WASHINGTON, DC – Today, the Joint Ocean Commission Initiative issued recommendations to the Obama Administration and 111th Congress for improving human well-being, creating wealth, and providing responsible stewardship of ocean, coastal, and Great Lakes resources. As Chair of the Subcommittee Oceans, Atmosphere, Fisheries, and Coast Guard, U.S. Senator Maria Cantwell (D-WA), today applauded efforts to improve environmental and oceans’ policies, and urged her colleagues and the Obama Administration to recognize that the health of our oceans and coasts are critical to a strong economy and high quality of life for Americans. 

 

“The health of our oceans and coastal environments is critical to the health of our planet and for current and future generations,” said Cantwell. “While the U.S. has taken real, concrete steps to implementing policies that help protect our oceans, such as the recent provisions contained in the Omnibus Public Land Management Act of 2009, it’s clear that much more needs to be done, especially at the federal level. States across the country, including Washington, are doing what it takes to address these challenges and it’s time the U.S. become a leader by protecting coral reefs, conserving coastal lands, and addressing new challenges such as ocean acidification. For the communities that depend on our oceans and coasts, it’s more important than ever that we do all that we can to protect these areas of our country and their livelihoods. ”

 

According to the Joint Oceans Commission Initiative’s report, health oceans and coasts provide Americans with many benefits and are an important means of transportation, trade, and national security. Ocean-dependent industries generate approximately $138 billion and millions of jobs to the United States economy. According to the National Ocean Economic Project, 30 U.S. coastal states accounted for 82 percent of total population and 81 percent of U.S. jobs in 2006. The Port of Seattle’s facilities and activities alone support 190,000 jobs.

 

The recommendations presented in the Joint Oceans Commission Initiative’s report are designed to encourage the government to achieve the following goals: 

 

 

Recognizing the need for increased funding for our oceans, Senator Cantwell sent a letter to the Senate Budget Committee on March 20 urging $5 billion in funding for NOAA in 2010.

 

The full report by the Joint Oceans Commission Initiative is available at: http://www.jointoceancommission.org/resource-center/1-Reports/2009-04-07_JOCI_Changing_Oceans,_Changing_World.pdf

 

 

 

# # #