[Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents Volume 45, Number 1 (Monday, January 12, 2009)]
[Pages 5-8]
[Online from the Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]

<R04>
Remarks on Signing Proclamations To Establish the Marianas Trench Marine 
National Monument, Pacific Remote Islands Marine National Monument, and 
the Rose Atoll Marine National Monument

January 6, 2009

    Thank you all. Please be seated. Thank you for coming, and happy New 
Year. Laura and I thank all of our distinguished guests, starting with 
members of my Cabinet: Secretary Kempthorne, Secretary Gutierrez, 
Administrator Johnson. Admiral, thank you for coming today; we're proud 
you're here. Mr. Secretary, thank you for being here; other members of 
the administration who have joined

[[Page 6]]

us. Members of the conservation community, we're glad you're here.
    Governor, I am proud you're here. Thank you for coming. And Josie is 
with you. Representatives from American Samoa--by the way, Northern 
Mariana Islands Governor, just in case you don't know him. [Laughter] We 
know him, and we like him. And all the representatives from America 
Samoa, really appreciate you all coming. Apologize for the weather, but 
I don't apologize for the policy, because we're fixing to do some 
fabulous policy.
    It's interesting that we're gathered a few steps from the office 
once occupied by a young Assistant Secretary of the Navy named Theodore 
Roosevelt. Not long after he left the position, he was back on these 
grounds as the 26th President of the United States. And exactly a 
hundred years ago, he embarked on his final weeks as the President--
something I can relate to. [Laughter]
    President Roosevelt left office with many achievements, and the most 
enduring of all was his commitment to conservation. As he once said: 
``Of all the questions which can come before the Nation, short of the 
actual preservation of its existence in a great war, there is none which 
compares in importance with leaving this land even a better land for our 
descendants than it is for us.''
    That spirit has guided the conservation movement for a century. It's 
guided my administration. Since 2001, we have put commonsense policies 
in place, and I can say upon departure, our air is cleaner, our water is 
purer, and our lands are better protected.
    To build on this progress, I'm pleased to make several announcements 
today. Under the Antiquities Act that Theodore Roosevelt signed in 1906, 
the President can set aside places of historic or scientific 
significance to be protected as national monuments. With the 
proclamations I will sign in a few moments, I am using that authority to 
designate three beautiful and biologically diverse areas of the Pacific 
Ocean as new marine national monuments.
    The first is--will establish the Marianas Trench Marine National 
Monument. At the heart of this protected area will be much of the 
Marianas Trench--the site of the deepest point on Earth--and the 
surrounding arc of undersea volcanoes and thermal vents. This unique 
geological region is more than five times longer than the Grand Canyon. 
It is deeper than Mount Everest is tall. It supports life in some of the 
harshest conditions imaginable. A fascinating array of species survive 
amid hydrogen-emitting volcanoes, hydrothermal vents that produce highly 
acidic and boiling water, and the only known location of liquid sulfur 
this side of Jupiter.
    Many scientists--and I want to thank the scientists who have joined 
us today--believe extreme conditions like these could have been the 
first incubators of life on Earth. As further research is conducted in 
these depths, we will learn more about life at the bottom of the sea and 
about the history of our planet.
    The other major features of the new monument are the majestic coral 
reefs off the coast of the upper three islands in the Commonwealth of 
the Northern Mariana Islands. These islands, some 5,600 miles from 
California, are home to a striking diversity of marine life, from large 
predators like sharks and rays to more than 300 species of stony corals. 
By studying these pristine waters, scientists can advance our 
understanding of tropical marine ecosystems not only there but around 
the world.
    The second new monument will be the Pacific Remote Islands Marine 
National Monument. The monument will span seven areas to the far south 
and west of Hawaii. One is Wake Island, the site of a pivotal battle in 
World War II and a key habitat for nesting seabirds and migratory 
shorebirds. The monument will also include unique trees and grasses and 
birds adapted to life at the Equator, the rare sea turtles and whales 
and Hawaiian monk seals that visit Johnston Atoll, and some of the most 
pristine and spectacular coral reefs in the world. These isolated specks 
of land and abundant marine ecosystems are almost completely undisturbed 
by mankind. And as part of the Pacific Remote Islands National Monument, 
they will be ideal laboratories for scientific research.
    The third new monument will be the Rose Atoll Marine National 
Monument. Rose is a diamond-shaped island to the east of American Samoa, 
our Nation's southernmost territory. It includes rare species of nesting

