Upcoming Federal Oceans Meetings in Anchorage

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Administrator Jane Lubchenco will be in Anchorage next week. She will be part of a discussion meeting, held by the Interagency Ocean Policy Task Force on August 21st:

ANCHORAGE, Alaska — Obama Administration officials will hold their first Ocean Policy Task Force Public Meeting in Anchorage, Alaska, on Aug. 21, 2009. The Interagency Ocean Policy Task Force, led by White House Council on Environmental Quality Chair Nancy Sutley, consists of senior-level officials from Administration agencies, departments, and offices.

The Task Force is charged with developing a recommendation for a national policy that ensures protection, maintenance, and restoration of oceans, our coasts and the Great Lakes. It will also recommend a framework for improved stewardship, and effective coastal and marine spatial planning. The public is encouraged to attend and an opportunity for public comment will be provided.

Who: White House Council on Environmental Quality Chair Nancy Sutley

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Administrator Dr. Jane Lubchenco

Deputy Secretary of the Department of Interior David Hayes

Coast Guard Commandant Admiral Thad Allen

Deputy Assistant to the President on Energy and Climate Change Heather Zichal

What: Ocean Policy Task Force Public Meeting

When: Friday, Aug. 21, 1:30-4:30 p.m.

When I know the "where," I'll post that. I plan on attending as much of this as possible. Wes Loy, at Deckboss, has more on Lubchenco's visit:

Jane Lubchenco, head of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, is planning a swing through Alaska later this month.

"She’ll be here the week of Aug. 17 through 21, traveling with dignitaries from the Coast Guard and other agencies," a NOAA spokeswoman in Juneau told me today. "The group plans to travel in rural Alaska to see climate effects, ongoing research, and to talk with people in rural Alaska. Their aim is to learn more about the Arctic and to talk about interagency coordination on Arctic topics."