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Drafts [National Ocean Conference 6/12/98]
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�Lowell A. Weiss
06/11/98 11:05:11 AM
Record Type:
To:
Record
Karen E. Skelton/WHO/EOP, Elliot J. Diringer/CEQ/EOP, Sally Ericsson/CEQ/EOP, Beth A.
Viola/CEQ/EOP
cc:
Subject: 11 am draft
FolksI've made some major revisions in the policy sections. I need to get your comments by 1pm if you
want them to be reflected in the copy we send to the President at 2 pm. Thanks.
Draft 6/11/98 11:00am
Lowell Weiss
PRESIDENT WILLIAM J. CLINTON
REMARKS AT THE NATIONAL OCEAN CONFERENCE
MONTEREY, CA
June 12, 1998
I have been an admirer of John Steinbeck, Monterey's favorite son, since I was a child.
But it wasn't until I was preparing for this trip that I came to realize what a serious student of
the seas he was. In fact, in his masterful account of his 4,000-mile collecting expedition that
started about a half-mile from here, Steinbeck summed up, for me, precisely what our work at
this conference is all about: "Most of the feeling we call religious is really the understanding
that man is related to the whole, inextricably related to all reality.... This is a simple thing to
say, but the profound feeling of it made a Jesus, a St. Augustine, a Charles Darwin, and an
Einstein."
I suspect that all of us have had that profound feeling ~ the abiding sense that we are
inextricably linked with the whole of nature and, of course, with our majestic and mysterious
seas. That is why we have convened this historic ocean conference. That is why it is so
important that we leave Monterey not only with an appreciation for the divine beauty of this
patch of coast, but also with a renewed sense of responsibility for helping to maintain living,
thriving oceans all over the world
[ y t ^ j M j t btrb* W ^ t GL US. UJU* l a * { o O f v f
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O U M M J ^ ^ V ^ ,
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When astronomers study the heavens for signs of life, they search for water, because^ v l ^ - * ,
water is the single nonnegotiable ingredient of life. Earth is blessed with, and defined by, its / dX^***^^
enormous oceans. They are the key to the life-support system for all the creatures on this / ^ J b t ^ ^
planet - from the giant tubeworms in deep-sea vents to saguaro cactuses in the most arid
deserts.
In our daily lives, the oceans play a crucial role. Our oceans drive our climate and
�weather - and El Nino's storms and droughts this past winter made that point loud and clear.
Fish from the sea are one of the most important and most healthful staples of diets around the
world ~ and will become even more so as world population continues to grow. The oceans
allow us the global mobility required by our armed forces around the world. Through fishing,
shipping, and tourism, the oceans sustain one in six American jobs.
The oceans are so vast and so powerful that we sometimes blithely assume that we can
not affect them. We assume our actions represent a mere "drop in the ocean." But as many
of you have highlighted over the past day and a half, we can affect thr^Tirmintrj, nnii' oO^*—"
.^Therefore-^ig^iology, ofunrSeas -- and we have.
Two-thirds of the world's people live within 50 miles of the coast, and far too much
pollution from the land runs straight to the sea. One large city can release more than 9 million
gallons of petroleum products a year, roughly the amount that spilled from the Exxon Valdez.
Polluted runoff from watersheds has led to deadly red tides, brown tides, and hao even helped
to-ipawn now patho6cnci,4iko-Pfiesteria, that devastate fisheries. Runoff from thousands of
miles up the Mississippi River has been so severe that there is now a dead zone the size of
New Jersey in the Gulf of Mexico. Ten percent of the world's coral reefs have been destroyed
and another 30% will all but disappear within the next 20 years. Ilju uutiumtcd l l u i '
n r ^ H i r g l XA/actq ^ h a t y y p c h p H u p n n t n I n n q I r l n n r l n n r i M u i m
l u n u y Hum I
lUIa I I I l i l t *
Q i i p r i m f l r o f I Q f l f i r n r t - i R ^ m a a b ^ W ! AM h i l l l n n I H I W f W U M H I I U f n . m t n u r i n n i n n r l
^gcjEfllian. And we have not yet learned the lesson of Monterey's Cannery Row; more than
two-thirds of the world's fisheries are over-exploited; more^one-third are in steady decline.
And as the Vice Presiaent highlighted at the White House earlier this week, we are also
changing the physis* of our seas. We've just learned that our oceans are warmer than they've
ever been in the 104 years we've been taking their temperature ~ more evidence that our
emissions of greenhouse gases are heating the planet.
.
.
x
In all these ways, we have showp^ce again that we are inextricably linked to nature.
We do, indeed, have the ability to hafm. Fortunately, we have also learned that with
innovative environmental efforts^e also have the power to heal. We have shown that we can
clean the water we drink and the air we breath, protect marine sanctuaries and wildlife
refuges, phase out deadly pesticides and ozone-eating chemicals - and we have done it while
nroducing the strongest, most competitive economy in the world. AvtX" &CA/> (A/V^With partnerships and persistence, we can extend this record of success to our oceans.
If we want our children to inherit the bounty we have today, we must work together to make
sure that the 21st century is the greatest century of stewardship of our i i yf r nifffntni' "
*
First, we must save our shores from oil drilling. Here in California, you know all too
well how oil spills from off-shore drilling can despoil our coasts - causing not just the death
of marine life and the destruction of fragile ecosystems, but also economic devastation in the
tourism, recreation,, and fishing industries Even under the best of circumstances, most
off-shore drilliripis simply not worth the risk. JkW the oil in proven reserves off the coast of
�would iSfel our oil needs for a mere 38 days. In a few momenfafl will sign a
;ctive that will extend the nation's moratorium on off-shore Chilliii^ror an additional ten
^ears, while protecting all of our precious marine sanctuaries from drilling forever. I thank
Sen. Boxer, Lt. Gov. Davis, Rep. Farr, and Rep. Capps for their leadership on this vital
issue. By standing firm against off-shore oil drilling here in California, they have helped
protect some of the most beautiful shores anywhere in the world.
Secjond, we mustpstore precious marinelesfiurces. To help create sustainable
fisheries, tpropooe te help rebuild fish stock ithin 10 years, Work with industry to develoi
new technologies to net only targeted s
of fish, and protect essential fish habitats. To
protect and restore coral reefs, I witfsign an Executive Order to speed our efforts to map and
monitor reefs, research causes of their degradation, revive damaged reefs, and promote
worldwide efforts to do the same. To reduce land-based pollution that threatens marine life, I
call on Congress once again to fund my $2.3 billion Clean Water Action Plan to reduce the
diffuse pollution that has been running, unchecked, into our rivers, lakes, streams, and oceans.
Third, we must enhance our understanding of our seas.^ To help researchers track \
marine mammals, predict deadly storms, detect illegal fishing, and gain new insight into the
complexities of climate .change, the U.S. military will release previously classified data once
used to hunt submarinesT/By the year 2002, we will complete an advanced ocean monitoring
system that will also pWWide data for climate change studies. And, as the Vice President
announced yesterday, we will provide new submersibles and other advanced tools for mapping
and exploring the world's last great frontier.
-1 vj/y
Fourth, we must create sophisticated, sustainable ports for the 21st Century.
International trade will nearly triple over the next two decades - and more than 90% of this
trade will move by ocean. Therefore, I propose a new Harbor Services Fund to help enhan
our existing ports and provide state-of-the-art navigation tools to prevent marine accidents.
••
oyr
Finally, we must join the world in ratifying, at long last, the Convention on the Law of^
the Sea. The United States has achieved its economic success by championing the rule of law
at home and abroad. The Convention on the Law of the Sea extends the rule of law to the
world's oceans. It assures open seaways that our shippers, fishers, and military require. This
is the year that the U.S. should - and must - assume its leadership role in the community of
nations by becoming a full party to the Convention on the Law of the Sea.
~¥hsLcL LA
1656
wa
s
w e
tf
y>
wiH enhance the health of our oceans - while expanding ocean
opportunities in environmentally responsible ways.
During his marine expedition in the Gulf of Mexico, John Steinbeck called hope - the
idea that tomorrow can be better than today - the defining human trait. I think we are also
defined --. and blessed - as a species with two other crucial traits: creativity and imagination.
Hope, creativity, and imagination. These are the traits that enabled and inspired the very first
explorers to take to the seas in search of more fertile shores. These are the traits that have
�allowed us to look at our inextricable tie to our environment and invent new ways to protect
our natural wonders from harm. And in the 21st Century, these are the traits that will allow
us to preserve our living oceans as a sacred legacy for all generations to come. Thank you for
your hope, creativity, and imagination. God bless you all.
