[Congressional Bills 103th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. Con. Res. 72 Introduced in Senate (IS)]

103d CONGRESS
  2d Session
S. CON. RES. 72

Expressing the sense of the Congress that the President should refrain 
from signing the seabed mining agreement relating to the Convention on 
                          the Law of the Sea.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                July 19 (legislative day, July 11), 1994

  Mr. Gregg submitted the following concurrent resolution; which was 
             referred to the Committee on Foreign Relations

_______________________________________________________________________

                         CONCURRENT RESOLUTION


 
Expressing the sense of the Congress that the President should refrain 
from signing the seabed mining agreement relating to the Convention on 
                          the Law of the Sea.

Whereas many of the minerals underlying the seabed have strategic and military 
        importance to the United States;
Whereas the Convention on the Law of the Sea will come into force on November 
        16, 1994, having been ratified by 61 countries as of the date of 
        adoption of this resolution, none of which is industrialized;
Whereas a new seabed mining agreement amending the Convention on the Law of the 
        Sea will be open for signature on July 29, 1994, and the President 
        intends to sign the agreement;
Whereas the Convention on the Law of the Sea, even as amended, continues to 
        discriminate against the United States and the industrialized allies of 
        the United States, is antithetical to business interests, and will 
        discourage United States investment in seabed mining;
Whereas the signature by the President of the new seabed mining agreement will 
        bind the United States provisionally to the seabed mining agreement and 
        portions of the Convention on the Law of the Sea for a period of not to 
        exceed 4 years, even if the Senate has not given advice and consent to 
        the ratification;
Whereas the provisional application of the seabed mining agreement and portions 
        of the Convention on the Law of the Sea will force the United States to 
        finance 25 percent of the operations of the large bureaucracy created by 
        the Convention on the Law of the Sea, including the international seabed 
        authority, which will eventually support a direct competitor to mining 
        interests of the United States and private mining interests, and 
        distribute revenues from seabed mining to developing countries and 
        groups of national liberation;
Whereas provisional application of the Convention on the Law of the Sea will 
        coerce seabed miners of the United States into participating in the 
        regime by filing mining claims and paying exploration and application 
        fees in an amount equal to $250,000 to the international seabed 
        authority;
Whereas the plain language of section 5(a) of the State Department Basic 
        Authorities Act of 1956 prohibits the participation by the United States 
        in any international organization or any international activity of such 
        organization for which provision has not been made by any treaty or 
        statute for longer than 1 year without approval of Congress; and
Whereas the possible ultimate failure by the United States to ratify the 
        Convention on the Law of the Sea will cause chaos for the United States 
        seabed mining industry: Now, therefore, be it
    Resolved by the Senate (the House of Representatives concurring), 
That it is the sense of the Congress that the President should refrain 
from signing, on behalf of the United States, the seabed mining 
agreement that will be open for signature on July 29, 1994, relating to 
the Convention on the Law of the Sea.
    Sec. 2. As used in this resolution, the term ``Convention on the 
Law of the Sea'' means the United Nations Convention on the Law of the 
Sea (open for signature at Montego Bay on December 10, 1982).
    Sec. 3. The Secretary of the Senate shall transmit a copy of this 
concurrent resolution to the President.

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