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Hope grows
for effort to
save reefs
Environmental groups
Clinton's new protections By Helen Altonn
say Clinton's order may
help clear turf questions
Star-BulletinEnvironmental groups are hoping a presidential order today to the secretaries of interior and commerce to protect coral reefs in the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands will resolve turf issues.
President Clinton gave the secretaries 90 days to work together on a plan to permanently protect "rainforests of the sea" in the archipelago stretching 1,200 miles west of the main Hawaiian islands.
He directed that they work with the state of Hawaii, consult with the Western Pacific Fisheries Management Council and seek public input to recommend a coordinated long-term management plan to protect the reefs and provide for sustainable use of resources.
"We see this as supporting what we've said all along -- that it's time to recognize both departments, commerce and interior, have to work together on this thing," Dave Raney of Honolulu, chairman of the Sierra Club's Coral Reef Working Group, said today.
Raney is the Pacific nongovernment representative to a United States Coral Reef Task Force that adopted a National Action Plan March 2 to protect coral reef ecosystems.
It calls for mapping of all U.S. reefs by 2009 and setting aside 20 percent of them as no-take marine protected areas by 2010.
Despite strong support, however, the plan has stalled in Congress because language was inserted to give the Commerce Department exclusive authority for managing coral reef fishery resources.
Seventeen environmental leaders, including Raney, sent a letter last month to the secretaries urging that they break the deadlock over issues "having more to do with protection of agency turf than protection of coral reefs."
With Clinton's executive order today, Raney said, "We're hoping Congress will recognize both agencies should be involved and remove some of the language that appears to give it all to commerce that is holding up the bill."
The Northwestern Hawaiian Islands or Leeward Islands include Nihoa and Necker Islands, French Frigate Shoals, Maro Reef and Pearl & Hermes Atoll.
They comprise about 70 percent of all coral reefs in the nation and are home to diverse fish, invertebrates, birds, sea turtles, marine mammals and other unique species.
The threatened green turtle, endangered leatherback and hawksbill sea turtles and Hawaiian monk seals are federally protected species.
"This is sort of a last holdout for a number of endangered species, and that must be part of the plan," Raney said.
He said it's critical that there be a public comment process because most comment up to now has been related to a fisheries management plan before the council.
It's important that fishery interests be involved because fishing is a major activity in the area, he said. "But this is a much broader issue than fisheries ....
"We think it is very important that the nation knows that Hawaii citizens care about those reefs and it's not just something coming from Washington."
Raney said the Sierra Club will start working statewide to get response from native Hawaiians and other citizens.
Clinton said the plan should:
Assess ongoing efforts to protect the coral reef ecosystem, including proposed no-take ecological reserves and work of the Western Pacific Fisheries Management Council.
Clinton seeks to
curb ocean pollutionNew rules will restrict fishing,
Associated Press
drilling and more -- and reefs off
Hawaii will gain federal protectionASSATEAGUE ISLAND -- As Americans hit the beaches for the Memorial Day weekend, President Clinton today ordered the writing of new regulations to reduce pollution of beaches, coasts and oceans and to protect threatened coral reefs.
"Our oceans ... are far more than a playground," Clinton said, standing before the pounding surf at the Assateague Island National Seashore. "They are immensely powerful ... but they are also very, very fragile."
Clinton flew to the protected shoreline this afternoon in his Marine One helicopter, over roads that would soon be jammed with cars marking the opening of the summer beach season.
The president used the occasion to announce steps to strengthen quality standards for marine waters, to set in motion the establishment of areas where activities such as oil drilling and fishing would be restricted to protect marine environments, and to protect America's greatest concentration of coral reefs, in Hawaii.
Such measures have economic as well as environmental benefits, Clinton said.
Oceans, he said, "have a central effect on the weather, on our climate system, (and) through fishing, tourism and other industries, ocean resources -- listen to this -- support one out of every six jobs in the United States of America."
The White House said human pressures on oceans and coasts were mounting, with half of all new development in the United States taking place along the coast.
Rising demand for seafood is driving some species toward extinction.
Furthermore, polluted runoff into oceans causes toxic algae blooms, forces beach closures and threatens marine life and human health.
"The old idea that we can only grow by putting more pollution into our lakes and rivers and oceans must finally be put to rest," Clinton said. "Indeed, it is now clear that we can grow our economy faster over the long run by improving our environment, and it's really not enough for us just to try to keep it as it is; we have to do better."
Clinton directed the Environmental Protection Agency to develop stricter water quality standards to protect beaches, coastlines and ocean waters, and to identify areas where additional protections are needed.
He ordered the Commerce and Interior departments to establish a system of "marine protected areas" including beaches, reefs and other marine habitats where activities including oil drilling and fishing would be restricted.
Clinton also ordered the departments to develop a plan to protect coral reefs off the uninhabited Northwest Hawaiian Islands, which support threatened sea turtles and Hawaiian monk seals. The reefs comprise nearly 70 percent of coral reefs in U.S. waters.
The site of Clinton's speech, Assateague, off the Maryland-Virginia coast, is a popular barrier island resplendent with a rich variety of wildlife including legendary herds of wild horses that roam the marshlands. Residents said a herd passed through the area where Clinton spoke about 30 minutes before he arrived.
Clinton's orders aim to add to an environmental legacy that includes protecting millions of acres of federally owned land from development, and today he urged Congress to approve funding for initiatives to protect additional lands.
James Baker, head of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, told reporters earlier today that the agencies should be able to get a good start toward establishing the marine protected areas because they have been working for years to lay the groundwork for such an order.