###
�Draft 6/11/98 11:00am
Lowell Weiss
PRESIDENT WILLIAM J. CLINTON
REMARKS AT THE NATIONAL OCEAN CONFERENCE
MONTEREY, CA
June 12,1998
I have been an admirer of John Steinbeck, Monterey's favorite son, since I was a child.
But it wasn't until I was preparing for this trip that I came to realize what a serious student of the
seas he was. In fact, in his masterful account of his 4,000-mile collecting expedition that started
a few blocks from here, Steinbeck summed up, for me, precisely what our work at this
conference is all about: "Most of the feeling we call religious is really the understanding that
man is related to the whole, inextricably related to all reality.... This is a simple thing to say, but
the profound feeling of it made a Jesus, a St. Augustine, a Charles Darwin, and an Einstein."
I suspect that all of us have had that profound feeling - the abiding sense that we are
inextricably linked with the whole of nature and, of course, with our majestic and mysterious
seas. That is why we have convened this historic ocean conference. That is why it is so
important that we leave Monterey not only with an appreciation for the divine beauty of this
patch of coast, but also with a renewed sense of responsibility for helping to maintain living,
thriving oceans all over the world.
When astronomers study the heavens for signs of life, they search for water, because
water is the single nonnegotiable ingredient of life. Earth is blessed with, and defined by, its
enormous oceans. They are the key to the life-support system for all the creatures on this planet - from the giant tubeworms in deep-sea vents to saguaro cactuses in the most arid deserts.
In our daily lives, the oceans play a crucial role. Our oceans drive our climate and
weather ~ and El Nino's storms and droughts this past winter made that point loud and clear.
Fish from the sea are one of the most important and most healthful staples of diets around the
world ~ and will become even more so as world population continues to grow. The oceans allow
us the global mobility required by our armed forces around the world. Through fishing,
shipping, and tourism, the oceans sustain one in six American jobs.
The oceans are so vast and so powerful that we sometimes blithely assume that we can
not affect them. We assume our actions represent a mere "drop in the ocean." But as many of
you have highlighted over the past day and a half, we can affect the chemistry, and therefore the
biology, of our seas ~ and we have.
Two-thirds of the world's people live within 50 miles of the coast, and far too much
pollution from the land runs straight to the sea. One large city can release more than 9 million
gallons of petroleum products a year, roughly the amount that spilled from the Exxon Valdez.
Polluted runoff from watersheds has led to deadly red tides, brown tides, and has even helped to
spawn new pathogens, like Pfiesteria, that devastate fisheries. Runoff from thousands of miles
up the Mississippi River has been so severe that there is now a dead zone the size of New Jersey
in the Gulf of Mexico. Ten percent of the world's coral reefs have been destroyed and another
-1 -
�30% will all but disappear within the next 20 years. It is estimated that medical waste that
washed up onto Long Island and New Jersey beaches in the summer of 1988 cost as much as $3
billion in lost revenue from tourism and recreation. And we have not yet learned the lesson of
Monterey's Cannery Row; more than two-thirds ofthe world's fisheries are over-exploited; more
one-third are in steady decline.
And as the Vice President highlighted at the White House earlier this week, we are also
changing the physics of our seas. We've just learned that our oceans are warmer than they've
ever been in the 104 years we've been taking their temperature ~ more evidence that our
emissions of greenhouse gases are heating the planet.
In all these ways, we have shown once again that we are inextricably linked to nature.
We do, indeed, have the ability to harm. Fortunately, we have also learned that with innovative
environmental efforts, we also have the power to heal. We have shown that we can clean the
water we drink and the air we breath, protect marine sanctuaries and wildlife refuges, phase out
deadly pesticides and ozone-eating chemicals ~ and we have done it while producing the
strongest, most competitive economy in the world.
With partnerships and persistence, we can extend this record of success to our oceans. If
we want our children to inherit the bounty we have today, we must work together to make sure
that the 21st century is the greatest century of stewardship of our seas.
First, we must save our shores from oil drilling. Here in California, you know all too
/well how oil spills from off-shore drilling can despoil our coasts ~ causing not just the death of
[marine life and the destruction of fragile ecosystems, but also economic devastation in the
tourism, recreation, and fishing industries. Even under the best of circumstances, most off-shore
drilling is simply not worth the risk. All the oil in proven reserves off the coast of California
would fuel our oil needs for a mere 38 days. In a few moments, I will sign a Directive that will
extend the nation's moratorium on off-shore drilling for an additional TK years, while protecting
all of our precious marine sanctuaries from drilling forever. I thank Sen. Boxer, Lt. Gov. Davis,
Rep. Farr, and Rep. Capps for their leadership on this vital issue. By standing firm against offshore oil drilling here in California, they have helped protect some of the most beautiful shores
anywhere in the world.
i
Second, we must restore precious marine resources. To help create sustainable fisheries,
111 propose to help rebuild fish stocks within 10 years, work with industry to develop new
|f technologies to net only targeted species of fish, and protect essential fish habitats. To protect
and restore coral reefs, I will sign an Executive Order to speed our efforts to map and monitor
reefs, research causes of their degradation, revive damaged reefs, and promote worldwide efforts
to do the same. To reduce land-based pollution that threatens marine life, I call on Congress
once again to fund my $2.3 billion Clean Water Action Plan to reduce the diffuse pollution that
has been running, unchecked, into our rivers, lakes, streams, and oceans.
Third, we must enhance our understanding of our seas. To help researchers track marine
mammals, predict deadly storms, detect illegal fishing, and gain new insight into the
complexities of climate change, the U.S. military will release previously classified data once
-2-
�used to hunt submarines. By the year 2002, we will complete an advanced ocean monitoring
system that will also provide data for climate change studies. And, as the Vice President
announced yesterday, we will provide new submersibles and other advanced tools for mapping
and exploring the world's last great frontier.
Fourth, we must create sophisticated, sustainable ports for the 21st Century.
International trade will nearly triple over the next two decades - and more than 90% of this trade
will move by ocean. Therefore, I propose a new Harbor Services Fund to help enhance our
existing ports and provide state-of-the-art navigation tools to prevent marine accidents.
Finally, we must join the world in ratifying, at long last, the Convention on the Law of
j the Sea. The United States has achieved its economic success by championing the rule of law at
home and abroad. The Convention on the Law of the Sea extends the rule of law to the world's
oceans. It assures open seaways that our shippers, fishers, and military require. This is the year
that the U.S. should ~ and must ~ assume its leadership role in the community of nations by
I becoming a full party to the Convention on the Law of the Sea.
In these ways, we will enhance the health of our oceans ~ while expanding ocean
opportunities in environmentally responsible ways.
During his marine expedition in the Gulf of Mexico, John Steinbeck called hope - the
idea that tomorrow can be better than today - the defining human trait. I think we are also
defined — and blessed — as a species with two other crucial traits: creativity and imagination.
Hope, creativity, and imagination. These are the traits that enabled and inspired the very first
explorers to take to the seas in search of more fertile shores. These are the traits that have
allowed us to look at our inextricable tie to our environment and invent new ways to protect our
natural wonders from harm. And in the 21st Century, these are the traits that will allow us to
preserve our living oceans as a sacred legacy for all generations to come. Thank you for your
hope, creativity, and imagination. God bless you all.
###
-3 -
�A WtA
'I'M'
Draft 6/11/98 8:15am
Lowell Weiss
PRESIDENT WILLIAM J. CLINTON
REMARKS AT THE NATIONAL OCEAN CONFERENCE
MONTEREY, CA
June 12,1998
^
j
fa
Liko m«DH\i^cMoana', I have been an admirer of John Steinbeck, Monterey's favorite son,
since I was /kidJBut it wasn't until I was preparing for this trip that I came to realize what a
serious studeht"T$f the seas he was. In fact, in his masterful account of his 4,000-mile collecting
expedition that started a few bloiks from here, Steinbeck summed up, for me, precisely what our
work at this conference is all about: "Most of the feeling we call religious is really the
understanding that man is related to the whole, inextricably related to all reality.... This is a
simple thing to say, but the profound feeling of it made a Jesus, a St. Augustine, a Charles
Darwin, and an Einstein."
^^
T IliinLil'n fuii lu i>dy Lliai 1U1 Uf U l l u i tui.Uij iu n lunih m mi Elflslein. Bill I m ipm 1^.
1 1B
!
