The Northeast Regional Planning Body (RPB) is pleased to announce that the National Ocean Council has certified the first-in-the-nation Northeast Ocean Plan. The RPB deeply appreciates the countless number of people involved in the development of the plan over the last four years from all across New England; the strength of the plan is a direct result of the contributions of many passionate and dedicated people.

We welcome you to review the Plan here.

The National Ocean Council’s announcement is available here: The Nation’s First Ocean Plans.

As stated in the NOC’s announcement, the Northeast Ocean Plan and the Mid-Atlantic Ocean Action Plan “build on a foundation of thousands of new maps that are publically accessible through the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic Data Portals. This extraordinary new generation of data products has been developed in consultation with scientists and marine industries to include a vast array of marine resources, including ecosystem information on 150 species of marine mammals, seabirds, and fish, and a wide range of information on human activities including fishing, recreation, shipping, and renewable energy. The Data Portals allow scientists, stakeholders, and the public to easily obtain and use information about the marine environment and engage in decision-making processes such as National Environmental Policy Act review by identifying who may be affected by proposed activities or where additional information is needed. The new data products developed for the Plans make the Data Portals an even more powerful tool for everyone with an interest in the ocean environment.”