Obama Seeks National Oversight of Waters

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/09/18/science/earth/18oceans.html?_r=1


The Obama administration called Thursday for a comprehensive national system for regulating the use of federal waters along the nation’s marine and Great Lakes shores, now administered by a hodgepodge of federal, state or other agencies with often-conflicting goals.

The recommendation, outlined in an interim report by a panel appointed in June by President Obama, said regulators should consider marine regions as a whole when issuing rules rather than, say, regulating fishing one species at a time.

It also said they should keep the health of marine ecosystems in mind when allocating particular activities in particular places, like fishing, shipping or energy.

The report says this planning would be the major focus of its final report, due in December. The panel comprises representatives of environmental, transportation and other agencies.

The interim report also calls for greater integration of environment-related science in federal rule-making and the creation of a National Ocean Council to oversee the effort.

“The oceans sustain life on earth,” Jane Lubchenco, administrator of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, said at a telephone news conference about the report. “In turn, we must commit to sustaining the oceans.”
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good

where the fisherman live.

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One of my internal guidelines on evaluating proposed legislation is to be cautious of giving "my side" powers that I wouldn't want the "other side" to have. This doesn't mean knee-jerk opposition, it's an "on balance" kind of calculation. But, on this, for example, while I can see "my side" using this power to benefit the environment greatly, a part of me envisions a future administration deciding to drain the Great Lakes into the bottomless, thirsty maw of the arid (and becoming more arid every year) southwest.

the beach and into the OceanB-) Gotta take of 'em.