On Earth Day, I reintroduced the National Oceans Protection Act (S.858), comprehensive legislation to protect oceans and the Great Lakes.  Our oceans affect nearly every aspect of our lives – our food, our health, our climate, our economy – but they have become increasingly endangered.  This bill provides a comprehensive approach to ocean management to ensure that Americans can enjoy the beauty and majesty of our oceans for generations to come.

Nine years ago, Congress passed the Oceans Act of 2000, which established the U.S. Commission on Ocean Policy.  Since then, the U.S. Commission on Ocean Policy, the independent Pew Oceans Commission, and their combined Joint Oceans Commission Initiative (JOCI) have released reports outlining the serious threats facing our oceans and recommending actions needed to protect them.  JOCI released its latest report earlier this month and many of its recommendations were included in this bill.

My oceans bill would:

• Create a national ocean policy to protect the health of the oceans and Great Lakes;
• Strengthen the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s (NOAA) authority, which has operated under executive order since 1970, and create a new presidential advisory committee on ocean policy;
• Establish Regional Ocean Partnerships and an Oceans and Great Lakes Trust Fund to promote collaboration among states and the federal government to protect ocean resources;
• Expand ocean research and education.

I was pleased to reintroduce this important bill on Earth Day in order to address the preservation and protection our oceans.

Sincerely,

Barbara Boxer
United States Senator