Oceans Act of 2000
Encyclopedia
The Oceans Act of 2000 established the United States Commission on Ocean Policy
, a working group
tasked with the development of what would be known as the National Oceans Report.
The objective of the report is to promote the following:
Responses from the executive branch to the commission's report are listed in a National Ocean Policy, sent to the legislative branch.
The act was passed by the United States Congress
on July 25, 2000 and signed by the President
a fortnight later.
Chair: supervises commission staff and regulates funding.
Members must be “balanced by area of expertise and balanced geographically”.
To be eligible, members must be “Representatives, knowledgeable in ocean and coastal activities, from state and local governments, ocean-related industries, academic and technical institutions, and public interest organizations involved with scientific, regulatory, economic, and environmental ocean and coastal activities.” (http://www.oceancommission.gov/documents/oceanact.html)
The Commission’s report is required to include the following, as relevant to U.S. ocean and coastal activities:
The Commission is to give equal consideration to environmental, technical feasibility, economic, and scientific factors. In addition, the recommendations may not be specific to the lands or waters within a single state.
.
]
In 1999, $3.5 million was appropriated for the same effort, but never used. Therefore, only $2.5 million would need to be accumulated to completely cover the cost of this act.
The report must include:
United States Commission on Ocean Policy
The United States Commission on Ocean Policy was created by an act of the 106th United States Congress known as the Oceans Act of 2000...
, a working group
Working group
A working group is an interdisciplinary collaboration of researchers working on new research activities that would be difficult to develop under traditional funding mechanisms . The lifespan of the WG can last anywhere between a few months and several years...
tasked with the development of what would be known as the National Oceans Report.
The objective of the report is to promote the following:
- Protection of life and property;
- Stewardship of ocean and coastal resources;
- Protection of marine environment and prevention of marine pollution;
- Enhancement of maritime commerce;
- Expansion of human knowledge of the marine environment;
- Investments in technologies to promote energy and food security;
- Close cooperation among government agencies; and
- U.S. leadership in ocean and coastal activities.
Responses from the executive branch to the commission's report are listed in a National Ocean Policy, sent to the legislative branch.
The act was passed by the United States Congress
United States Congress
The United States Congress is the bicameral legislature of the federal government of the United States, consisting of the Senate and the House of Representatives. The Congress meets in the United States Capitol in Washington, D.C....
on July 25, 2000 and signed by the President
President of the United States
The President of the United States of America is the head of state and head of government of the United States. The president leads the executive branch of the federal government and is the commander-in-chief of the United States Armed Forces....
a fortnight later.
The Commission
- Has 16 members
- U.S. HouseUnited States House of RepresentativesThe United States House of Representatives is one of the two Houses of the United States Congress, the bicameral legislature which also includes the Senate.The composition and powers of the House are established in Article One of the Constitution...
and U.S. SenateUnited States SenateThe United States Senate is the upper house of the bicameral legislature of the United States, and together with the United States House of Representatives comprises the United States Congress. The composition and powers of the Senate are established in Article One of the U.S. Constitution. Each...
Majority nominate 8 people each and the U.S. President appoints 4 from each list - U.S. House and U.S. Senate Minority nominates 4 people each and the U.S. President appoints 2 from each
- 4 people self-determined by U.S. President
Chair: supervises commission staff and regulates funding.
Members must be “balanced by area of expertise and balanced geographically”.
To be eligible, members must be “Representatives, knowledgeable in ocean and coastal activities, from state and local governments, ocean-related industries, academic and technical institutions, and public interest organizations involved with scientific, regulatory, economic, and environmental ocean and coastal activities.” (http://www.oceancommission.gov/documents/oceanact.html)
The Commission’s report is required to include the following, as relevant to U.S. ocean and coastal activities:
- an assessment of facilities (people, vessels, computers, satellites)
- a review of federal activities
- a review of the cumulative effect of federal laws
- a review of the supply and demand for ocean and coastal resources
- a review of the relationships between federal, state, and local governments, and the private sector
- a review of the opportunities for the investment in new products and technologies
- recommendations for modifications to federal laws and/or the structure of federal agencies
- a review of the effectiveness of existing federal interagency policy coordination
The Commission is to give equal consideration to environmental, technical feasibility, economic, and scientific factors. In addition, the recommendations may not be specific to the lands or waters within a single state.
