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An Ocean Blueprint for the 21st Century - California Ocean ...

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Recommendation 24–4The National <strong>Ocean</strong> Council (NOC), working with <strong>the</strong> U.S. Department of Energy and o<strong>the</strong>rappropriate entities, should review <strong>the</strong> status of gas hydrates research and development todetermine whe<strong>the</strong>r methane hydrates can contribute significantly to meeting <strong>the</strong> nation’slong-term energy needs. If such contribution looks promising, <strong>the</strong> NOC should recommend anappropriate level of investment in methane hydrates research and development, and determinewhe<strong>the</strong>r a comprehensive management regime <strong>for</strong> industry access to hydrate resourcedeposits is needed.Recommendation 24–5Congress, with input from <strong>the</strong> National <strong>Ocean</strong> Council, should enact legislation providing <strong>for</strong><strong>the</strong> comprehensive management of offshore renewable energy development as part of acoordinated offshore management regime.Specifically, this legislation should:• be based on <strong>the</strong> premise that <strong>the</strong> oceans are a public resource.• streamline <strong>the</strong> process <strong>for</strong> licensing, leasing, and permitting renewable energy facilitiesin U.S. waters.• subsume existing statutes, such as <strong>the</strong> <strong>Ocean</strong> Thermal Energy Conversion Act.• ensure that <strong>the</strong> public receives a fair return from <strong>the</strong> use of <strong>the</strong> resource and that developmentrights are allocated through an open, transparent process that considers state,local, and public concerns.Recommendation 24–6The Minerals Management Service should systematically identify <strong>the</strong> nation’s offshore nonenergymineral resources and conduct <strong>the</strong> necessary cost-benefit, long-term security, and environmentalstudies to create a national program that ensures <strong>the</strong> best uses of those resources.Chapter 25: Creating a National Strategy <strong>for</strong>Increasing Scientific KnowledgeRecommendation 25–1Congress should double <strong>the</strong> federal ocean and coastal research budget over <strong>the</strong> next fiveyears. The new funds should be used to support a balance of basic and applied research.Recommendation 25–2The National <strong>Ocean</strong> Council should develop a national ocean and coastal research strategythat reflects a long-term vision and promotes advances in basic and applied ocean scienceand technology. The strategy should recognize <strong>the</strong> different ocean science sectors (government,academic, commercial, and nongovernmental), acknowledge <strong>the</strong>ir different roles, andmaximize <strong>the</strong> use of partnerships.Recommendation 25–3.The National <strong>Ocean</strong> Council (NOC) research strategy should include a national program <strong>for</strong>social science and economic research to examine <strong>the</strong> human dimensions and economic valueof <strong>the</strong> nation’s oceans and coasts. The NOC should direct relevant agencies to include socioeconomicresearch as an integral part of <strong>the</strong>ir ef<strong>for</strong>ts.The national program should include:• an operational socioeconomic research and assessment function within <strong>the</strong> National<strong>Ocean</strong>ic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).514 A N O CEAN B LUEPRINT FOR THE 21ST C ENTURY

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