[Congressional Record Volume 150, Number 51 (Tuesday, April 20, 2004)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E556-E557]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




     U.S. COMMISSION ON OCEAN POLICY REPORT: ``EVERYTHING OCEANS''

                                 ______
                                 

                             HON. SAM FARR

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                        Tuesday, April 20, 2004

  Mr. FARR. Mr. Speaker, today marks a milestone for our oceans and for 
the way we view them. It has been more than 30 years since we, as a 
Nation, have evaluated our relationship with the sea. This morning, the 
U.S. Commission on Ocean Policy released its Preliminary Report--a 
comprehensive consideration of ``everything oceans,'' including 
governance structure, stewardship and education, living resources, 
science needs, and many other topics.
  The Commission was mandated by the Oceans Act of 2000, legislation on 
which I am an original cosponsor and which is based on bills that I 
initially introduced in 1997 and 1999. In the Oceans Act we gave the 
Commissioners an enormous task and today I want to recognize the 
efforts of the 16 Commissioners, 26 Advisors, and countless staff who 
helped to create such a comprehensive report. I am sure that the 
Commission's excitement over the Report's release equals the thrill 
felt by those of us who love and care deeply about the oceans.
  The U.S. Commission Report details, in over 400 pages, the appalling 
state of our oceans governance and embarrassing record of protecting 
ocean resources. While we have many crises--at home and abroad--that 
require our immediate attention, we cannot overlook the fact that our 
oceans are in a state of crisis, too. It is my sincere hope that both 
Members of Congress and the Bush Administration will read the U.S. 
Commission's Report and realize that our oceans need attention--now--
and that the country is looking to us--their leaders--to act.
  We all depend on our oceans and coasts, from the person who lives off 
the water to the

[[Page E557]]

person who visits once in a lifetime. The oceans provide food, jobs, 
vacation spots, scientific knowledge, and opportunities for reflection, 
Despite our inability to measure the many non-market values associated 
with our oceans and coasts, we are able to quantify some of the 
benefits they provide. For example, over a trillion dollars is added to 
our economy each year by ocean and coastal economies. I trust that we 
can all agree that this is a huge contribution; a contribution that 
must be protected so the returns keep coming.
  Protection of our oceans will require a change of course. 
Unfortunately, all too often we take our oceans for granted: We 
underestimate their value and we ignore the negative consequences 
human-related activities can have on them. Our oceans represent the 
largest public trust resource in the U.S. and cover an area nearly one 
and a half times the size of the continental United States. Americans 
expect the Government to safeguard this vast resource and I hope that 
the Report just released will be the impetus for us to actually begin 
to do so.

  Simply put, our current ocean and coastal management system, created 
over thirty years ago, is archaic and incompatible with new knowledge 
about how the oceans and coastal waters function as a whole. Our 
policies are fragmented, both institutionally and geographically. For 
example, Mr. Speaker, today we find ourselves with over ten federal 
departments involved in the implementation of more than 130 ocean-
related statutes. It is time to re-consider this incoherent and often 
times incompatible management situation and bring order to our ocean 
governance structure. The U.S. Commission's Report offers some guidance 
on how to do just this.
  One of the biggest advances in our understanding of oceans to occur 
since our last national review of ocean policy is that the natural 
world functions as ecosystems, with each species intricately connected 
to the other parts that make up the whole. The U.S. Commission's 
Report, as well as the independent Pew Oceans Commission Report 
released last June, clearly states that we must adopt a new policy 
framework that is based on the concept of ``the whole,'' an ecosystem-
based approach rather than one based on political boundaries. This 
approach will not be as easy or straight forward as our previous 
approaches, but we must dedicate ourselves to making it a reality. With 
a comprehensive national ocean policy explicitly written to maintain 
healthy ocean ecosystems, our oceans will be a bountiful resource in 
which we can all take pride.
  The Report released this morning also stresses the importance of 
instilling a new ecosystem-based stewardship ethic. Involved in 
instilling this ethic is increasing ocean-related education for all 
Americans at all levels, from first-graders learning how to read to 
graduate students investigating challenging scientific processes. The 
U.S. Commission details suggestions on how we can instill a new 
stewardship ethic by emphasizing and investing in greater marine 
science education. I look forward to learning more about their 
recommendations.
  The Report released today is, technically, a Preliminary Report. It 
is being sent to the Governors for their comments. This comment period 
lasts until May 21, 2004. I sincerely hope that all states will take 
this opportunity to acknowledge that the oceans provide value for every 
American, whether intrinsic worth or direct economic benefit, and 
provide the Commission with input before the comment period ends. 
Despite historic and geographic patterns suggesting otherwise, every 
state has a role to play in the management of our oceans.
  It is up to each of us to not let this unprecedented opportunity pass 
us by. With the U.S. Commission on Ocean Policy and The Pew Oceans 
Commission Reports in the last year, the Bush Administration has a 
prime opportunity to take the steps necessary to instill a new ocean 
ethic in our government. Action by this Administration could very well 
save our largest public trust. The time for leadership is now. I am 
dedicated to providing it in Congress, with the help of my fellow 
Oceans Caucus co-chairs, and I hope the President will provide it in 
the White House.
  Mr. Speaker, I would like to close with a quote from the Report that 
encapsulates my thoughts on this historic day:
  ``The responsibility of our generation is to reclaim and renew the 
oceans for ourselves, for our children, and--if we do the job right--
for those whose footprints will mark the sands of beaches from Maine to 
Hawaii long after ours have washed away.''
  Mr. Speaker, I urge all of my colleagues to dedicate themselves to 
shaping a better future for our oceans.

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