Hearing Of The Senate Committee On Commerce, Science, And Transportation - The Future Of Ocean Governance: Building Our National Ocean Policy

Statement

Good Morning. I'd like to thank my colleague Senator Snowe and all of our witnesses for participating in today's hearing.

Our oceans are responsible for so many things in our daily lives: from the air that we breathe to the food that we eat.

As this subcommittee has heard in previous hearings, the ocean and coastal economies of the U.S. provide over 50 million jobs for Americans and contribute nearly 60 percent of our GDP.

Our economy depends on a healthy ocean environment, but most people don't realize that our oceans are in crisis and we must take action now. This is it, this is the time.

Today's hearing is about building a national policy to sustain our oceans,coasts, and Great Lakes for the future.

We will have the opportunity to hear from Chair Sutley, Administrator Lubchenco, Admiral Allen, and Deputy Secretary Davis about the development of the proposed National Ocean Policy and framework for marine spatial planning and how it will impact Federal stewardship.

Our second panel of witnesses will present their perspectives on how to improve stewardship, management, and the use of oceans, coasts, and Great Lakes.

I hope that by hearing from these panelists, this subcommittee will better understand the magnitude of the problems facing the ocean environment and the best management practices we should be using to confront those problems.

One example of the troubles facing our oceans has emerged in recent weeks in Washington State. Since Labor Day, a deadly toxic algae bloom has killed over 8,000 seabirds -- the largest seabird kill ever on a Washington coastline.

Our oceans also face major threats from climate change and ocean acidification: Since the start of the Industrial Revolution 200 years ago, humans have released more than 1.5 trillion tons of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere. One-third of those emissions -- more than half a trillion tons -- have been absorbed by the oceans.

We now know that this is actually changing the very chemistry of the ocean.

As seawater becomes more acidic, it begins to withhold the basic chemical building blocks needed by many marine organisms. Acidification is threatening the existence of the world's coral reefs, and starting to dissolve the shells of the organisms that make up the base of the ocean's food chain.

When it comes to ocean acidification, we risk not just damaging the ocean's ecosystem -- we are threatening its very foundation.

Unfortunately, oceans are too often an afterthought in our discussions about climate change. As the climate debate moves forward, it is a major priority of mine to make sure the oceans are a major part of that discussion.

Beyond climate change, though, our oceans face additional major threats:

• Toxic substances and new diseases are showing up in marine mammals;

• Ocean dead zones plague vast parts of the marine environment;

• Toxic algae blooms poison coastal wildlife and threaten shellfish and fishing industries;

• Oil spills remain an ever-present threat; and

• More and more ocean species are becoming endangered, like the iconic Southern Resident Orcas of the Puget Sound.

Over forty years ago, Senator Magnuson championed legislation that established the Stratton Commission. The Commission had a substantial impact on marine science and policy in the United States, including the creation of NOAA.

Today, we once again have a call to action. It is time for move forward with a national ocean policy.

But words on paper are meaningless unless they are put into action and change how the Federal government does business.

It is NOAA's mission to conserve and manage coastal and marine resources to meet our Nation's economic, social, and environmental needs.

The Administration should acknowledge and strengthen NOAA's role, and literally, give them a seat at the table of the National Ocean Council.

One of many Ocean Commission recommendations left unfinished is enacting an organic act for NOAA. I hope that the Administration will work with me on this effort as well as other ways to improve stewardship of our oceans, coasts, and Great Lakes.

Senator Snowe and I have called on this Administration to increase funding for ocean conservation, management, and science. We cannot expect success in implementing a national ocean policy or marine spatial planning if we do not provide Tribes, States, scientists, and managers with the resources they need.

The success of a national policy will depend on broad support.

My hope is that this hearing will help us better understand how we, collectively, can move forward and determine what actions needs to be taken to sustain our oceans, coasts, and Great Lakes.

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