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President Bush's December 17 executive order creating a cabinet-level Committee on Ocean Policy fills a critical need for coordinated national strategy to protect the seas from overfishing, pollution and habitat destruction. Although the policy stops short of major recommendations issued by two blue ribbon commissions, it is an important step in the right direction.
"We need strong leadership to bring back fish stocks, stop ocean pollution, restore dead zones, and protect threatened habitats. These economic and environmental challenges affect coastal communities in the United States and around the world," said Sarah Chasis, director of NRDC's Coastal and Water Program. "Elevating this to the cabinet level can help break the bureaucratic gridlock. What the committee needs now is a clear, continuing mandate from the president to protect the oceans. Otherwise it's just a paper tiger."
The cabinet committee, which will be headed by the chair of the White House Council on Environmental Quality, is supposed to promote better coordination between the many government agencies that now have authority over ocean issues.
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