The Exciting Possibilities of Cooperative Management with Regional Ocean Partnerships (ROPs) | Capitol Beach

On The Capitol Beach, Derek Brockbank speaks with representatives of the four “Regional Ocean Partnerships (ROPs)”, Lisa Engler from the Northeast (NROC), Kim Cole from the Mid-Atlantic (MARCO), Laura Bowie from the Gulf (GOMA), and John Hansen from the West Coast (WCOA). ROPs are the coordinating and planning bodies that address regional offshore and nearshore issues, including ocean planning, hosting data portals, and relationship management across the myriad of agencies with coastal and ocean jurisdiction. While similar in purpose, each ROP has a regional flavor and structure– GOMA is a gumbo of diverse stakeholders; WCOA works with 100+ tribal nations; NROC coordinates planning and response to the nation’s first offshore wind projects; MARCO provides data for climate adaptation planning. While ROPs have been around at some level for 15 years, Congress is currently considering an ROP Act that would officially authorize and fund these ROPs and pave the way for others in the Great Lakes and South Atlantic, so get a taste of the ROPs on The Capitol Beach, and stay tuned for more in-depth coverage on future ASPN podcasts.