CONTACT: FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Lori Arguelles 2/23/98
As part of the Clinton Administration's Clean Water Action Plan unveiled last week, the Department of Commerce's National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration is initiating a multi-agency Clean Water Initiative to reduce polluted runoff, a major source of coastal water pollution and a key link in outbreaks of harmful algal blooms such as Pfiesteria.
NOAA will work with the Environmental Protection Agency to help 29 coastal states and territories complete development of management plans by Dec. 31, 1999 to reduce polluted runoff (also called nonpoint pollution).
"This is the first time agencies throughout the federal government have joined in this spirit of cooperation to help protect our vital coastal resources from runoff pollution," said D. James Baker, under secretary of commerce for oceans and atmosphere.
NOAA has requested $22 million in FY 1999 to support the Administration's Clean Water Initiative. Baker said that the coastal nonpoint pollution reduction plans will help protect coastal communities from harmful substances and reduce the flow of pollution into coastal waters from nonpoint sources such as agricultural fields, city streets and other areas.
"In this, the International Year of the Ocean, it is crucial to educate the public about how every action, from changing a car's oil, to using pesticides and fertilizers, can affect the health of the coasts and of the ocean," Baker said.
Baker said the coastal nonpoint plans would help empower the states to manage their own marine and Great Lakes resources by including voluntary and incentive-based programs and state-enforceable policies and mechanisms, coupled with increased federal technical and financial support.
The state coastal nonpoint plans include measures to: