From a White House press release:
Obama Administration officials will hold a Gulf Coast Regional Ocean Policy Task Force Public Meeting in New Orleans on Monday, October 19, 2009. The Interagency Ocean Policy Task Force, led by White House Council on Environmental Quality Chair Nancy Sutley, consists of senior-level officials from Administration agencies, departments, and offices.
The Task Force, established by President Obama via presidential memorandum on June 12, is charged with developing a recommendation for a national policy that ensures protection, maintenance, and restoration of oceans, our coasts and the Great Lakes. It will also recommend a framework for improved stewardship, and effective coastal and marine spatial planning. The meeting in New Orleans will be the fifth regional public meeting held since the Task Force was created. The public is encouraged to attend and an opportunity for public comment will be provided.
Members of the public can access the meeting in three ways: by attending in person at one of the sites listed below; by calling into the listen-only phone line (800-369-1897; participant code: 2495142); or via live webstream at www.whitehouse.gov/oceans.
If you can’t make it, public comment can also be submitted online at www.whitehouse.gov/oceans.