from the federal government, projects funded by existing federal and state investments will be able to continue and the three states will begin to look at which projects to start next.

"We are moving from planning to action with the release of these implementation plans," said Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger. "Together we made a commitment to address climate change, combat ocean garbage, reduce water pollution, protect our marine habitats, and to unlock the mysteries of our offshore waters by mapping the seafloor off all three states. Today we are taking a bold new step in fulfilling that commitment."

In 2006, the three govenors -- including Oregon Gov. Ted Kulongoski and Washington Gov. Chris Gregoire -- launched the effort. In July 2008, the three released a West Coast Governors' Agreement on Ocean Health (WCGA) Action Plan that identified management priorities. The regional agreement was the first of its kind on the West Coast and also aligns well with federal planning efforts currently under way under the Obama Administration's Ocean Policy Task Force established in 2009.

The eight issue areas are climate change, polluted runoff,  marine debris, spartina eradication,  renewable ocean energy, ocean awareness and literacy,  seafloor mapping and sediment management. The issue areas represent the need to clean up the ocean, protect it from future damage and the importance of balancing new uses of the ocean with existing practices such as fishing and habitat protection.

"The best way to protect the interests of coastal communities is to preserve our existing ocean resources and identify new economic development opportunities," Kulongoski said. "One example is wave energy. We can tap our ocean as a new source of green power in a way that protects the traditional uses of our ocean."

The implementation plans were developed by experts in their fields -- in tri-state Action Coordination Teams (ACTs), comprised of federal, state, local, tribal and stakeholders.

 "Now we must turn our full attention to getting plans transformed into real, on-the-ground work," said  Gregoire. 

To read the full text of the work plans or to learn more about the WCGA, visit www.westcoastoceans.gov..