Coastal states´ collaboration for ocean resource protection: phase one

America has a system of government wherein federal authority derives from the “united” states and is in turn delegated back to states in most areas of environmental policy. Half of the states are coastal, and these states are increasingly assuming authority for various aspects of coastal resource management as well as oil pollution prevention and response. They do so because their citizens have a stake in the protection of their natural resources, which are the basis for their sense of place as well as their local economies. There has been formal discussion on the west coast regarding the creation of a regional coordination mechanism to address ocean policy issues. As an example for such a mechanism, the west coast already has a group which addresses oil spill issues on a regional and transboundary basis, States/British Columbia Oil Spill Force. The Task Force exists pursuant to a Memorandum of Agreement signed in 1989 by the governors of Alaska, Washington, Oregon, and California, and the Premier of British Columbia, who assigned Task Force membership to the directors of their primary oil spill response agencies. The Task Force functions as a mechanism for information exchange and coordination of policy development. The benefits of such collaboration accrue in an increased ability to influence policies to protect the coastal resources, and to enhance policy consistency. Perhaps most importantly, coordination allows state programs with limited resources to avoid redundant efforts while leveraging greater influence than they would have operating alone. The Task Force has produced a model for government coordination which could either be enlarged to include other coastal states and provinces, or could serve as a model for other regional coordination efforts