[Federal Register Volume 85, Number 109 (Friday, June 5, 2020)]
[Presidential Documents]
[Pages 34949-34950]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2020-12428]


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  Federal Register / Vol. 85 , No. 109 / Friday, June 5, 2020 / 
Presidential Documents  

[[Page 34949]]


                Proclamation 10048 of May 29, 2020

                
National Ocean Month, 2020

                By the President of the United States of America

                A Proclamation

                Our ocean and coastal waterways are essential to our 
                national security, international trade, maritime 
                commerce, global competitiveness, and transportation. 
                The jobs of more than 3 million Americans depend on our 
                ocean economy, which generates more than $300 billion 
                of economic activity annually. During National Ocean 
                Month, we reaffirm our commitment to responsible 
                stewardship of our ocean resources to strengthen and 
                expand economic opportunities, while also ensuring that 
                the natural beauty and wonder of the oceans are 
                preserved and maintained for future generations.

                There is much that remains undiscovered in the world's 
                vast oceans, and my Administration is working to 
                improve our understanding of its incredible resources. 
                Today, roughly 18.6 percent of our Nation's oil and gas 
                production is conducted offshore, employing thousands 
                of Americans and helping keep prices low for American 
                families and businesses. There is enormous opportunity 
                for our country to bolster these numbers and expand 
                this critical and profitable industry, generating even 
                more jobs for hardworking Americans. Only 40 percent of 
                the United States Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ), an 
                oceanic area larger than the combined land area of the 
                50 States, has been mapped. Even less of the EEZ's 
                natural resources have been characterized through 
                exploration. For this reason, last year, I signed a 
                historic Presidential Memorandum that prioritizes 
                mapping, exploring, and characterizing our ocean 
                waters. Building upon these efforts, last month I 
                signed an Executive Order Promoting American Seafood 
                Competitiveness and Economic Growth. This Executive 
                Order will increase America's competitiveness in the 
                seafood industry and create new opportunities for 
                American products in the global marketplace, including 
                through continued support of our commercial fisheries 
                and promotion of domestic aquaculture. My 
                Administration is committed to expanding maritime 
                commerce, increasing seafood production, promoting 
                conservation, enhancing national security, and 
                advancing energy exploration, development, and 
                production by expanding efforts to study, understand, 
                and unlock the full potential of our oceans.

                As we continue to unlock the economic opportunities in 
                these flourishing bodies of water, my Administration is 
                also diligently working to put an end to one of the 
                biggest challenges facing the global environment: 
                increased pollution in the oceans. Recognizing that 80 
                percent of marine litter comes from land-based 
                resources resulting from insufficient solid waste 
                management, we have been working hard, with our 
                domestic and international partners, to improve waste 
                management systems around the world and deploy 
                innovative technologies to put an end to the mass 
                amounts of litter washing into our shared waters. In 
                addition, I signed the Save Our Seas Act of 2018 into 
                law, which prioritizes cleanup activities and addresses 
                international sources of pollution.

                The task of balancing the uses of America's oceans 
                cannot be accomplished by the Federal Government alone. 
                The 2019 White House Summit on Partnerships in Ocean 
                Science and Technology highlighted that our continued

[[Page 34950]]

                use, conservation, observation, and exploration of the 
                ocean requires innovative engagement and collaboration 
                with key partners, including private industries, 
                States, territories, academia, philanthropic groups, 
                Native American and Tribal organizations, and other 
                stakeholders. By working together and harnessing our 
                collective power, knowledge, and experience, we can 
                better promote resource stewardship, create and 
                maintain jobs for American workers, and ensure our 
                Nation's prosperity while conserving the marine 
                environment.

                Many of the most pressing challenges facing mankind may 
                have solutions in the oceans. My Administration is 
                committed to advancing technology and innovation to 
                better understand how our oceans may help us address 
                current and future challenges facing our Nation. 
                Establishing energy infrastructure, discovering and 
                developing novel marine-derived pharmaceuticals, 
                improving weather predictions, and advancing offshore 
                aquaculture operations are just some examples of 
                innovative initiatives supported by my Administration. 
                These bold efforts have the potential to promote 
                economic prosperity, create jobs, and strengthen our 
                maritime and homeland security for current and future 
                generations of Americans.

                NOW, THEREFORE, I, DONALD J. TRUMP, President of the 
                United States of America, by virtue of the authority 
                vested in me by the Constitution and the laws of the 
                United States, do hereby proclaim June 2020 as National 
                Ocean Month. This month, I call upon Americans to 
                reflect on the value and importance of oceans not only 
                to our security, environment, and economy but also as a 
                source of recreation and enjoyment.

                IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this 
                twenty-ninth day of May, in the year of our Lord two 
                thousand twenty, and of the Independence of the United 
                States of America the two hundred and forty-fourth.
                
                
                    (Presidential Sig.)

[FR Doc. 2020-12428
Filed 6-4-20; 11:15 am]
Billing code 3295-F0-P