White House panel on oceans visits Great Lakes

A White House panel developing a strategy for protecting the oceans and their coastlines is preparing to involve the Great Lakes in its study.

The Interagency Ocean Policy Task Force is holding the last of six regional public meetings Thursday in Cleveland. This one will focus on the Great Lakes.

President Barack Obama established the task force in June.

The meeting comes as Congress prepares to spend $475 million on a Great Lakes restoration initiative that includes toxic cleanups and a stepped-up battle against invasive species.

Nancy Sutley, chair of the White House Council on Environmental Quality, says the task force wants to encourage cooperation between state, local and federal agencies on the restoration.

The panel also is looking at how prevent conflicts between different users of the oceans and the Great Lakes.