Ocean Champions Community Pushes for "OCEANS-21" Bill

CAPITOLA, CA, Mar 06 (MARKET WIRE) --
E-Wire -- Today, the entire Ocean Champions community reaffirms its strong
support
for the revised OCEANS-21 Bill. For decades scientists have identified major
threats to our oceans and environmentalists have fought for stronger
protection. Now ocean leaders in Congress are ready to move legislation to
address these issues in a coordinated effort. The bill, known as OCEANS-21
(short for Ocean Conservation, Education and National Strategy for the 21st
Century Act), if passed will establish a national ocean policy to protect,
maintain and restore the health of ocean ecosystems. It is poised to be
marked up by the Subcommittee on Fisheries, Wildlife and Oceans of the House
NaturalResources Committee, the first major step towards passage by the full
committee, and ultimately the House of Representatives.

Currently, our oceans are managed under 140 laws implemented by 20 Federal
agencies without a unifying policy that would protect the overall health and
productivity of the ocean. The legislation, introduced by Rep. Sam Farr, D-CA
and recently rewritten to increase its chances for passage, will create a
national vision for the nation's oceans and provide the mechanism to enact that
vision and funding. "We have taken our oceans for granted for too long, and
an overhaul of our ocean policy is long overdue," said Rep. Farr. "OCEANS-21
is a bi-partisan bill that will allow us to care for and manage our oceans
properly. The joining of national and regional ocean management strategies in
OCEANS-21 is our best chance to counter the damage that years of failed policies
have produced."

The bill already has 66 co-sponsors, including Representatives from Florida,
New Jersey, Hawaii and Massachusetts, as well as from Kansas, Tennessee, Arizona
and New Mexico. "Ocean health and sustainability impact every region with
respect to food supply, natural disasters and even recreational
opportunities," said Rep. Tom Udall, D-N.M. "The implementation of a singular
policy is critical to ensure that we protect, maintain and restore the health of
our ocean ecosystems."

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CONTACT:

Maureen Wilmot
Media Director
Phone: 831-332-0369
Fax: 831-462-2542
Email: Email Contact

WEB SITE:
http://www.oceanchampions.org

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