OIL SPILL & NEW POLICY

The White House announced a new unifying national policy for strengthening a way to improve ocean management at all levels, according to press reports. This may become a historical initiative that hopes to protect key natural resources.

With the BP oil spill disaster serving as an example of the vulnerability for the oceans, this new policy will have to express what the American nation really wants to prioritize and the specialists said that a proper framework is desperately needed.

The main problem is that the new policy will have to harmonize more than 20 different federal agencies that have different jurisdiction over U.S. waters, being governed by more than 140 laws. This project will have to find the best requirement system for conservation and restoration of our oceans, coasts, islands and Great Lakes.

The oceans play a critical role not just from an environmental standpoint but from an economic point of view. Almost 28 million jobs, over $700 billion and about 200 million American tourists are generated each year by coastal waters and trans-ocean shipping. Protecting the waters, U.S. will protect the economy and jobs across the country.

The senior officer for the Pew Environment Group, Chris Mann said that our planet is 70 percent blue and we need to keep it that color because a robust economy is generated by wildlife and clean beaches more than we realized.

Coming from the ocean state of Hawaii and activating in the Great Lakes area of Illinois, President Barack Obama will continue to advocate for this important cause during his administration.

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