June 8, 2023
On World Oceans Day today, the New York Department of State (DOS) is highlighting its many accomplishments, innovations and leadership roles this past year in protecting the Atlantic Ocean ecosystems through its Ocean and Great Lakes program. DOS had a banner year, including:
- Doubling funding for the Long Island South Shore Estuary Reserve program and completion of a new Comprehensive Management Plan to guide implementation of the program;
- Advancing New York’s second “Marine Sanctuary” designation for a deep-water ocean ecosystem off the Long Island coast known as “Hudson Canyon”;
- Supporting major offshore wind energy off Long Island and the creation of a new tool to expedite and improve the review of responsible offshore wind development to help achieve the State’s clean energy goals; and
- Serving in leadership roles with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s multi-state Mid-Atlantic Regional Council on the Ocean and Mid-Atlantic Committee on the Ocean.
“The Department of State takes its role as an advocate of the Atlantic Ocean very seriously, from restoring Long Island’s estuary shoreline to supporting responsible offshore wind development, to protecting deep-water ecosystems throughout the Mid-Atlantic region,” said New York Secretary of State Robert J. Rodriguez. “Long Island’s economy is directly tied to healthy ocean waterways, and we are proud of the work we’ve done over the past year to advance our mission of ensuring the long-term health of our oceans, and in turn, our entire state’s economy.”
DOS administers the multi-faceted Ocean and Great Lakes program. The Ocean and Great Lakes program collaborates with local, State and federal agencies to advance planning, policy and project activities that address the connections between ocean and Great Lakes ecosystem health, economic vitality and community sustainability. The Ocean and Great Lakes Program is funded through the State’s Environmental Protection Fund, which Governor Kathy Hochul increased from $300 million to a record level $400 million in last year’s budget.
The many DOS-led accomplishments within the Ocean and Great Lakes program since last year’s World Oceans Day include:
Long Island South Shore Estuary Reserve Program and Council
The State doubled funding for the South Shore Estuary Reserve (SSER) program in this year’s budget—a 100% increase from $1 million to $2 million. In September 2022, DOS completed an updated Comprehensive Management Plan, which addresses four main areas in its protection of the estuary and shoreline communities—water quality; recreation/public use; habitat restoration; and new to this plan, climate resiliency. DOS and the SSER Council, which is chaired by Secretary of State Robert J. Rodriguez, immediately began the development of an Action Plan to develop strategies and projects to implement the Plan. The increased funding will be used to support projects identified by the SSER Council in the Action Plan.
Hudson Canyon Marine Sanctuary
DOS is working with state and federal agencies and advocacy organizations to designate “Hudson Canyon” as a National Marine Sanctuary by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). Hudson Canyon is a deep, wide underwater canyon about 100 miles off the coast of Long Island that contains important deep-water ocean habitats for a wide variety of marine species. A NOAA marine sanctuary is like an underwater park that protects certain marine areas of environmental, ecological, cultural and/or historical significance for responsible public use and enjoyment. NOAA recently released and accepted public comments on its plan to advance the marine sanctuary designation to the next steps.
DOS is also supporting the designation of a marine sanctuary in eastern Lake Ontario, which contains several iconic shipwrecks from throughout 200 years of the nation’s history. These two efforts in New York State are particularly significant because there currently are only 15 designated marine sanctuaries in the entire country.
Responsible and Sustainable Offshore Wind Development
DOS supported the approval and development of two major offshore wind projects off the coast of Long Island—Sunrise Wind and South Fork Wind. When completed, these projects will provide over 1,000 MW of energy annually, which will serve nearly 700,000 households.
DOS also developed a Renewable Energy Geographic Location Description (GLD), in collaboration with the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation and the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority. The GLD will help make offshore wind project reviews more efficient by establishing criteria for automatic review of certain offshore wind projects in the Atlantic Ocean. This innovative new tool will accelerate the review timeline by avoiding the more lengthy and cumbersome past practice of having to determine whether a project is subject to State review on a project-by-project basis. The GLD also informs project developers of the potential impacts to New York State uses and resources, further providing predictability and transparency in the regulatory process for all stakeholders. The GLD, which was recently approved by NOAA during Earth Week 2023, will help New York State meet its renewable energy goals.
The GLD can be accessed at the DOS’ award-winning Geographic Information System Gateway, or simply the Gateway. The Gateway is a one stop, state-of-the-art website providing public access to data, real-time information, interactive tools and expert knowledge relevant to the DOS Office of Planning and Development’s programs and activities throughout New York State.
Mid-Atlantic Regional Council on the Ocean/Mid-Atlantic Committee on the Ocean
The Department of State is finishing its term as the chair of the Mid-Atlantic Regional Council on the Ocean’s multi-state/federal/tribal planning body. Known as the Mid-Atlantic Committee on the Ocean (MACO), the State’s tenure as chair has focused on increasing financial resources to grow and elevate the value of regional coordination staff and improve coordination across multiple levels of government and stakeholders on three key topic areas: offshore wind development; habitat conservation; and diversity, equity, inclusion, justice and access. This May, MACO successfully hosted the Mid-Atlantic Ocean Forum in New York City, a two-day event that brought together agency staff, advocates, and scientists to discuss the most pressing ocean issues facing the region. Furthermore, under New York’s leadership, the MARCO data portal and its critical role in federal advancement of responsible siting of offshore wind projects was secured.