State legislation advances Marine Spatial Planning in Washington

WA Governor Gregoire signed into law legislation introduced by Ocean Champion and longtime Surfrider activist, Senator Kevin Ranker, to support Marine Spatial Planning (MSP) of Washington marine waters. MSP is a public process to better understand how our oceans are being used and to identify areas where certain uses may or may not make sense when considering ecological, economic, and social objectives. In short, this type of planning will help to protect the health of our oceans as well traditional uses, such as surfing, from the potential negative impacts of new ocean development projects. The Federal government is proposing to launch marine planning at a national scale. By taking early initiative, Washington State is in good position to design a planning process tailored to meet local needs and interests. Surfrider Foundation is working to advance MSP on multiple coasts, building grassroots support, supporting legislative champions and collaborating with stakeholders and agencies.