Unveiling the Ocean Climate Action Plan: Exploring the Biden Administration's Blueprint for Change | Capitol Beach

June 8, 2023

OCAP: Tackling Climate Change Ocean-Deep

The Capitol Beach explores the Biden Administration’s recently released Ocean Climate Action Plan (OCAP). Host Derek Brockbank is joined by Scott Doney with the Office for Science and Technology Policy (OSTP) and Libby Jewett with NOAA’s Ocean Acidification Program, who were instrumental in drafting the plan and will be key agency leaders in the plan’s implementation. Building off existing Administration policies together with new proposals, the OCAP sets forth a comprehensive set of actions for how the ocean and coasts can mitigate and adapt to climate change. The OCAP includes proposals for creating a carbon-neutral future, such as offshore wind and marine carbon dioxide removal, accelerate nature-based solutions, such as advancing blue carbon, as well as enhancing community resilience to ocean change and addressing ocean acidification.  The OCAP will direct federal agency actions and funding (including new climate and resilience funding from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and the Inflation Reduction Act) but takes a “whole of the nation” approach to ocean climate response, attempting to inspire state and private sector actions. As Capitol Hill Ocean Week 2023 - “Ocean x Climate” – wraps up, dive into OCAP on this episode of The Capitol Beach!

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Derek Brockbank

Derek Brockbank is Executive Director of Coastal States Organization (CSO), which represents the nation’s Coastal States, Territories, and Commonwealths on ocean, coastal, and Great Lakes issues. With two decades of experience in Washington DC on coastal adaptation policy and organizational development, Derek is connecting state coastal management programs with federal agencies and resources in order to address the greatest coastal challenges facing society. He previously served as executive director for the American Shore & Beach Preservation Association (ASBPA) where he led the strategic planning and outreach, government affairs, and development goals of the nation’s leading organization advocating for beach and coastal restoration. Prior to starting with ASBPA, Derek worked as campaign director for a coalition effort to restore the Mississippi River Delta and Coastal Louisiana, and was part of a gulf-wide campaign to pass the RESTORE Act, securing billions of dollars for Gulf Coast restoration. This followed up on his work with National Wildlife Federation on climate adaption. Derek grew up in New York City and got his coastal education from an early age playing on the beaches of Long Island, and kayaking and fishing in Peconic Bay.