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“CONSOLIDATED LAND, ENERGY, AND AQUATIC RESOURCES ACT OF 2010” mentioning the Department of Interior was published in the Extensions of Remarks section on pages E1545 on Aug. 10, 2010.
The publication is reproduced in full below:
CONSOLIDATED LAND, ENERGY, AND AQUATIC RESOURCES ACT OF 2010
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speech of
HON. SAM FARR
of california
in the house of representatives
Friday, July 30, 2010
The House in Committee of the Whole House on the State of the Union had under consideration the bill (H.R. 3534) to provide greater efficiencies, transparency, returns, and accountability in the administration of Federal mineral and energy resources by consolidating administration of various Federal energy minerals management and leasing programs into one entity to be known as the Office of Federal Energy and Minerals Leasing of the Department of the Interior, and for other purposes:
Mr. FARR. Mr. Chair, BP's Deepwater Horizon oil disaster is the worst environmental catastrophe in United States history.
Change must be made for the future of our ocean, and they must be made now. Today, by voting yes to CLEAR, we can at last revolutionize our approach to how we use our ocean and coastal resources.
I am a fifth generation Californian who represents one of the most majestic meetings of land to sea in the world. My district encompasses the Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary, which spans of 276 miles of shoreline and is the largest marine sanctuary in the system. It is home to one of Earth's most diverse marine ecosystems, making it a nationally recognized center for marine science. For these reasons and many more, I have been entrenched in ocean policy reform since I served in the California State Legislature over two decades ago.
The National Oceans Conference, which took place in Monterey in 1998, kick-started a nationwide movement to review the status of our ocean resources. I helped pass the Oceans Act of 2000 to establish the U.S. Commission on Ocean Policy and formed the House Oceans Caucus to promote ocean issues and advance recommendations by the commission.
Since the 108th Congress I have introduced the Ocean Conservation, Education, and National Strategy for the 21st Century Act (Oceans-21) to establish a comprehensive National Ocean Policy, create a regional ocean governance structure, and setup a trust fund for the ocean. In addition, since the president established his Interagency Ocean Policy Task Force over a year ago, I have pressed the Administration to come forth with a strong National Ocean Policy. As you know, a few weeks ago President Obama demonstrated his commitment to the ocean health by signing an executive order that establishes a comprehensive, integrated National Policy for the stewardship of our ocean and coasts.
Today, my hard work on behalf of the ocean and its resources culminates in this oil spill response package. I am proud to say the Act sets forth both a regional ocean governance structure and an ocean trust fund that are central components of my Oceans-21 legislation. The CLEAR Act makes the necessary reforms needed for the health and sustainability of our ocean and it, coupled with the President's recent executive order, realizes the policies and principles of Oceans-21.
In short, with the passage of CLEAR, our ocean is better positioned for future sustainable management, protection, conservation and resiliency than ever before.
It is important to take a moment to note just how monumental it is that CLEAR contains a provision that will create a new trust fund for the ocean. A fund for the ocean has been recommended for years by leading voices in ocean management, including the U.S. Commission on Ocean Policy, the Pew Oceans Commission and my Oceans-21 legislation. Finally, funds raised from drilling in our ocean will go toward protecting and improving our ocean. We generate a great deal of revenue and benefits from the ocean and coasts; however, we reinvest only a fraction of the benefits we receive back into those resources.
We devalue our ocean and coasts each day that we continue to fail to invest in them, and today we can change that.
I am proud that my many years of hard work for the ocean are producing real results. It is high time we step up to protect ocean health just as we have done in the past for clean air and clean water. Today we must support the president and his recently enacted National Ocean Policy by enacting strong policies and regulations for our ocean.
As I said, leadership is about getting results, and the only way to get results for the ocean today is to vote aye to H.R. 3534.
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