>
that all of us have had that profound feeling ~ the abiding sense that we are inextricably linked
with the whole of nature and, of course, with our majestic and mysterious seas. That is why we
have convened this historic ocean conference. That is why it is so important that we leave
Monterey not only with an appreciation for the divine beauty of this patch of coast, but also with
a renewed sense of responsibility for helping to maintain living, thriving oceans all over the
world.
When astronomers study the heavens for signs of life, they search for water, because
water is the single nonnegotiable ingredient of life. Earth is blessed with, and defined by, its
enormous oceans. They are the key to the life-support system for all the creatures on this planet - from the giant tubeworms in deep-sea vents to saguaro cactuses in the most arid deserts.
In our daily lives, the oceans play a crucial role. Our oceans drive our climate and
weather - and El Nino's storms and droughts this past winter made that point loud and clear.
Fish from the sea are one of the most important and most healthful staples of diets around the
world ~ and will become even more so as world population continues to grow. The oceans allow
us the global mobility required by our armed forces around the world. Through fishing,
shipping, and tourism, the oceans sustain one in six American jobs.
The oceans are so vast and so powerful that we sometimes blithely assume that we can
not affect them. We assume our actions represent a mere "drop in the ocean." But as many of
you have highlighted over the past day and a half, we can affect the chemistry, and therefore the
biology, of our seas ~ and^ehave.
^ ^fl^ff^Jjg
>
Two-thirds of the world's people live within 50 miles of the coast, and far too much
pollution from the land runs straight to the sea. One large city can release more than 9 million
gallons of petroleum products a year, roughly the amount that spilled from the Exxon Valdez.
Polluted runoff from watersheds has led to deadly red tides, brown tides, and has even helped to
spawn new pathogens, like Pfiesteria, that devastate fisheries. Polluted runoff from thousands of
- 1 -
^
^
tS.f
�miles up the Mississippi River has been so severe that there is now a dead zone the size of New
Jersey in the Gulf of Mexico. Ten percent of the world's coral reefs have been destroyed and
another 30% will all but disappear within the next 20 years. It is estimated that medical waste
that washed up onto Long Island and New Jersey beaches in the summer of 1988 cost as much as
$3 billion in lost revenue from tourism and recreation. And we have not yet learned the lesson of
Monterey's Cannery Row; more than two-thirds of the world's fisheries are over-exploited; more
one-third are in steady decline.
And as the Vice President highlighted at the White House earlier this week, we are also
changing the physics of our seas. We've just learned that our oceans are warmer than they've
ever been in the 104 years we've been taking their temperature ~ more evidence that our
emissions of greenhouse gases are heating the planet.
In all these ways, we have shown once again that we are inextricably linked to nature.
We do, indeed, have the ability to hari^v
» .
,
V^ortunately, over the past generation we have also learned that we have the power to heal.
We have shown that we can clean the water we drink and the air we breath, protect marine
sanctuaries and wildlife refuges, phase out deadly pesticides and ozone-eating chemicals ~ and
we have done it while producing the strongest, most competitive economy in the world.
With partnerships and persistence, we can extend this record of success to our oceans. If
we want our children to inherit the bounty we have today, we must work together to make sure
that the 21st century is the greatest century of stewardship of our seas.
First, we must save our shores fron^the assaults of drillingl In a few moments, I will s i g n j
a Directive that will extend the nation's moratorium on off-shor^rilling for an additional TK
/
years, while protecting all of our precious marine sanctuaries from drilling forever. I thank Sen. |
Boxer, Lt. Gov. Davis, Rep. Farr, and Rep. Capps for their leadership on this vital issue.
J
Second, we must create sustainable fisheries, restore our coral reefs, and protect coastal
waters. I propose to help rebuild fish stocks within 10 years, work with industry to develop new
technologies to net only targeted species of fish, and protect essential fish habitats. As we
announced earlier in the week, I will sign an Executive Order to protect and restore coral reefs
off our shores and to promote worldwide efforts to do the same. And today, I call on Congress
once again to fund my $2.3 billion Clean Water Action plan to help states cut down on the
pollutants that are running off our streets and land.
Third, we must enhance our understanding of our seas. To help researchers track marine
mammals, predict deadly storms, detect illegal fishing, and gain new insight into the
complexities of climate change, the U.S. military will release previously classified data once
used to hunt submarines. By the year 2002, we will complete an advanced ocean monitoring
system that will also provide data for climate change studies. And, as the Vice President
announced yesterday, we will provide new submersibles and other advanced tools for mapping
and exploring the world's last great frontier.
-2-
�Fourth, we must create sophisticated, sustainable ports for the 21st Century.
International trade will nearly triple over the next two decades ~ and more than 90% of this trade
will move by ocean. Therefore, I propose a new Harbor Services Fund to help enhance our
existing ports and provide state-of-the-art navigation tools to prevent marine accidents.
Finally, we must join the world in ratifying, at long last, the Convention on the Law of
the Sea. The United States has achieved its economic success by championing the rule of law at
home and abroad. The Convention on the Law of the Sea, an international treaty that has now
been ratified by 125 nations, extends the rule of law to the world's oceans ~ in a way that
benefits our national security and our commerce. It assures that our armed forces will have the
mobility they require. It ensures open, efficient trade routes and lowers operating costs for our
shippers. This is the year that the U.S. should ~ and must - assume its leadership role in the
community of nations by becoming a full party to the Convention on the Law of the Sea.
In these ways, we will enhance the health of our oceans ~ while expanding ocean
opportunities in environmentally responsible ways.
During his marine expedition in the Gulf of Mexico, John Steinbeck called hope - the
idea that tomorrow can be better than today -- the defining human trait.^I think it's fair to assume
that everyone knows where I stand on hope, But I think we are also defineff^- and blessed — as a
species with two other crucial traits: creativit^and imagination. Hope, creativity, and
imagination. These are the traits that enabled and inspired the very first explorers to take to the
seas in search of more fertile shores. These are the traits that every parent draws upon to help set
their children on a course toward a fuller life. And these are the traits that have allowed us to
look at our inextricable tie to our environment and invent new ways to protect our natural
wonders from harm. Hope, creativity, and imagination. In the 21 st century, these are the traits
that will allow us to preserve our living oceans as a sacred legacy for all generations to come.
Thank you for your hope, creativity, and imagination. God bless you all.
###
-3-
�Draft 6/10/98 11pm
Lowell Weiss
PRESIDENT WILLIAM J. CLINTON
REMARKS AT THE NATIONAL OCEAN CONFERENCE
MONTEREY, CA / p l t h l f a ' s
June 12,1998
'
7
1
^
Like most Americans, I have been an admirer of John Steinbeck, Monterey's favorite son,
since I was a kid. But it wasn't until I was preparing for this trip that I came {(/realize what a
serious student of the seas hejyas._In fact, in his masterful Log from the Sea^f Cortez. based on
a 4",000-mile collecting expedition that starte$fromJCommercial Wharf, Ijj/summed up, for me,
precisely what our work here is all about: "Most ofthe feeling we call religious is really the
understanding that man is related to the whole, inextricably related to all reality.... This is a
simple thing to say, but the profound feeling of it made a Jesus, a St. Augustine, a Charles
Darwin, and an Einstein."
I. ,
^ /
^ e n A think it's fair tc/say that none of lifs here today is a Jesus or an Einstein. But I
suspect that a l of us have thalprofound feelinglhat we are inextricably linked with the whole of
nature and, ©speGiaHy, with our majestic and mysterious seas. That is why we have bfettghtyOTl C*^*
^together for this historic ocean conference. That is why it is so important that we leave
Monterey not only with an appreciation for the divine beauty of this patch of coast, but also with
a renewed sense of responsibility for helping to maintain living, thriving oceans all over the
world.
When astronomers study the heavens for signs of life, they search for water, because
water is the single nonnegotiable ingredient of life. Earth is blessed with, and defined by, its
enormous oceans. They are the key to the life-support system for all the creatures on this Blap.
- from the giant tubeworms in deep-sea vents to saguaro cactuses in the most arid deserts., Our A
oceans drive our climate and weather ~ a message this year's El Nino brought home to a l l ^ - U ^
Americans. Fish from the sea are one of the most important and most healthful staples of diets
around the world ~ and will become even more so as world population continues to grow. The
oceans allow us the global mobility required by our armed forces around the world. Through
fishing, shipping, and tourism, the oceans sustain one in six American jobs.
The oceans are so vast and so powerful that we sometimes blithely assume that we can
not affect them. We assume our actions represent a mere "drop in the ocean." But as many of
you have highlighted over the past day and a half, we can affect the chemistry, and therefore the
biology, of our seas ~ and we have.
