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Oceans apart?
President Bush making the oceans key to his environmental legacy
Date published: 11/18/2008
FOR YEARS, the Bush administration and environmentalists have been oceans apart on key issues. But now it's clear, during his presidency's ebb tide, that Mr. Bush has made ocean protection the cornerstone of his environmental legacy. Mr. Bush's strong stand has won the applause of marine-science experts--in stark contrast to his policies on climate change, forest management, and air pollution. Advocates of those issues have long been among the president's harshest critics. But it's time to give credit where credit is due: On oceans, Mr. Bush is ahead of the curve. At issue are vast areas of the Pacific Ocean: the Line Islands, which straddle the equator south of Hawaii; and the Northern Mariana Islands, along with the 6.8-mile-deep Mariana Trench southeast of Japan. Curbing fishing and exploitation of mineral deposits in these regions would help preserve the vast array of species that inhabit them, many of which are endangered. Protecting the oceans is a divisive issue within the administration. Vice President Cheney joins Northern Mariana Island officials in decrying the economic harm any ban on fishing would do. But the voice in the president's other ear is that of his wife. First Lady Laura Bush, an outspoken advocate of ocean protection, lends clout to the views of scientists and environmental advocates. Her influence with the president may be instrumental in the policy's implementation. However, ocean protection is apparently no end-of-term epiphany for the president. In 2006, he established the world's largest marine protected area--a group of remote Hawaiian islands that cover 84 million acres and are home to 7,000 species of birds, fish, and marine mammals. In 2004, he created a cabinet-level Committee on Ocean Policy, providing a coordinated national strategy to protect the seas from overfishing, pollution, and habitat destruction. When it comes to marine environmental issues, in fact, President Bush is something of a visionary. Healthy oceans make for a healthier world, both economically and environmentally. If there is one Bush administration lead that the Obama regime will want to follow and build upon, it is this one.
Date published: 11/18/2008
an environmental legacy?
(posted by
larryg
, Nov. 18, 2008 5:36 am)
How can the same guy "care" about the oceans but seek to
have Salmon not declared as endangered and to oppose
efforts to protect and restore Salmon fisheries?
Or his views about mercury pollution that harms both
critters and humans?
Or his views about so-called roadless areas?
I could go on with dozens of environmental issues in which
who shows virtually no awareness much less concern or
action.
His many positions on a wide variety of environmental
issues are simply incongruous.
Legacy?
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