Policy: USA – Regions The national ocean policy subdivides the
United States into nine regions (see map) for coastal and marine
spatial planning (CMSP). In each region, a Regional Planning
Body (RPB) will develop and implement a CMS plan. As of this
writing, the RPBs are not yet established. However, state and
federal agencies in some regions have begun collaborating to
develop ocean planning and governance approaches that span state
and federal jurisdictions. In five of the nine regions, Regional
Ocean Partnerships (ROPs) have been established, including the
Northeast Regional Ocean Council (NROC), Mid-Atlantic Regional
Council on Oceans (MARCO), Governors’ South Atlantic Alliance,
Gulf of Mexico Alliance, and West Coast Governors’ Agreement.
Each ROP was formed through Governors’ agreements with varying
levels of federal participation. In the coming years, the
existing ROPs will either directly support or become formal RPBs
that implement CMSP and manage large-scale public processes.
Regional-level Action b