Two-thirds of the world's people live within 50 miles of the coast, and far too much
pollution from the land runs straight to the sea. One large city can release some 9 million gallons
of petroleum products a year, roughly the amount that spilled from the Exxon Valdez. Polluted
runoff from watersheds has led tg^adly red tides, brown tides, and has even helped to spawn
new pathogens, like Pfiesteria,^that devastate fisheries. Polluted runoff from thousands of miles
up the Mississippi river has been so severe that there is now a dead zone the size of New Jersey
in the Gulf of Mexico. And we have not yet learned the lesson of Monterey's Cannery RpWjX \
- 1 -
�Finally, we must join the world in ratifying, at long last, the Convention on the Law of
the Sea. The United States has achieved its economic success by championing the rule of law at
home and abroad. The Convention on the Law of the Sea, an international treaty that has now
been ratified by 125 nations, extends the rule of law to the world's oceans ~ in a way that
benefits our national security and our commerce. It assures that our armed forces will have the
mobility they require. It ensures open, efficient trade routes and lowers operating costs for our
shippers. This is the year that the U.S. should ~ and must - assume its leadership role in the
community of nations by becoming a full party to the Convention on the Law of the Sea.
e/ohomic o
I.
Conclusion
A.
Steinbeck and Ricketts saic Inmg characteristic of human beings was ability to
hope for a better topiertfow
B.
To "hope" I wetfldadd "creativity" and "imagination"
C.
That's hoyi^we've always solved environmental problems in the past, that's how
we'll do it again for the oceans
PRESERVATION PHOTOCOPY
�•3
-3-
PHESEBVATiON PHOTOCOPY
�69% of the world's fisheries are over-exploited. Ten pe^entof the world's coral reefs have been
destroyed and another 30% will all but disappear within^next 20 years.
And as the Vice President highlighted at the White House earlier this week, we are also
changing the physics of our seas. We've just learned that our oceans ar^h^tepthan they've ever
been in the 104 years since we've been taking their temperature ~ more evidence that our
emissions of greenhouse gases are warming the planet.
\ ^ n j^n/tK^
If there was any doubt before, we have proven that we are inextricably linked to our
oceans. We do, indeed, have the ability to harm.
Fortunately, as we have learned over the past generation, we also have the power to heal.
We have shown that we can clean the water we drink and the air we breath, protect marine
sanctuaries and wildlife refuges, phase out deadly pesticides and ozone-eating chemicals - and
-we-have=d©ae it while producing the strongest, most competitive economy in the world.
do
With partnerships and persistence, we can extend this record of success to our oceans. I f
we want our children to inherit the bounty we have today, we must work together to make sure
that the 21st century is the greatest century of stewardship of our seas.
First, we must save our shores from the assaults of drilling. In a few moments, I will sign
a Directive that will extend the nation's moratorium on off-shore drilling for an additional TK
years, while protecting all of our precious marine sanctuaries from drilling forever. I thank Sen.
Boxer, Lt. Gov. Davis, Rep. Farr, and Rep. Capps for their leadership on this vital issue.
Second, we must create sustainable fisheries, restore our coral reefs, and protect coastal
waters. I propose to help rebuild fish stocks within 10 years, work with industry to develop new
technologies to net only targeted species of fish, and protect essential fish habitat ? AsCyveT )
announced earlier in the weektl Vill sign ah Executive Order to protect and restore coral reefs
off our shores and to promote worldwide efforts to do the same. And today, I call on Congress
once again to fund my $2.3 billion Clean Water Action plan to help states cut down on the .
pollutants that are running off our streets and land.
lij*^^^
Third, we must enhance our understanding of our seas. To help researchers track marine
mammals, predict deadly storms, detect illegal fishing, and gain new insigh/into the g ^ ^ \ \ V ^ & '
complexities of climate change, the U.S. military will release prevmusljLcJissified data once
^
V
irevmi
'"7 .. • H>
used to hunt submarines. By the year 2002, we will complete aiytgphjstt64tej)ocean monitoring ^ \ ^ 0
system that will also provide data for climate change studies. And, as the Vice President
announced yesterday^wttl brovide new submersibles and other advanced tools for mapping and
exploring the world's last greafTrontier. ^ ^ 4
t
(
v
J
(
n
xW
Fourth, we must create ^Insticatecj) sustainable ports for the 21st Century.
International trade will nearly triplel) vei -tile next two decades — and morej^0% of this trade will
move by ocean. Therefore, I propose a new Harbor Services Fund to help enhance our existing
ports and provide state-of-the-art navigation tools to prevent marine accidents.
-2-
�1.
D.
E.
The Monterey Bay area is a model for the nation and the world of
how to live in harmony with the ocean - to build a thriving economy
that uses ocean resources in a sustainable way - to collaborate on
studies of the marine environment - and to develop tools that bring
scientific knowledge from the laboratory to the classroom
Personal connection to issue
1.
TK percent of Americans grow up within 50 miles of ocean
Monterey
1.
Sardine success - Monterey used to be the center of a major sardine fishery
until its collapse in the late 1940s. The sardine fishery is on the upswing,
however, and DFG's management practices are a major reason. Salmon
and squid are other local fisheries that seem to be recovering.
2.
The people of Monterey Bay are, to an exceptional degree, stewards of the
ocean environment. They understand that the health of the oceans, their
communities and their economy are inextricably linked. Citizen efforts
were instrumental in creating the Monterey Bay National Marine
Sanctuary, and citizen involvement underlies continued protection of bay
resources. There are still active debates about how best to use ocean
resources in a sustainable manner. But different interest groups maintain
an open dialogue on these issues in forums that can serve as a model for
similar debates nationwide. Government and non-profit organizations
champion volunteer efforts to protect coastal resources, and share the
sanctuary's stories with residents and visitors.
3.
The Monterey Bay area is a model for the nation and the world of
how to live in harmony with the ocean - to build a thriving economy
that uses ocean resources in a sustainable way - to collaborate on
studies of the marine environment - and to develop tools that bring
scientific knowledge from the laboratory to the classroom
4.
TK
-4-
�II.
Conclusion
A.
"Hope is a diagnostic human trait, and this simple cortex symptom seems to be a
prime factor in our inspection of our universe." (Cortez, p. 72); "hope cushions
the shock of experience" (p. 73)
Acknowledge: VP Gore: HRC; Sec. Daley: Sec. Dalton [Whether as a young Midshipman at the
U.S. Naval Academy, in his business career, or in the five years he led the Navy, John has
always been a shining example ofthe best America has to offer. I thank him for his service,
and for his friendship.]; NOAA Admin. Dr. Jim Baker: Sen. Boxer: Rep. Farr: Rep. Capps: Lt.
Gov. Davis: Sylvia Earle [When she was NOAA's chief scientist, herfriendscalled her the U.S.
"Sturgeon General. "].
Every year, we spill gallons of oil spill into our oceans, destroying fragile ecosystems.
Our shoreline is too sacred for the assaults of drilling.
The Coast Guard
estimates that for United States waters sewage treatment plants discharge twice as much oil
each year as tanker spills.
It is estimated that medical waste that washed up onto Long Island and New Jersey beaches
in the summer of 1988 cost as much as $3 billion in lost revenue from tourism and recreation.
-5-
�Record Type:
Record
To:
cc:
Subject: POTUS oceans remarks -- 1 1:10 am draft
Draft 6/11/98 11:10am
Lowell Weiss
—
-
^ ^ -
^ r:,™^
PRESIDENT WILLIAM J . CLINTON
REMARKS AT THE NATIONAL OCEAN CONFERENCE
MONTEREY, CA
June 12, 1998
I have been an admirer of John Steinbeck, Monterey's favorite son, ^ince I was a child.
But it wasn't until I was preparing for this trip that I came to realize what a/serious student of
the seas he was. In fact, in his masterful account of his 4,000-mile collecting expedition that
started about a half-mile from here, Steinbeck summed up, for me, precisely what our work at
this conference is all about: "Most of the feeling we call religious is really the understanding
that man is related to the whole, inextricably related to all reality.... This is a simple thing to
say, but the profound feeling of it made a Jesus, a St. Augustine, a Charles Darwin, and an
Einstein."
I suspect that all of us have had that profound feeling - the abiding sense that we are
inextricably linked with the whole of nature and, of course, with our majestic and mysterious
seas. That is why we have convened this historic ocean conference. That is why it is so
important that we leave Monterey not only with an appreciation for the divine beauty of this
patch of coast, but also with a renewed sense of responsibility for helping to maintain living,
thriving oceans all over the world.
