Ranker to Co-chair President Obama’s Oceanic Advisory Committee

— from Rick Manugian —

Sen. Kevin Ranker at the White House with members of the National Oceanic Council’s Governance Coordinating Committee.

State Sen. Kevin Ranker, D-Orcas Island, has been reappointed as an advisor to President Barack Obama’s National Ocean Council and, in a meeting last week at the White House, was elected co-chair of the Advisory Committee consisting of 18 senior state, tribal and local government leaders from across the country.

The National Ocean Council, whom they advise, is made up of White House cabinet Members and others whose national responsibilities affect the oceans, such as the U.S. secretaries of Defense, Interior and Commerce and the administrators of the EPA, NASA and NOAA.

“I am honored to have been chosen by my colleagues to help lead this important effort to advance the stewardship of our Nation’s oceans,” Ranker said. “Our oceans are incredible resources that present incredible opportunities. The stewardship of our oceans is critical for not only the future of our ocean, but the health and wealth of our great nation. We must protect our oceans and the hundreds of thousands of jobs that depend upon them.”

Ranker will share chair duties with Leo Asuncion of Hawaii. He has served as a member of the President’s Advisory Committee known as the Governance Coordinating Committee since first being appointed in 2011. Created by Presidential executive order in 2010, the National Ocean Council and committee are charged with implementation of President Obama’s National Policy for the Stewardship of the Ocean, Our Coasts, and the Great Lakes.

“This role gives me the opportunity to weigh in nationally on our region’s behalf while also making sure we have a voice in whatever national policy plays out,” Ranker said upon returning from the nation’s Capitol. “It’s a vital two-way street that allows us to tap our local knowledge and experiences to inform the White House while also making sure our needs are met.”