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I took a double take when I saw the headline forwarded to me by Frank Schnidman.  Is Congress really considering this? See, http://www.miamiherald.com/2011/10/04/2438727/congress-spars-over-proposed-ocean.html The Marine Conservation Policy Institute explains it more at http://www.mcbi.org/what/ocean_zoning.htm, and thinking about spatial management and off-shore wind turbines, drilling, etc., the attention begins to make sense. The concept is not so new, with calls for ocean zoning increasing over the last decade, see:  http://www.nytimes.com/gwire/2009/04/10/10greenwire-zoning-rules-urged-to-protect-offshore-resourc-10509.html,    http://www.coralseas.com/doc/Ocean%20Zoning%20in%20United%20States%20Federal%20Waters.pdf, and  http://www.thecoastalsociety.org/pdf/bulletin/Issue_2004n3.pdf. Some states, such as Mass., have been thinking about this for some time, http://www.planetizen.com/node/39549.