Admiral Allen Commandant of the Coast Guard, will be one of four representatives of President Obama’s Interagency Ocean Policy Task Force (OPTF) to testify before the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation’s Subcommitee on Oceans, Atmosphere, Fisheries and Coast Guard on the OPTF and development of a National Ocean Policy.
The hearing is Wednesday, Nov. 4, 10:00 a.m., Room 253 of the Russell Senate Office Building. http://commerce.senate.gov/public/index.cfm?FuseAction=Hearings.Hearing&Hearing_ID=a190dda5-770e-46dd-bfba-4ee64342897e
Other OPTF witnesses currently expected will be representing the White House Council on Environmental Quality, NOAA, and the Department of the Interior.
If you haven’t been following the OPTF to date, you can learn about its origin and mandate here: http://www.whitehouse.gov/administration/eop/ceq/initiatives/oceans.
Admiral Allen has been participating as a task force member from the beginning, representing both the Coast Guard, and the Department of Homeland Security as a whole. You can read about his activities with the task force and opinions and observations so far in the following blog posts:
OPTF established: http://www.uscg.mil/comdt/blog/2009/06/ocean-policy-task-force.asp
OPTF Arctic Awareness trip (synopsis post with links to a lot of content): http://www.uscg.mil/comdt/blog/2009/08/arctic-awareness-trip-synopsis.asp
What is Marine Spatial Planning: http://www.uscg.mil/comdt/blog/2009/08/marine-spatial-planning.asp
Ocean Policy Task Force Releases Interim Report: http://www.uscg.mil/comdt/blog/2009/09/ocean-policy-task-force-releases.asp
Also, here is an Op-Ed co-authored by CEQ, NOAA and the Coast Guard that was published in the Seattle Times following their Arctic trip: http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/opinion/2009808512_guest06sutley.html
Admiral Allen can be available for a Q&A session following the hearing.