[[Page 7]]

petrels, shearwaters, and terns, which account for its native name, 
``Island of Seabirds.'' The waters surrounding the atoll are the home of 
many rare species, including giant clams and reef sharks, as well as an 
unusual abundance of rose-colored corals. This area has long been 
renowned as a place of natural beauty. And now that it's protected by 
law, it will also be a place of learning for generations to come.
    Taken together, these three new national monuments cover nearly 
200,000 square miles, and they will now receive our Nation's highest 
level of environmental recognition and conservation. This decision came 
after a lot of consultation: consultation with local officials, 
consultation with prominent scientists, consultation with environmental 
advocates, consultation with the United States military and the fishing 
community. Based on these consultations, as well as sound resource 
management principles, the monuments will prohibit resource destruction 
or extraction, waste dumping, and commercial fishing. They will allow 
for research, free passage, and recreation, including the possibility of 
recreational fishing one day. For seabirds and marine life, they will be 
sanctuaries to grow and thrive. For scientists, they will be places to 
extend the frontiers of discovery. And for the American people, they 
will be places that honor our duty to be good stewards of the Almighty's 
creation.
    The benefits of today's decision reach far beyond nature. The 
monuments will preserve sites of cultural and spiritual significance to 
native peoples. They will ensure full freedom of navigation and include 
measures to uphold training missions and other military operations. They 
will open the door to new economic benefits in the territories. After 
all, if travelers now, or students or scientists, book a ticket to 
Saipan or Pago Pago, they will know they're headed for a place with 
friendly people and a vibrant culture, and some of our country's most 
treasured natural resources.
    This morning I'm also pleased--today I'm also pleased to share some 
news about two other national treasures. One is the Northwestern 
Hawaiian Islands Marine National Monument, which I created in 2006. This 
stunning island chain is the largest single conservation area in 
American history and the largest fully protected marine area in the 
world. And the other is Mount Vernon, the home of America's first 
President and an agricultural pioneer--that would be George Washington. 
I'm pleased to announce the United States will soon submit a request 
that these two landmarks become UNESCO World Heritage sites, America's 
first such submission in 15 years.
    The new steps I've announced today are the capstone of an 8-year 
commitment to strong environmental protection and conservation. Look, I 
know that sounds contrary to the conventional wisdom of many in the news 
media. But let me just share a few facts about our record, and you can 
be the judge for yourself.
    Since 2001, air pollution has dropped by 12 percent. The strictest 
air quality standards in American history are now in place, as are 
strong regulations on power plant and diesel engine emissions. More than 
3.6 million acres of wetlands have been protected, restored, or 
improved. Millions of acres of vital natural habitat have been conserved 
on farms. More than 27 million acres of Federal forest land have been 
protected from catastrophic wildfires. The maintenance backlog in our 
national parks has been reduced. More than 11,000 abandoned industrial 
brownfields are on their way back to productive use. We've had a new 
focus on cleaning debris from our oceans. Popular recreational fish like 
the striped bass and red drum are gaining new protection. And new marine 
protected areas are helping improve the health of our fisheries off the 
southeast coast.
    At the same time, we've taken aggressive steps to make America's 
energy supply cleaner and more secure and confronted the challenge of 
global climate change. I signed two major energy bills. We raised fuel 
efficiency standards for automobiles for the first time in more than a 
decade. We mandated major increases in the use of renewable fuels and 
the efficiency of lighting and appliances.
    We dedicated more than $18 billion to developing clean and efficient 
technologies like biofuels, advanced batteries and hydrogen fuel cells, 
solar and wind power, and clean, safe nuclear power. We're providing 
more

[[Page 8]]

than $40 billion in loan guarantees to put these technologies to use.
    We forged an international agreement under the Montreal Protocol 
mandating major cuts in refrigerants that are some of the most potent 
greenhouse gases. We built international consensus on an approach that 
will replace the Kyoto Protocol with a global climate agreement that 
calls for meaningful commitments to reduce greenhouse gases from all 
major economies, including China and India.
    With all these steps, we have charted the way toward a more 
promising era in environmental stewardship. We have pioneered a new 
model of cooperative conservation in which government and private 
citizens and environmental advocates work together to achieve common 
goals. And while there's a lot more work to be done, we have done our 
part to leave behind a cleaner and healthier and better world for those 
who follow us on this Earth.
    And now I'd like those who have been assigned the task of standing 
up here to join me as I sign the national monuments.

Note: The President spoke at 2:08 p.m. in Room 350 of the Dwight D. 
Eisenhower Executive Office Building. In his remarks, he referred to 
Vice Adm. Conrad C. Lautenbacher, Jr., USN (Ret.), in his capacity as 
Administrator of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration; 
and Gov. Benigno Fitial of the Northern Mariana Islands and his wife 
Josie. The Office of the Press Secretary also released a Spanish 
language transcript of these remarks.