Bush lets trash collect on ocean sanctuary he promised to protect

A BUZZFLASH NEWS ANALYSIS
by Amy Weiss

In 2006, President Bush established 140,000 square miles of Hawaiian island and surrounding ocean as a national monument, citing the need to protect the extensive reef and the 7,000 rare species living there. Two years later, officials say the clean-up efforts were better before Bush's designation.

The provisions of the proclamation prohibit commercial fishing, place strict restrictions on ship passage and use of natural resources, and pledge to work with federal agencies to maintain and protect the sanctuary. In his 2006 speech at the signing of the proclamation Bush said:

As a marine national monument, the waters of the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands will receive our nation's highest form of marine environmental protection. We will protect a precious natural resource. We will show our respect for the cultural and historical importance of this area. And we will create an important place for research and learning about how we can be good stewards of our oceans and our environment.

The archipelago, now known as Papahanaumokuakea Marine National Monument, is plagued by huge amounts of debris that wash up on the islands' shores. In 2005, before its designation as a national monument, the area received a $2.1 million cleanup budget. Through 2008, the Bush administration requested only $400,000 per year and though Congress has added to that, dozens of tons of debris remain.

Marine conservation experts have expressed disappointment with the effort. Elliott Norse, president of the Marine Conservation Biology Institute, said:

"It is wonderful that our nation has made a commitment, and this administration deserves a lot of credit for designating the world's largest marine reserve, but there is a responsibility that goes along with that... Unfortunately in recent years the U.S. has not made picking up trash in our most special places in the ocean a priority."

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Association (NOAA) is charged with maintenance and cleanup of the monument and they take one or two 15 to 30-day cleanup expeditions yearly. When the islands received more funding, additional contracted ships and crews took 90-day cleanup expeditions.

The Natural Resources Defense Council was critical of Bush's proposed 2009 budget when it was released in February:

The president once again missed an opportunity to substantially increase investments in our oceans.  The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) budget request was $4.11 billion for FY 2009, an increase of 140 million above FY 08 enacted levels.  While this increase is appreciated, it is still well below what is needed for the agency.

Experts and the Bush administration have said that it would be nearly impossible to get all of the debris, with experts stressing the need to urge prevention of littering the oceans. On the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Web site, the Marine Debris Abatement main page has one paragraph. And although it says "You Can Be Part of the Solution," it offers little explanation on how the EPA is part of the solution:

Marine debris, often called litter, has become a problem along shorelines, coastal waters, estuaries, and oceans throughout the world. It is defined as any man-made, solid material that enters our waterways directly (e.g., by dumping) or indirectly (e.g., washed out to sea via rivers, streams, storm drains, etc.). Objects ranging from detergent bottles, hazardous medical wastes, and discarded fishing line all qualify as marine debris. In addition to being unsightly, it poses a serious threat to everything with which it comes into contact. Marine debris can be life-threatening to marine organisms and humans and can wreak havoc on coastal communities and the fishing industry.

Clicking the "more info" link directs to a page with more detailed facts about marine debris and the sources but the "What Needs to Be Done" section is rather vague:

Reducing marine debris means reducing the amount of waste generated on land and disposing of it properly. Recycling can significantly reduce the amounts of litter reaching marine and coastal waters. Volunteer coastal cleanups and public education efforts can also help reduce the amount of debris reaching our waterways.

If you click on the 2007 International Coastal Cleanup Report, you're taken from the EPA's site to the Ocean Conservancy, an organization leading the marine debris cleanup effort. The report cites working with Laura Bush on the White House but much of its work seems to be achieved through corporate sponsorship and coordination with local agencies.

Chris Woolaway, an environmental consultant who works with the Ocean Conservancy, was critical of the administration's failure. He said, "It is very disappointing, here you have this designation as a monument, and there has been less visible activity going on in the monument... There is a need to expand the effort."

A New York Times editorial published the day after the sanctuary's creation praised Bush:

An unfamiliar but highly appealing side of President Bush showed itself at the White House yesterday. It was Mr. Bush the compassionate conservationist, friend of green sea turtles, seabirds and Hawaiian monk seals, savior of coral reefs and spiny lobsters, creator of the largest ocean sanctuary on the planet.

In some ways, Mr. Bush's decision was supremely easy - the end of commercial fishing will affect only eight fishermen. But even so, the mind reels a little at what Mr. Bush has done. The Northwestern Hawaiian Islands are a vast place few Americans have ever visited or ever will. But they are being protected anyway - not for divers, fishermen or cruise ships, but for their own sake, for science and forever. Mr. Bush made exemplary use of presidential power yesterday. We hope he does more of it.

As tons of trash sit on the largest protected marine sanctuary we wonder how the NYT editorial board feels about the "compassionate conservationist" hero they wrote about. After "Iraq has weapons of mass destruction," "We'll be greeted as liberators" and "You're doing a heck of a job, Brownie," should we have ever believed "I'm going to protect the oceans?"

Check out the Papahanaumokuakea National Monument Web site to learn more about the sanctuary.

A BUZZFLASH NEWS ANALYSIS

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