When astronomers study the heavens for signs of life, they search for water, because
water is the single nonnegotiable ingredient of life. Earth is blessed with, and defined by, its
enormous oceans. They are the key to the life-support system for all the creatures on this
planet - from the giant tubeworms in deep-sea vents to saguaro cactuses in the most arid
deserts.
In our daily lives, the oceans play a crucial role. Our oceans drive our climate and
weather -- and El Nino's storms and droughts this past winter made that point loud and clear.
Fish from the sea are one of the most important and most healthful staples of diets around the
world - and will become even more so as world population continues to grow. The oceans
allow us the global mobility required by our armed forces around the world. Through fishing,
�shipping, and tourism, the oceans sustain one in six American jobs.
The oceans are so vast and so powerful that we sometimes blithely assume that we can
not affect them. We assume our actions represent a nu re "drop in the ocean." But as many
of you have highlighted over the past day and a half, we can affect the chemistry, and
therefore the biology, of our seas - and we have.
Two-thirds of the world's people live within 50 miles of the coast, and far too much
pollution from the land runs straight to the sea. One large city can release more than 9 million
gallons of petroleum products a year, roughly the amount that spilled from the Exxon Valdez.
Polluted runoff from watersheds has led to deadly red tides, brown tides, and has even helped
to spawn new pathogens, like Pfiesteria, that devastate fisheries. Runoff from thousands of
miles up the Mississippi River has been so severe that there is now a dead zone the size of
New Jersey in the Gulf of Mexico. Ten percent of the world's coral reefs have been destroyed
and another 30% will all but disappear within the next 20 years. It is estimated that
medical waste that washed up onto Long Island and New Jersey beaches in the
summer of 1988 cost as much as $3 billion in lost revenue from tourism and
recreation. And we have not yet learned the lesson of Monterey's Cannery Row; more than
two-thirds of the world's fisheries are over-exploited; more one-third are in'steady decline.
And as the Vice President highlighted at the White House earlier this week, we are also
changing the physics of our seas. We've just learned that our oceans are warmer than they've
ever been in the 104 years we've been taking their temperature - more evidence that our
emissions of greenhouse gases are heating the planet.
In all these ways, we have shown once again that we are inextricably linked to nature.
We do, indeed, have the ability to harm. Fortunately, we have also learned that with
innovative environmental efforts, we also have the power to heal. We have shown that we can
clean the water we drink and the air we breath, protect marine sanctuaries and wildlife
refuges, phase out deadly pesticides and ozone-eating chemicals - and we have done it while
producing the strongest, most competitive economy in the world.
With partnerships and persistence, we can extend this record of success to our oceans.
If we want our children to inherit the bounty we have today, we must work together to make
sure that the 21st century is the greatest century of stewardship of our seas.
First, we must save our shores from oil drilling. Here in California, you know all too
well how oil spills from off-shore drilling can despoil our coasts - causing not just the death
of marine life and the destruction of fragile ecosystems, but also economic devastation jn the
tourism, recreation, and fishing industries. Even under the best of circumstances, I H S S K ^
off-shore drilling is simply not worth the risk. Al! ihe oil in proven reserves off the coas
California would fuel our oil needs for fUjMI? M y f moments, I will sign a
Directive that will extencUhe nation's^moraftbriuKi on off-shore drilling for an-addkional
years, while protectin|^l^llour_precious marine sanctuaries from drillin^forever^Xth
Sen. Boxer, Lt. Gov. Davis, Rep. Farr, and Rep. Capps for their leadershipSffffilsvital
tia
/
s
, n a
e w
�issue. By standing firm against off-shore oil drilling here in California and around the nation,
they have helped protect some of the most beautiful shores anywhere in the world.
Second, we must restore precious marine resources. To help create sustainable
fisheries, I propose to help rebuild fish stocks within 10 years, work with industry to develop
new technologies to net only targeted species of fish, and protect essential fish habitats. To
protect and restore coral reefs, I will sign an Executive Order to speed our efforts to map and
monitor reefs, research causes of their degradation, revive damaged reefs, and promote
worldwide efforts to do the same. To reduce land-based pollution that threatens marine life, I
call on Congress once again to fund my $2.3 billion Clean Water Action Plan to reduce the
diffuse pollution that has been running, unchecked, into our rivers, lakes, streams, and oceans.
Third, we must enhance our understanding of our seas. To help researchers track
marine mammals, predict deadly storms, detect illegal fishing, and gain new insight into the
complexities of climate change, the U.S. military will release previously classified data once
used to hunt submarines. By the year 2002, we will complete an advanced ocean monitoring
system that will also provide data for climate change studies. And, as the Vice President
announced yesterday, we will provide new submersibles and other advanced tools for mapping
and exploring the world's last great frontier.
Fourth, we must create sophisticated, sustainable ports for the 21st Century.
/
International trade will nearly triple over the next two decades - and more than 90% of this
trade will move by ocean. Therefore, I propose a new Harbor Services Fund to help/enhance
our existing ports a n d ^ ^ ^ e state-ofAe-att-navigatiuii-tools to prevent marineacbidenfeT] *
Finally, we must join the world in ratifying, at long last, ihe Convention on the Law oi
the Sea. The United States has achieved its economic success by championing the rule of law/
at home and abroad. The Convention on the Law of the Sea extends the rule of law to the
world's oceans. It assures open seaways that our shippers, fishers, and military require. Thj
is the year that the U.S. should - and must - assume its leadership role in the community o
nations by becoming a full party to the Convention on the Law of the Sea.
^
i
In these ways, we will enhance the health of our oceans - while expanding ocean
opportunities in environmentally responsible ways.
w ^
During his marine expedition in the Gulf of Mexico, John Steinbeck called hope - the " r ^ .
idea that tomorrow can be better than today - the defining human trait. I think we are also
t ^ ^ ^
defined - and blessed - as a species with two other crucial traits: creativity and imagination. O ^ h ^ ^ i ,
Hope, creativity, and imagination. These are the traits that enabled and inspired the very
first
/
explorers to take to the seas in search of more fertile shores. These are the traits that have
allowed us to look at our inextricable tie to our environment and invent new ways to protect
our natural wonders from harm. And in the 21st Century, these are the traits that will allow
us to preserve our living oceans as a sacred legacy for all generations to come. Thank you for
your hope, creativity, and imagination. God bless you all.
�Draft 6/11/98 3:30pm
Lowell Weiss
PRESIDENT WILLIAM J. CLINTON
REMARKS AT THE NATIONAL OCEAN CONFERENCE
MONTEREY, CA
June 12,1998
Acknowledge: VP Gore: HRC: Sec. Daley: Sec. Dalton [As a young Midshipman at the
U.S. Naval Academy, in his business career, and in the five years he led the Navy, John has
always been a shining example of the best America has to offer. I thank him for his service,
and for his friendship.]; NOAA Admin. Dr. James Baker: Sen. Boxer: Rep. Farr: Rep. Capps:
Lt. Gov. Davis: Sylvia Earle [When she was NOAA's chief scientist, her friends called her the
U.S. "Sturgeon General."] I'd also like to say hello to everyone watching from the U.S.
Pavillion at Expo '98 in Portugal, where this year's World's Fair is dedicated to the preservation
of the oceans.
I have been an admirer of John Steinbeck, Monterey's favorite son, since I was a child.
But it wasn't until I was preparing for this trip that I came to realize what a serious student of the
seas he was. In fact, in his masterful account of his 4,000-mile collecting expedition that started
about a half-mile from here, Steinbeck summed up, for me, precisely what our work at this
conference is all about: "Most ofthe feeling we call religious is really the understanding that
man is related to the whole, inextricably related to all reality.... This is a simple thing to say, but
the profound feeling of it made a Jesus, a St. Augustine, a Charles Darwin, and an Einstein."
I suspect that all of us have had that profound feeling - the abiding sense that we are
inextricably linked with the whole of nature and, of course, with our majestic and mysterious
seas. That is why we have convened this historic ocean conference. That is why it is so
important that we leave Monterey not only with an appreciation for the divine beauty of this
patch of coast, but also with a renewed sense of responsibility for helping to maintain living,
thriving seas — for all of us who love to visit the ocean and for those who make a living from its
bounty.
When astronomers study the heavens for signs of life, they search for water, because
water is the single nonnegotiable ingredient of life. Earth is blessed with, and defined by, its
enormous oceans. They are the key to the life-support system for all the creatures on this planet - from the giant tubeworms in deep-sea vents to saguaro cactuses in the most arid deserts.