Other Roles
- Science Advisory Panel
- The Commission consults the Ocean Studies Board to create a science advisory panel. This panel assists in the Commission’s report by analyzing and guarantees that all scientific information is accurate and based on the best available data.
- Staff
- The Commission is authorized to hire an Executive Director and other staff.
- Role of states
- The U.S. Governor of each costal state will be given a copy of the Commission’s draft report. They will add their own comments to be included the final report. The U.S. President consults the states to formalize his National Ocean Policy.
- Other Resources
- Any U.S. federal agency and other experts are allowed to provide information to the Commission.
Meetings
The Commission is required to hold public meetings. The Commission must hold at least one meeting in each of 6 specified areas around the country. Meetings must be advertised in the U.S. Federal RegisterFederal Register
The Federal Register , abbreviated FR, or sometimes Fed. Reg.) is the official journal of the federal government of the United States that contains most routine publications and public notices of government agencies...
.
Committees
The bill has been referred to the following committees:- U.S. Senate Commerce, Science, and TransportationUnited States Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and TransportationThe United States Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation is a standing committee of the United States Senate in charge of all senate matters related to the following subjects:* Coast Guard* Coastal zone management* Communications...
- U.S. House Resources
Timeline
- 3/29/2000:Sponsor introductory remarks on measure; Read twice and referred to the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation.
- 4/13/2000:Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation. Ordered to be reported without amendment favorably.
- 5/23/2000:Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation; Reported to Senate by Senator McCain without amendment. With written report No. 106-301; Placed on Senate Legislative Calendar under General Orders. Calendar No. 568.
- 6/26/2000:Measure laid before Senate by unanimous consent.
- S.AMDT.3620 Amendment SA 3620 proposed by Senator Thomas for Senator Hollings; To establish a Commission on Ocean Policy, and for other purposes.
- S.AMDT.3620 Amendment SA 3620 agreed to in Senate by Unanimous Consent.
- Passed Senate with an amendment by Unanimous Consent.
- Message on Senate action sent to the House.
- Received in the House.
- Referred to the House Committee on Resources.
- 7/25/2000 Mr. Saxton moved to suspend the rules and pass the bill.
- Considered under suspension of the rules.
- DEBATE - The House proceeded with forty minutes of debate on S. 2327.
- On motion to suspend the rules and pass the bill Agreed to by voice vote.
- Motion to reconsider laid on the table Agreed to without objection.
- Cleared for White House.
- 7/27/2000:Presented to President.
- 8/7/2000:Signed by President.
- Became Public Law No: 106-256.
Ammendments
S.Amdt. 3620 by U.S. Sen. Hollings [D-SCErnest Hollings
Ernest Frederick "Fritz" Hollings served as a Democratic United States Senator from South Carolina from 1966 to 2005, as well as the 106th Governor of South Carolina and Lt. Governor . He served 38 years and 55 days in the Senate, which makes him the 8th-longest-serving Senator in history...
]
- To establish a Commission on Ocean Policy, and for other purposes.
- Proposed: Jun 26, 2000.
- Accepted: Jun 26, 2000.
Funding
The Act provides for $8.5 million for the Commission.In 1999, $3.5 million was appropriated for the same effort, but never used. Therefore, only $2.5 million would need to be accumulated to completely cover the cost of this act.
Representational Members
- Sponsor: U.S. Sen. Ernest Hollings [D-SC]
- U.S. President: William ClintonBill ClintonWilliam Jefferson "Bill" Clinton is an American politician who served as the 42nd President of the United States from 1993 to 2001. Inaugurated at age 46, he was the third-youngest president. He took office at the end of the Cold War, and was the first president of the baby boomer generation...
- Cosponsors:
- Daniel Akaka [D-HIDaniel AkakaDaniel Kahikina Akaka is the junior U.S. Senator from Hawaii and a member of the Democratic Party. He is the first U.S. Senator of Native Hawaiian ancestry and is currently the only member of the Senate who has Chinese ancestry....
] - Barbara Boxer [D-CABarbara BoxerBarbara Levy Boxer is the junior United States Senator from California . A member of the Democratic Party, she previously served in the U.S. House of Representatives ....
] - John Breaux [D-LAJohn BreauxJohn Berlinger Breaux is a former United States senator from Louisiana who served from 1987 until 2005. He was also a member of the United States House of Representatives from 1972 to 1987. He was considered one of the more conservative national legislators from the Democratic Party...
