[Congressional Record Volume 151, Number 49 (Thursday, April 21, 2005)]
[Senate]
[Pages S4128-S4129]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

      By Mrs. BOXER (for herself and Mrs. Feinstein):
  S. 880. A bill to expand the boundaries of the Gulf of the Farallones 
National Marine Sanctuary and the Cordell Bank National Marine 
Sanctuary; to the Committee on Environment and Public Works.
  Mrs. BOXER. Mr. President, today I am introducing the Gulf of the 
Farallones and Cordell Bank National Marine Sanctuaries Boundary 
Modification and Protection Act. I am joined in this effort by Senator 
Feinstein and Representative Lynn Woolsey who has introduced the 
companion bill in the other body.
  The Gulf of the Farallones and the adjacent Cordell Bank are rich 
with wildlife and are visually spectacular. They are one of 
California's--indeed America's--great natural treasures.
  Thirty-three marine mammal species use this area. Over half of these 
are threatened or endangered. The sanctuaries also contain one of the 
largest

[[Page S4129]]

populations of blue and humpback whales in the world. Every summer, 
many grey whales dwell in the boundaries and neighboring waters of the 
sanctuaries. In addition, birds rely on the rich waters and surrounding 
land for nesting, feeding, and rearing of their young.
  As effective as the current boundaries are in protecting this 
wildlife, new risks and a better understanding of the ecosystem 
necessitate extending the existing boundaries.
  My legislation would expand the boundaries of the two existing 
national marine sanctuaries to protect the entire Sonoma Coast. By 
expanding the boundaries of both the Gulf of the Farallones and Cordell 
Bank National Marine Sanctuaries, the bill will protect the Russian and 
Gualala River estuaries and the nutrient-rich Bodega Canyon from 
offshore oil drilling and pollution.
  Expanding these marine sanctuaries will help to ensure that they 
remain the treasures they are. I urge my colleagues to support this 
bill.
                                 ______