In our daily lives, the oceans play a crucial role. Our oceans drive our climate and
weather — and El Nino's storms and droughts this past winter made that point loud and clear.
Fish from the sea are one ofthe most important and most healthful staples of diets around the
world ~ and will become even more so as world population continues to grow. The oceans allow
us the global mobility required by our armed forces around the world. And, as the Vice
President has just said, through fishing, shipping, and tourism, the oceans sustain one in six
American jobs.
The oceans are so vast and so powerful that we sometimes blithely assume that we can
-1 -
�not affect them. We assume our actions represent a mere "drop in the ocean." But as many of
you have highlighted over the past day and a half, we can affect our oceans — and we have.
Two-thirds of the world's people live within 50 miles of the coast, and far too much
pollution from the land runs straight to the sea. One large city can spew more than 9 million
gallons of petroleum products into the ocean every year, roughly the amount that spilled from the
Exxon Valdez. Polluted runoff from watersheds has led to deadly red tides, brown tides, and
outbreaks of newer pathogens like Pfiesteria [fiss-TEER-ree-uh]. Runoff from thousands of
miles up the Mississippi River has been so severe that there is now a dead zone the size of New
Jersey in the Gulf of Mexico. Ten percent of the world's coral reefs have been destroyed and
another 30% will all but disappear within the next 20 years. And we have not yet learned the
lesson of Monterey's Cannery Row; more than two-thirds of the world's fisheries are overexploited; more than one-third are in steady decline.
And as the Vice President highlighted at the White House earlier this week, we are also
changing the temperature of our seas. We've just learned that our oceans are warmer than
they've ever been in the 104 years we've been taking their temperature ~ more evidence that our
emissions of greenhouse gases are heating the planet.
In all these ways, we have shown once again that we are inextricably linked to nature.
We do, indeed, have the ability to harm. Fortunately, we have also learned that with innovative
environmental efforts and prudent business practices we also have the power to heal. We have
shown that we can clean the water we drink and the air we breath, protect marine sanctuaries and
wildlife refuges, phase out deadly pesticides and ozone-eating chemicals - and we have done it
while producing the strongest, most competitive economy in the world. But our work has really
just begun.
With partnerships and persistence, we can extend this record of success to our oceans, a
treasure and a resource we are becoming more dependent upon by the day. If we want our
children to inherit the gift of living oceans, we must work together to make sure that the 21st
century is the greatest century of stewardship of our seas.
First, we must save our shores from oil drilling. Here in California, you know all too
well how oil spills from off-shore drilling can despoil our coasts ~ causing not just the death of
marine life and the destruction of fragile ecosystems, but also economic devastation in the
tourism, recreation, and fishing industries. All the oil in proven reserves off the coast of
California would quench our oil needs for a mere 38 days. Is it really worth the risk?
In a few moments, I will sign a Directive that will extend the nation's moratorium on offshore leasing for an additional ten years, while protecting our marine sanctuaries from drilling
forever. I want to thank Sen. Boxer - who tracks me down every chance she gets to talk about
this issue ~ Lt. Gov. Davis. Rep. Farr. and Rep. Capps for their leadership on behalf of our
shores and our oceans. By standing firm against off-shore oil drilling here in California and
around the nation, they have helped protect some of the most beautiful shores anywhere in the
world.
-2-
�Second, we must restore precious marine resources. To help create sustainable fisheries,
we will help rebuild fish stocks within 10 years, work with industry to develop new technologies
to net only targeted species offish, and protect essential fish habitats. To protect and restore
coral reefs, I have signed an Executive Order to speed our efforts to map and monitor reefs,
research causes of their degradation, revive damaged reefs, and promote worldwide efforts to do
the same. To reduce land-based pollution that threatens marine life, I call on Congress once
again to fund my $2.3 billion Clean Water Action Plan to reduce the diffuse pollution that has
been running, unchecked, into our rivers, lakes, streams, and oceans.
Third, we must enhance our understanding of our seas. To help researchers track marine
mammals, predict deadly storms, detect illegal fishing, and gain new insight into the
complexities of climate change, the U.S. military will release previously classified data once
used to hunt submarines. By the year 2002, we will complete an advanced ocean monitoring
system that will also provide data for climate change studies. And, as the Vice President
announced yesterday, we will provide new submersibles and other advanced tools for mapping
and exploring the world's last great frontier.
Fourth, we must create sophisticated, sustainable ports for the 21st Century.
International trade will nearly triple over the next two decades - and more than 90% of this trade
will move by ocean. Therefore, I propose a new Harbor Services Fund to help our ports and
harbors remain competitive in the new century by deepening them for the newest and largest
ships and providing state-of-the-art navigation tools for preventing marine accidents.
Finally, we must join the world in ratifying, at long last, the Convention on the Law of
the Sea. The United States has achieved its economic success by championing the rule of law at
home and abroad. The Convention on the Law of the Sea extends the rule of law to the world's
oceans. It assures open seaways that our shippers, fishers, and military require. This is the year
that the U.S. should — and must — assume its leadership role in the community of nations by
becoming a full party to the Convention on the Law of the Sea.
In these ways, we will enhance the health of our oceans ~ while expanding ocean
opportunities in environmentally responsible ways.
During his marine expedition in the Gulf of Mexico, John Steinbeck called hope ~ the
idea that tomorrow can be better than today ~ the defining human trait. I think we are also
defined — and blessed — as a species with two other crucial traits: creativity and imagination.
Hope, creativity, and imagination. These are the traits that enabled and inspired the very first
explorers to take to the seas in search of more fertile shores. These are the traits that have
allowed us to look at our inextricable tie to our environment and invent new ways to protect our
natural wonders from harm. And in the 21 st Century, these are the traits that will allow us to
preserve our living oceans as a sacred legacy for all generations to come. Thank you for your
hope, creativity, and imagination. God bless you all.
###
-3-
�Draft 6/11/98 6:00pm
Lowell Weiss
PRESIDENT WILLIAM J. CLINTON
REMARKS AT THE NATIONAL OCEAN CONFERENCE
MONTEREY, CA
June 12,1998
Acknowledge: VP Gore: HRC: Sec. Daley: Sec. Dalton [As a young Midshipman at the
U.S. Naval Academy, in his business career, and in the five years he led the Navy, John has
always been a shining example of the best America.has to offer, I thank him for his service,
and for his friendship.]; NOAA Admin. Dr. James Bak€r; Sen^BoXer: RepfFarf. ReffTCapfis:
Lt< Gov. Ddvis: Sylvia Eade [When she was NOAA's chief scientist, her friends called her the
U.S. "Sturgeon General."] Y&dprVte te-^Chello tcnJv efyonc w^tehmg fitSm^tfie-UTS^
? d ^ [ y ^ ^ ^ ^ f < $ ^ ^ v ^ ( x ^ ^ d \ , whereihjs-year*'5 World's Faifis -dedicated tert^rpresefvation
of^ce^s.
^
<
Vfiavebe^nah admirer of^foiffTsteinbeck, Monterey^ ftfvorite seiCsiuee' I
t^as^M^^
Bufit-Wasirt until Hvet^prepapirfg foi^hi9<i^that^j^Ti^crre«dize what ETsiitfous stwdentofthe
seas h ^ ^ a ^ T I n « f e c < i l \ i r t s a i f l ' s t t f r f u l a o r - n w r i f n & h i e s d O f t f C m i l p f>n11i<fr<^^><ppHitinn4te»-«;tarteH
abouJ^tal^Hnile^cofii^ere, Stein]>e^k summed^p^i^meT'f^eciselj^what our^erirat-ttrtS^
conferenceis & ateGW "yiop ^*^
is^efill^ thamn^standrngAthar-'
manis^lale^to^helwfiole, inextricably reiafedteralfr^tfty.... Thic t^'a fTmpliTUiinfi te aoy, bt^
the^tfefeuirCflfeeltiig iiPtt-fBad£A3es«^a^t. Augti^inft, a ^
,
r>nwi.;ri n n d ^ v ^ ^ n "
6
r :
r 1 r > n
l suspe<£AheCi'q}y6f<[s^v^
feehfig - thfr«bldifl^"se«§e thaTwrare^
inextricably ^^Jc63Jl<^th the^vhde'vmrttfure andfofetfuiwrwithouMnftj^stit and mystefious
seas That is why we have conveneothis historic ocean conference. That is why it is so
important that we leave Monterey not only with an appreciation for the divine beauty of this
patch of coast, but also with a renewed sense of responsibility for helping to maintain living,
thriving seas ~ for all of us who love to visit the ocean and for those who make a living from its
bounty.
