Clinton Extends Ocean Monitoring
Environment News Service
3:00 a.m. 4.Sep.99.PDT
President Bill Clinton doubled the extent of US authority over near shore waters
Wednesday by signing a proclamation claiming jurisdiction over waters within 24 nautical
miles of US shores. The US is allowed to claim these waters under the international Law of
the Sea Convention -- a treaty that the US Senate has failed to ratify.
Under the Law of the Sea Convention, in effect since 1994, nations have a
territorial boundary 12 miles beyond their coastline. The same treaty allows a nation to
claim a contiguous zone adjacent to its territorial waters, extending its jurisdiction 24
miles out to sea.
This change effectively doubles the area in which the Coast Guard and other
federal authorities can enforce US law by boarding foreign vessels and other actions.
The administration says this will allow the Coast Guard and other federal law
enforcement agencies to better apprehend ships illegally polluting the waters, and catch
drug smugglers and other criminals.
"With this new enforcement tool, we can better protect America's working
families against drug trafficking, illegal immigration, and threats to our ocean
environment," said Vice President Al Gore. "We are putting would-be smugglers
and polluters on notice that we will do everything in our power to protect our waters and
our shores."
The US has pledged to abide by the Law of the Sea Convention, but the US Senate
has not ratified the treaty. Most of the 131 nations that have ratified the Law of the Sea
Convention have also extended their zones of marine authority. Within these zones, nations
can act to prevent violations of environmental, customs, fiscal, or immigration laws.
Clinton’s proclamation covers the continental US, Hawaii and Alaska, as
well as the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, Guam, American Samoa, the US Virgin Islands, the
Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, and "any other territory or possession
over which the US exercises sovereignty."
Speaking at the New England Aquarium in Boston, Gore urged the Senate to ratify
the Law of the Sea Convention as soon as possible. By not joining the Convention, the US
gives up important leverage to affect new rules and regulations drafted under the treaty.
Last month, the US lost its seat on the 36 member Council of the International
Seabed Authority, which is writing the world's first mining code for the oceans. The code
covers crucial environmental protections for the marine environment.
By the terms of the Convention, the US is guaranteed a seat on the International
Seabed Authority Council as one of the four largest consumers or net importers of minerals
to be derived from seabed mining. As long as the Senate has not ratified the treaty,
however, the US cannot retain its seat.
An attorney in the US State Department's Office of Ocean Affairs told ENS that
ratification of the Law of the Sea treaty is stalled in the Senate Foreign Relations
Committee.
"We submitted all the documents and the request for ratification on October
7, 1994, but there has been no action scheduled. It's out of our control. Everything the
administration can do has been done. It's on the highest list of treaties for which we
seek Senate action," the spokesperson said.
Ratification of the treaty is one recommendation contained in a report from the
Cabinet, titled "Turning to the Sea: America's Ocean Future," that was presented
to the Vice President on Thursday. The Ocean Report is the result of a national dialogue
that began last year at the Ocean Conference held at California's Monterey Bay National
Marine Sanctuary.
The report outlines 148 recommendations in four areas: sustaining the economic
benefits of the oceans, strengthening global security, protecting marine resources, and
discovering the oceans. Gore announced the formation of a high level task force to oversee
implementation of the recommendations.
Key recommendations include: creating new incentives to reduce overfishing;
coordinating federal programs with local "smart growth" efforts in coastal
communities; and expanding federal support for underwater exploration.
An Oceans Report Task Force announced by the Vice President will be co-chaired
by the Council on Environmental Quality and the National Security Council.
The group, which will include high-level representatives of agencies with
responsibility for ocean affairs, will set priorities for implementing key recommendations
in the Cabinet's report and will meet quarterly to review progress.
"Last year's Ocean Conference launched an important national dialogue on
the future of our oceans," the Vice President said. "With this report, the
Cabinet has elevated this dialogue to the next level, and set the stage for a truly
comprehensive ocean policy for the 21st century. I commend the Cabinet for its vital
contribution, and I urge the task force to move swiftly on its recommendations."
One recommendation that will be implemented immediately is a three-year $300,000
pilot program to enlist commercial fishermen in research efforts at the Channel Islands
National Marine Sanctuary in California.
Participating fishermen will gather data to characterize and help protect the
sanctuary. If the program is successful, it could be expanded to other marine sanctuaries.
Gore also called on Congress to approve the Administration's Lands Legacy
Initiative introduced at the 1998 Ocean Conference. The Lands Legacy Initiative includes
$183 million to protect ocean and coastal resources in fiscal year 2000, including $29
million for national marine sanctuaries, $25 million to acquire and protect critical fish
habitat, and $10.3 million to protect and restore fragile coral reefs.
"Today we take further action to protect our shores and preserve our
precious oceans for our children and grandchildren," Gore said.
"From small fishing villages on the New England coast to communities across
America that rely on food from the sea, we are all linked to the oceans. We must protect
them for our families and for our future."
