President Obama held accountable
Nature's bounty under threat!
A rag tag band of environmental activists - sporting the color blue - gathered on the steps of City Hall today in downtown San Francisco urging President Obama to follow through on a National Oceans Policy he insisted was forthcoming.
Video: 01/13/10
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=StumoMcSp1U
According to concerned citizens rallying in support of the cause around the country today (January 13th) a unified National policy is needed to protect and restore the health of the oceans, coastal wildlife, and Great Lakes ecosystems.
The President set up a task force last June to craft the first US national policy for sustainably managing the country's oceans, which drew praise from environmentalists, who said the move was long overdue.
"We are taking a more integrated and comprehensive approach to developing a national ocean policy that will guide us well into the future," Obama said in a proclamation after whole-heartedly declaring June "National Oceans Month."
The proclamation was issued along with a memorandum setting up a high-level Ocean Policy Task Force.
"Our nation's economy relies heavily on the oceans. They support countless jobs in an array of industries including fishing,tourism and energy," Obama asserted for the record.
The task force was to be led by the chair of the Council on Environmental Quality, Nancy Sutley, according to a memo released to the press.
Mr. Obama promised that senior policy-level officials would draft several recommendations and draw up a "comprehensive, integrated, ecosystem-based" framework for sustainably using the resources of US oceans, coasts and the Great Lakes.
"This is something that two US national commissions have called for," said Sarah Chasis, on behalf of the Ocean Initiative @ the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC).
"The Pew Oceans Commission and the US Commission on Ocean Policy said we really need an ocean policy to bring together all the disparate authorities that manage our oceans and have a cohesive vision of what we want for the oceans and how to manage them," Chasis stressed further.
The United States, which has the largest ocean area of any country in the world, currently has 140 laws and 20 agencies managing its oceans.
Obama's plan would pull together all the different authorities and laws and focus attention on the problems and challenges facing the oceans, their riches, and those who manage them.
"There's increasing recognition of the problems of the ocean. They're becoming more acidic, for instance, and the treat is very real. Oceans cover three-quarters of the planet; it's something we depend on for the air we breathe, the food we eat, for jobs, and recreation," supporters chimed in.
On that occasion, the president was applauded for taking a step in the right direction.
But now, six months later, there is unrest among the ranks.
When will Barack Obama fulfill his promise?
News at 11!
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