Task force on ocean policy holds Alaska hearing

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ANCHORAGE, Alaska (AP) - Members of the Obama administration's Ocean Policy Task Force have a huge job before them; to come up with a national policy for managing the country's oceans, coasts and Great Lakes.

Task force members were in Anchorage on Friday to explain their mission to the public and hear their concerns. They chose Anchorage for their first public hearing and spent much of the week visiting Alaska communities affected by climate change.

Jane Lubchenco, administrator of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, says it's one thing to read about global warming and climate change and another to see the effects firsthand. She said the coastal erosion near Barrow is dramatic.