When astronomers study the heavens for signs of life, they search for water, because
water is the single nonnegotiable ingredient of life. Earth is blessed with, and defined by, its
enormous oceans. They are the key to the life-support system for all the creatures on this planet - from the giant tubeworms in deep-sea vents to saguaro cactuses in the most arid deserts.
In our daily lives, the oceans play a crucial role. Our oceans drive our climate and
weather — and El Nino's storms and droughts this past winter made that point loud and clear.
Fish from the sea are one of the most important and most healthful staples of diets around the
world - and will become even more so as world population continues to grow. The oceans allow
us the global mobility required by our armed forces around the world. And, as the Vice
President has just said, through fishing, shipping, and tourism, the oceans sustain one in six
American jobs.
The oceans are so vast and so powerful that we sometimes blithely assume that we can
-1 -
.
�not affect them. We assume our actions represent a mere "drop in the ocean." But as many of
you have highlighted over the past day and a half, we can affect our oceans - and we have.
Two-thirds ofthe world's people live within 50 miles of the coast, and far too much
pollution from the land runs straight to the sea. One large city can spew more than 9 million
gallons of petroleum products into the ocean every year, roughly the amount that spilled from the
Exxon Valdez. Polluted runoff from watersheds has led to deadly red tides, brown tides, and
outbreaks of newer pathogens like Pfiesteria [fiss-TEER-ree-uh]. Runoff from thousands of
miles up the Mississippi River has been so severe that there is now a dead zone the size of New
Jersey in the Gulf of Mexico. Ten percent ofthe world's coral reefs have been destroyed and
another 30% will all but disappear within the next 20 years. And we have not yet learned the
lesson of Monterey's Cannery Row; more than two-thirds of the world's fisheries are overexploited; more than one-third are in steady decline.
And as the Vice President highlighted at the White House earlier this week, we are also
changing the temperature of our seas. We've just learned that our oceans are warmer than
they've ever been in the 104 years we've been taking their temperature ~ more evidence that our
emissions of greenhouse gases are heating the planet.
In all these ways, we have shown once again that we are inextricably linked to nature.
We do, indeed, have the ability to harm. Fortunately, we have also learned that with innovative
environmental efforts and prudent business practices we also have the power to heal. We have
shown that we can clean the water we drink and the air we breath, protect marine sanctuaries and
wildlife refuges, phase out deadly pesticides and ozone-eating chemicals ~ and we have done it
while producing the strongest, most •competitive economy in the world. But our work has really
just begun.
With partnerships and persistence, we can extend this record of success to our oceans, a
treasure and a resource we are becoming more dependent upon by the day. If we want our
children to inherit the gift of living oceans, we must work together to make sure that the 21st
century is the greatest century of stewardship of our seas. And for this purpose, I am pleased to
announce a $224 million initiative that will enhance the health of our oceans ~ while expanding
ocean opportunities in environmentally responsible ways.
First, we must save our shores from oil drilling. Here in California, you know all too
well how oil spills from off-shore drilling can despoil our coasts - causing not just the death of
marine life and the destruction of fragile ecosystems, but also economic devastation in the
tourism, recreation, and fishing industries. All the oil in proven reserves off the coast of
California would quench our oil needs for a mere 38 days. Is it really worth the risk?
In a few moments, I will sign a Directive that will extend the nation's moratorium on offshore leasing for an additional ten years, while protecting our marine sanctuaries from drilling
forever. I want to thank Sen. Boxer ~ who tracks me down every chance she gets to talk about
this issue ~ Lt. Gov. Davis. Rep. Farr. and Rep. Capps for their leadership on behalf of our
shores and our oceans. By standing firm against off-shore oil drilling here in California and
around the nation, they have helped protect some of the most beautiful shores anywhere in the
-2-
�world.
Second, we must restore precious marine resources. To help create sustainable fisheries,
we will help rebuild fish stocks within 10 years, work with industry to develop new technologies
to net only targeted species of fish, ban the sale and import of undersized Atlantic swordfish, and
protect essential fish habitats. To protect and restore coral reefs, I have signed an Executive
Order to speed our efforts to map and monitor reefs, research causes of their degradation, revive
damaged reefs, and promote worldwide efforts to do the same. To reduce land-based pollution
that threatens marine life, I call on Congress once again to fund my $2.3 billion Clean Water
Action Plan to reduce the diffuse pollution that has been running, unchecked, into our rivers,
lakes, streams, and oceans.
Third, we must enhance our understanding of our seas. As the Vice President announced
yesterday, to help researchers track marine mammals, predict deadly storms, detect illegal
fishing, and gain new insight into the complexities of climate change, the U.S. military will
release previously classified data once used to hunt submarines. By the year 2002, we will
complete an advanced ocean monitoring system that will also provide data for climate change
studies. And we will provide new submersibles and other advanced tools for mapping and
exploring the world's last great frontier.
Fourth, we must create sophisticated, sustainable ports for the 21st Century.
International trade will nearly triple over the next two decades ~ and more than 90% of this trade
will move by ocean. Therefore, I propose a new Harbor Services Fund to help our ports and
harbors remain competitive in the new century by deepening them for the newest and largest
ships and providing state-of-the-art navigation tools for preventing marine accidents.
Finally, we must join the world in ratifying, at long last, the Convention on the Law of
the Sea. The United States has achieved its economic success by championing the rule of law at
home and abroad. The historic Convention on the Law of the Sea extends the rule of law to the
world's oceans. It assures the open seaways that our armed forces and our fishing,
telecommunications, and shipping industries require. We must ratify this vital treaty during this
legislative session. This is the year that the U.S. should — and must ~ confirm its leadership role
in the community of nations by becoming a party to the Convention on the Law of the Sea.
During his marine expedition in the Gulf of Mexico, John Steinbeck called hope - the
idea that tomorrow can be better than today ~ the defining human trait. I think we are also
defined - and blessed - as a species with two other crucial traits: creativity and imagination.
Hope, creativity, and imagination. These are the traits that enabled and inspired the very first
explorers to take to the seas in search of more fertile shores. These are the traits that have
allowed us to look at our inextricable tie to our environment and invent new ways to protect our
natural wonders from harm. And in the 21st Century, these are the traits that will allow us to
preserve our living oceans as a sacred legacy for all generations to come. Thank you for your
hope, creativity, and imagination. God bless you all.
###
-3-
�Draft 6/11/98 7:30pm
Lowell Weiss
PRESIDENT WILLIAM J. CLINTON
REMARKS AT THE NATIONAL OCEAN CONFERENCE
MONTEREY, CA
June 12,1998
Acknowledge: VP Gore: HRC: Sec. Daley: Sec. Dalton: Sec. Slater: Admin. Browner:
NOAA Admin. Dr. James Baker: Katie McGinty: Sen. Boxer: Rep. Farr: Rep. Capps: Lt. Gov.
Davis: Sylvia Earle [When she was NOAA's chief scientist, her friends called her the U.S.
"Sturgeon General."] I'd also like to say hello to everyone watching from the U.S. Pavillion at
Expo '98 in Portugal, where this year's World's Fair is dedicated to the preservation of the
oceans.
I have been an admirer of John Steinbeck, Monterey's favorite son, since I was in high
school. But it wasn't until I was preparing for this trip that I came to realize what a serious
student of the seas he was. In fact, in his masterful account of the 4,000-mile marine expedition
he launched about a half-mile from here, Steinbeck summed up, for me, precisely what our work
at this conference is all about: "Most of the feeling we call religious is really the understanding
that man is related to the whole, inextricably related to all reality."
I suspect that all of us have had that profound feeling ~ the abiding sense that we are
inextricably linked with our world, with the whole of nature, and, of course, with our majestic
and mysterious seas. That is why we have convened this historic ocean conference. And that is
why it is so important that we leave Monterey not only with an appreciation for the divine beauty
of this patch of coast, but also with a renewed sense of responsibility for helping to maintain
living, thriving seas.
When astronomers study the heavens for signs of life, they search for water, because
water is the single nonnegotiable ingredient of life. Earth is blessed with, and defined by, its
enormous oceans. They are the key to the life-support system for all the creatures on this planet - from giant tubeworms in deep-sea vents to saguaro cactuses in the most arid deserts.
In our daily lives, the oceans play a crucial role. Our oceans drive our climate and
weather ~ and El Nino's storms and droughts this past winter made that point loud and clear.
