The New York State Ocean Acidification Task Force (OATF) has announced for public review and comment the draft report, Ocean Acidification: Its Causes, Impacts, and Mitigation; A Report to the New York State Legislature (PDF). Ocean acidification (OA) is a major threat to our ocean’s health and an acidifying ocean brings with it threats to marine life and the services that the ocean provides.
In 2016, the New York State Legislature established the OATF to identify the causes and factors contributing to ocean acidification and evaluate ways of addressing the problem by applying the best available science. The members of this OATF are governmental, academic, and private sector stakeholders with the shared goal of protecting our ocean ecosystem from OA. Recommendations in this draft report are intended to reduce the impact of ocean acidification in the coastal waters of New York, while supporting global and national goals for reducing factors contributing to global carbon emissions, climate change, and ocean acidification.
Submit written comments by mail or email by September 7, 2023. In-person comments can also be provided at a public hearing that will be held July 25, 2023, 1 – 3 pm at 123 Kings Park Blvd. Kings Park, NY 11754. Find more information, including where to send comments, on DEC’s website.