] - Maxwell Cleland [D-GA]
- Dianne Feinstein [D-CADianne FeinsteinDianne Goldman Berman Feinstein is the senior U.S. Senator from California. A member of the Democratic Party, she has served in the Senate since 1992. She also served as 38th Mayor of San Francisco from 1978 to 1988....
] - Daniel Inouye [D-HIDaniel InouyeDaniel Ken "Dan" Inouye is the senior United States Senator from Hawaii, a member of the Democratic Party, and the President pro tempore of the United States Senate making him the highest-ranking Asian American politician in American history. Inouye is the chairman of the United States Senate...
] - John Kerry [D-MAJohn KerryJohn Forbes Kerry is the senior United States Senator from Massachusetts, the 10th most senior U.S. Senator and chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. He was the presidential nominee of the Democratic Party in the 2004 presidential election, but lost to former President George W...
] - Mary Landrieu [D-LAMary LandrieuMary Loretta Landrieu is the senior United States Senator from the State of Louisiana and a member of the Democratic Party.Born in Arlington, Virginia, Landrieu was raised in New Orleans, Louisiana...
] - Frank Lautenberg [D-NJFrank LautenbergFrank Raleigh Lautenberg is the senior United States Senator from New Jersey and a member of the Democratic Party. Previously, he was the Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Automatic Data Processing, Inc.-Early life, career, and family:...
] - Joseph Lieberman [D-CT]
- Daniel Moynihan [D-NY]
- Frank Murkowski [R-AKFrank MurkowskiFrancis Hughes Murkowski is an American politician and a member of the Republican Party. He was a United States Senator from Alaska from 1981 until 2002 and the eighth Governor of Alaska from 2002 until 2006.- Early life and career :...
] - Patty Murray [D-WAPatty MurrayPatricia Lynn "Patty" Murray is the senior United States Senator from Washington and a member of the Democratic Party. Murray was first elected to the Senate in 1992, becoming Washington's first female senator...
] - John Reed [D-RIJohn Reed-Arts, letters, and entertainment:* John Reed , New York novelist and author* John Reed , actor and singer with the D'Oyly Carte Opera Company* John Reed , Australian critic and art patron...
] - William Roth [R-DE]
- Paul Sarbanes [D-MDPaul SarbanesPaul Spyros Sarbanes , a Democrat, is a former United States Senator who represented the state of Maryland. Sarbanes was the longest-serving senator in Maryland history, having served from 1977 until 2007. He did not seek re-election in 2006, when he was succeeded by fellow Democrat Ben Cardin...
] - Charles Schumer [D-NYCharles SchumerCharles Ellis "Chuck" Schumer is the senior United States Senator from New York and a member of the Democratic Party. First elected in 1998, he defeated three-term Republican incumbent Al D'Amato by a margin of 55%–44%. He was easily re-elected in 2004 by a margin of 71%–24% and in 2010 by a...
]
- Daniel Akaka [D-HI
Biennial Report
A biennial report must be submitted by the U.S. President to Congress of all federal programs incorporated with coastal and ocean activities. This was set to begin in September 2001.The report must include:
- a description of each program
- the current level of funding for the program
- linkages to other federal programs
- a projection of the funding level for the program for each of the next 5 fiscal years
External links
- 2006 JOCI Report Card - Where is the U.S. National Ocean Policy? by Don WalshDon WalshDon Walsh is an American oceanographer, explorer and marine policy specialist. He and Jacques Piccard were aboard the bathyscaphe Trieste when it made a record maximum descent into the Mariana Trench on 23 January 1960, the deepest point of the world's ocean...
in Naval Institute ProceedingsProceedings (magazine)Proceedings is a monthly magazine published by the United States Naval Institute since 1874. The 96-page publication features articles about Naval and Military matters written by active and retired military personnel plus renowned authors and scholars of their subject.-External links:* * ** by...
- July 2006 (p. 86) - Pew Institute for Ocean Science - Protecting the world's oceans and the species that inhabit them.
- US Commission on Ocean Policy
- Oceans Act of 2000 Text of Act in PDF format
- Commission's page on the Ocean Act
- Bill Summary and Status
- Bill Overview
- Congressional Budget Office Cost Estimate
- Administrative Action