The end of marine sanctuaries?

The creation of America’s national marine sanctuary program in 1975 was the highlight of a decades-long effort to gain protections for unique ocean and Great Lakes ecosystems in federal waters surrounding the U.S.

Now the national marine sanctuary program is in grave danger of being changed forever. The National Marine Sanctuary Program is under the jurisdiction of the Department of Commerce, which, for the most part, has been OK. The Trump administration wants to reduce the program in size, lift regulations that protect marine sanctuaries and eliminate entire marine sanctuaries. On that last note, a public comment period in late summer regarding possible eliminations showed that Americans were overwhelmingly in favor of keeping national marine sanctuaries as they are.

Secretary of the Interior Ryan Zinke wants the to place them within his own department. Why? Because the agency that oversees oil and gas drilling in federal ocean waters, the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, is within his department.

Zinke’s job would be much easier if he could use ocean energy agency to issue oil and gas leases in federal offshore waters. There is support for this among many members of the House Committee for Natural Resources. The committee is the first stop for any congressional legislation to move the marine sanctuaries program. Note that national marine sanctuaries are different from marine national monuments, which are under Interior.

We must keep a vigilant eye on this process and be the resistance to speak up for our precious ocean environment.

Jim Hines is Team Leader of the Sierra Club California/Nevada Wildlife Team. Add your voice to Sierra Club’s social media response at bit.ly/ savemarine.