[Congressional Record Volume 152, Number 30 (Thursday, March 9, 2006)]
[Senate]
[Page S1958]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




            GULF OF THE FARALLONES NATIONAL MARINE SANCTUARY

 Mrs. BOXER. Mr. President, I rise to honor the 25th 
Anniversary of one of my State's great natural treasures, the Gulf of 
the Farallones National Marine Sanctuary.
  The Gulf of the Farallones National Marine Sanctuary was designated 
in 1981 and was signed into law by President Jimmy Carter the day 
before he left office. I served on the Marin County Board of 
Supervisors at the time, and I remember how hard the community worked 
to establish this designation.
  The year this sanctuary was established was a critical time in our 
country's debate about offshore oil drilling.
  Californians overwhelmingly rejected the idea of ocean drilling and 
the creation of a national marine sanctuary near the Farallones Islands 
was seen as an important way of advancing ocean conservation.
  The Gulf of the Farallones National Marine Sanctuary encompasses 
1,200 square miles of one of the richest marine ecosystems in the 
world. This sanctuary includes vital feeding and spawning grounds for 
one of the world's largest populations of the Great White Shark, a 
large variety of fish and shellfish, and over 36 marine mammals, 
including the endangered Humpback and Blue whales. The sanctuary also 
includes the Farallon Islands--the largest seabird nesting area in the 
contiguous United States.
  In our efforts to protect ocean life and the marine environment, the 
Gulf of the Farallones National Marine Sanctuary plays a crucial role. 
Scientists from all over the world come to study this dynamic 
ecosystem.
  Yet offshore oil drilling and exploration continue to threaten this 
sanctuary and the California coast. Earlier this year, I introduced the 
California Ocean and Coastal Protection Act with Senator Dianne 
Feinstein and Congresswoman Lois Capps. This bill would provide 
permanent protection for California's coast from future offshore oil 
drilling.
  Last year, Congresswoman Lynn Woolsey and I introduced legislation to 
expand the boundaries of the Gulf of the Farallones sanctuary and its 
neighboring Cordell Bank sanctuary, to protect the entire coast of 
Sonoma County from future oil and gas exploration. Californians have 
been demanding this type of protection for a generation.
  The California coast is enjoyed by Californians and visitors from 
around the world, and the natural resources of the Pacific Ocean are 
priceless and vital to a healthy, growing California economy. My goal 
has always been permanent protection for the California coast, and I 
will continue fighting for this protection as long as I am in the 
United States Senate. We owe it to our children and grandchildren to 
protect the ocean, one of our greatest natural resources. The National 
Marine Sanctuary Program, established in 1972, plays a critical role in 
preserving our precious marine resources and protecting our coasts from 
offshore oil and gas development.
  I applaud everyone who has worked to protect the marine ecosystem of 
the Gulf of the Farallones National Marine Sanctuary. I wish sanctuary 
staff and volunteers many years of ongoing success in protecting the 
California coastal environment. Please join me in celebrating the 25th 
Anniversary of the Gulf of the Farallones National Marine 
Sanctuary.

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