Speaking of marine environmental issues... --- Forwarded mail from PFolger_at_agu.org From: PFolger_at_agu.org Date: Wed, 09 Aug 2000 11:05:46 -0400 (EDT) Subject: ASLA 00-19 President Signs Oceans Act **************************************************** ASLA 00-19 President Signs Oceans Act Into Law: National Ocean Commission to Begin Work in 2001 **************************************************** President Clinton interrupted his vacation on Martha's Vineyard on August 7 long enough to sign S. 2327, the Oceans Act of 2000, into law on August 7. The Oceans Act, now Public Law 106-256, establishes a bipartisan National Ocean Commission that will complete a review of all U.S. ocean and coastal activities over an 18-month period. The law intends to promote: 1) protection against natural and manmade hazards; 2) stewardship of ocean and coastal resources; 3) protection of the marine environment; 4) enhancement of marine-related commerce and transportation, resolution of conflicts, and engagement of the private sector; 5) expansion of human knowledge of the marine environment; 6) investment in technologies for use in ocean and coastal activities; 7) close cooperation among all government agencies and the private sector; and 8) preservation of the U.S. as a leader in ocean and coastal activities. The commission will be bipartisan by design. The House and Senate majority and minority leadership will nominate individuals who will fill 12 seats, and the President will select the remaining four. The commission will hold its first meeting within 30 days of establishment produce a report to the President after 18 months. The President must then submit a proposal to Congress within 120 days to implement or respond to the commission's recommendations. Similar legislation was considered by the 105th Congress but was never signed into law. This year Senator Fritz Hollings (D-SC) introduced S. 2327 in the Senate in March, 2000 and Rep. Jim Saxton (R-PA) introduced companion legislation (H.R. 4410) in the House in May. The Senate version of the bill passed without opposition in the Senate on June 25 and by voice vote in the House a month later. The National Ocean Commission will be the first comprehensive review of ocean and coastal activities in the U.S. since Congress convened the Stratton Commission in 1966. The Stratton Commission resulted in the establishment of the National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration and initiated legislative momentum that produced the National Marine Sanctuaries Act and the Coastal Zone Management Act. In the course of its work the commission will hold public meetings in Alaska and in the following regions: the northeast (including the Great Lakes), the southeast (including the Caribbean), the southwest (including Hawaii and the Pacific Territories), the northwest, and the Gulf of Mexico. The law also requires that the Governor of each coastal state gets the opportunity to review the commission's recommendation and file comments on the report for the President's consideration. To read the full text of the law, visit the Library of Congress website Thomas at http://thomas.loc.gov/. -------------------- Sources: The White House, CORE To read previous ASLAs, visit http://www.agu.org/sci_soc/policy/sci_pol.html --- End of forwarded message from PFolger_at_agu.org *************************************************************************** PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List - All postings copyright the author and not to be reproduced/forwarded outside PaddleWise without author's permission Submissions: PaddleWise_at_PaddleWise.net Subscriptions: PaddleWise-request_at_PaddleWise.net Website: http://www.paddlewise.net/ ***************************************************************************
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