Fish from the sea are one ofthe most important staples of diets around the world — and will
become even more so as world population continues to grow. The oceans allow us the global
mobility required by our armed forces around the world. And, as the Vice President has just
said, through fishing, shipping, and tourism, the oceans sustain one in six American jobs.
The oceans are so vast and so powerful that we sometimes blithely assume that we can
not affect them. We assume our actions represent a mere "drop in the ocean." But as many of
you have highlighted over the past day and a half, we can affect our oceans — and we have.
Two-thirds of the world's people live within 50 miles of the coast, and far too much
pollution from the land runs straight to the sea. One large city can spew more than 9 million
-1 -
�gallons of petroleum products into the ocean every year, roughly the amount that spilled from the
Exxon Valdez. Polluted runoff from watersheds has led to deadly red tides, brown tides, and
Pfiesteria [fiss-TEER-ree-uh]. Runoff from thousands of miles up the Mississippi River has
been so severe that there is now a dead zone the size of New Jersey in the Gulf of Mexico. Ten
percent of the world's coral reefs have been destroyed and another 30% will all but disappear
within the next 20 years. And we have not yet learned the lesson of Monterey's Cannery Row;
more than two-thirds of the world'sfisheriesare over-exploited; more than one-third are in
steady decline.
And as the Vice President highlighted at the White House earlier this week, we are also
changing the temperature of our seas. We've just learned that our oceans are the warmest
they've been in the 104 years we've been taking their temperature - more evidence that our
emissions of greenhouse gases are heating the planet.
In all these ways, we have shown once again that we are inextricably linked to nature.
We do, indeed, have the ability to harm. Fortunately, we have also learned that with innovative
environmental efforts and prudent business practices we also have the power to heal. We have
shown that we can clean the water we drink and the air we breathe, protect marine sanctuaries
and wildlife refuges, phase out deadly pesticides and ozone-eating chemicals — and do it while
producing the strongest, most competitive economy in the world. But our work has really just
begun.
With partnerships and persistence, we must extend this record of success to our oceans, a
treasure and a resource we are becoming more dependent upon by the day. If we want our
children to inherit the gift of living oceans, we must work together to make sure that the 21st
century is the greatest century of stewardship of our seas. And for this purpose, I am pleased to
announce a $224 million initiative that will enhance the health of our oceans - while expanding
ocean opportunities in environmentally responsible ways.
First, we must save our shores from oil drilling. Here in California, you know all too
well how oil spills from off-shore drilling can despoil our coasts ~ causing not just the death of
marine life and the destruction of fragile ecosystems, but also economic devastation in the
tourism, recreation, and fishing industries. All the oil in proven reserves off the coast of
California would quench our oil needs for a mere 38 days. Is it really worth the risk?
In a fewinoments, I will sign a Directive that will extend the nation's moratorium on offshore leasmg^br an additional ten years, while protecting our marine sanctuaries from drilling
forever. I want to thank Sen. Boxer — who tracks me down every chance she gets to talk about
this issue - as well as Lt. Gov. Davis. Rep. Farr. and Rep. Capps for their leadership on behalf of
our shores and our oceans. By standing firm against off-shore oil drilling here in California and
around the nation, ^fiey have helped protect some of the most beautiful shores anywhere in the
world.
Second, we must restore precious marine resources. To help create sustainable fisheries,
we will help rebuild fish stocks within 10 years, work with industry to develop new technologies
to net only targeted species of fish, ban the sale and import of undersized Atlantic swordfish, and
-2-
�protect essential fish habitats. To protect and restore coral reefs, I have signed an Executive
Order to speed our efforts to map and monitor our reefs, research causes of their degradation,
revive damaged reefs, and promote worldwide efforts to do the same. To reduce land-based
pollution that threatens marine life, I call on Congress once again to fund my $2.3 billion Clean
Water Action Plan to reduce the diffuse pollution that has been running, unchecked, into our
rivers, lakes, streams, and oceans.
Third, we must deepen our understanding of the seas. As the Vice President announced
yesterday, the U.S. military will release previously classified data to help researchers track
marine mammals, predict deadly storms, detect illegal fishing, and gain new insight into the
complexities of climate change. By the year 2002, we will complete an advanced ocean
monitoring system that will also provide data for climate change studies. And we will provide
new submersibles and other advanced tools for mapping and exploring the world's last great
frontier.
Fourth, we must create sustainable ports for the 21st Century. International trade will
nearly triple over the next two decades ~ and more than 90% of this trade will move by ocean. I
propose a new Harbor Services Fund to help our ports and harbors remain competitive in the new
century by deepening them for the newest and largest ships and by providing state-of-the-art
navigation tools for preventing marine accidents.
Finally, we must join the world in ratifying, at long last, the Convention on the Law of
the Sea. The United States has achieved its economic success by championing the rule of law at
home and abroad. The historic Convention on the Law of the Sea extends the rule of law to the
world's oceans. It assures the open seaways that our armed forces and our fishing,
telecommunications, and shipping industries require. We must ratify this vital treaty during this
legislative session. This is the year that the U.S. should ~ and must - confirm its leadership role
in the community of nations by becoming a party to the Convention on the Law of the Sea.
During his marine expedition in the Gulf of Mexico, John Steinbeck called hope — the
idea that tomorrow can be better than today — the defining human trait. I believe we are also
defined, and blessed, as a species with two other crucial traits: creativity and imagination. Hope,
creativity, and imagination. These are the traits that enabled and inspired the very first explorers
to take to the seas in search of more fertile shores. These are the traits that have allowed us to
look at our inextricable tie to our environment and invent new ways to protect our natural
wonders from harm. And in the 21st Century, these are the traits that will allow us to preserve
our living oceans as a sacred legacy for all generations to come. Thank you for your hope,
creativity, and imagination. God bless you all.
###
-3-
�PRESERVATION PHOTOCOPY
�THE WHITE HOUSE
WASH I NGTON
OFFICE OF
SPEECHWRITING
Fax: (202)456-5709
Phone: (202)456-2777
TO:
KlhOiT
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Fax:
Phone:
FROM:
Comments:
KICAA^P
tk->oL
Date:
Number of pages (including cover):
(AM*J~S
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�
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
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Lowell Weiss
Creator
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Lowell Weiss
Office of Speechwriting
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
1997-2001
Is Part Of
A related resource in which the described resource is physically or logically included.
<a href="http://clinton.presidentiallibraries.us/items/show/36408">Collection Finding Aid</a>
<a href="https://catalog.archives.gov/id/7431951">National Archives Catalog Description</a>
Identifier
An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context
2006-0470-F
Description
An account of the resource
This collection consists of the speechwriting files of Lowell Weiss. Lowell Weiss worked as a Special Assistant to the President, Presidential Speechwriter from June 1997 - August 2000. Weiss traveled and wrote speeches for President Clinton on domestic issues. His speeches cover a broad array of topics. Major issues he wrote on concern the environment, education, the economy, and race relations. He wrote weekly radio addresses; commencement speeches; and remarks for bill signings, events, and conferences. The records consist of speeches, drafts, memoranda, correspondence, schedules, event and travel arrangements, notes, articles, and printed email.
Provenance
A statement of any changes in ownership and custody of the resource since its creation that are significant for its authenticity, integrity, and interpretation. The statement may include a description of any changes successive custodians made to the resource.
Clinton Presidential Records: White House Staff and Office Files
Publisher
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William J. Clinton Presidential Library & Museum
Extent
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464 folders in 36 boxes
Text
A resource consisting primarily of words for reading. Examples include books, letters, dissertations, poems, newspapers, articles, archives of mailing lists. Note that facsimiles or images of texts are still of the genre Text.
Original Format
The type of object, such as painting, sculpture, paper, photo, and additional data
Paper
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
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Drafts [National Ocean Conference 6/12/98]
Creator
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Office of Speechwriting
Lowell Weiss
Identifier
An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context
2006-0470-F
Is Part Of
A related resource in which the described resource is physically or logically included.
Box 10
<a href="http://clinton.presidentiallibraries.us/items/show/36408">Collection Finding Aid</a>
<a href="https://catalog.archives.gov/id/20760920">National Archives Catalog Description</a>
Provenance
A statement of any changes in ownership and custody of the resource since its creation that are significant for its authenticity, integrity, and interpretation. The statement may include a description of any changes successive custodians made to the resource.
Clinton Presidential Records: White House Staff and Office Files
Publisher
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William J. Clinton Presidential Library & Museum
Format
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Adobe Acrobat Document
Medium
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Preservation-Reproduction-Reference
Source
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20760920
42-t-7431951-20060470-F-010-018-2015