California Ocean Protection Act
== The California Ocean Protection Act (COPA) 2004
Senate Bills 1318 and 1319 (Burton) ==
California has some of the most productive, diverse, and unique ocean life in the world. Yet the health of ocean life and marine systems along our coast - so vital to the state's economy and lifestyle - is being pushed to the brink of collapse by wasteful fishing practices, harmful pollutants, and the destruction of marine habitats, including reefs, estuaries, and bays.
The California Ocean Protection Act (COPA) can help stop and, in many cases, reverse this deterioration by building on recommendations contained in a report by the bipartisan Pew Oceans Commission - the first major study of U.S. ocean resources in 35 years. The U.S. Commission on Ocean Policy will soon release its study results, which are expected to echo the basic findings of the Pew report. The state has taken important steps toward sound ocean management through laws like the Marine Life Management Act and the Marine Life Protection Act. Now, we need to take the next big step forward and ensure those laws work effectively.
COPA allows California to lead the nation's marine protection efforts. COPA will:
- Streamline and consolidate oversight of California's ocean resources under one coordinating body - the Ocean Protection Council. This would put an end to the fragmented management structures that allow the protection of marine life to fall through cracks in the system. - Ensure that our oceans are managed as a public trust. The state's ocean resources belong to all of us, and Californians are willing to share the responsibility of protecting them. - Shift the focus from individual species to the protection of marine ecosystems, recognizing that the web of life is an intricate one. - Promote the use of sound science and sound ocean protection policies. - Facilitate the designation of marine reserves, conservation areas, and parks. - Authorize the use of existing funds for these purposes.
Momentum is building for ocean protection.
- Key provisions in COPA directly mirror the principles outlined in the bipartisan Pew Ocean Commission's widely heralded report, America's Living Oceans. Released in 2003, this report is based on a thorough policy review, extensive public input, and seven carefully researched scientific papers. - The U.S. Commission on Ocean Policy, appointed by President Bush, is expected to announce a similar set of recommendations later this spring. This study will again place a public spotlight on ocean conservation.
Californians overwhelmingly support marine conservation.
- 88% of Californians say the condition of the oceans and beaches is personally important to them, with 60 percent saying it is very important. - Strong majorities of Californians believe the coastline's condition is very important to the state's quality of life (69%) and economy (61%). - 77% support protecting wetlands and beach and bay habitats even if it means less commercial activity near the coast. - 75% support creating more marine reserves, even if it limits commercial and recreational fishing. - Latinos voice stronger support than other respondents.
Protecting California's marine environment is vital to the state's economy.
- Ocean resources contribute more than $17 billion to California's economy, with $9.9 billion coming from coastal tourism. - California's ocean resources generate more than 370,000 jobs in the state. - Approximately 80% of California's 33 million residents live within a 30-mile drive of the coastline.
The need for COPA is urgent.
Without changes, pollution will continue to take its toll on marine systems. - Beach closures in Southern California cost hundreds of millions of dollars in lost tourist revenue each year. In Los Angeles County alone, polluted runoff was responsible for 93% of more than 1,000 beach closures in 2001. - U.S. EPA data show that pollution along California's coast is rampant, with 98% of the state's monitored bays and estuaries unfit for aquatic life, 96% unfit for fish consumption, and 86% unfit for recreational use.
Without changes, overfishing and inadequate management will continue to put California's ocean environment at risk. - Congress recently declared a major West Coast fishery a "federal disaster." Overfishing of some of these species continues to occur in state waters. - California has fisheries for over 150 species, but has completed fishery management plans for only a fraction of them. - Many of our fisheries are overcapitalized, making life a struggle for fishermen and women and putting too much pressure on ocean resources. - Few places in our oceans are fully protected.
COPA would bring attention and coordination to ocean issues, spurring the changes needed to solve these problems. It would require no additional spending and no new government.
- SB 1319 would establish the Ocean Protection Council to make the state's programs more effective and more efficient; Council members would include the Secretary of Resources, Secretary of CalEPA, and Chair of the State Lands Commission. The bill would establish coherent ocean protection policies and establish the Ocean Protection Trust Fund. - SB 1318 allows voters to authorize use of a portion of Proposition 50's coastal protection funds to implement priority ocean protection programs. (Proposition 50 was approved by voters in November 2002.) This measure would not commit these funds to this purpose, but would make such use possible. http://www.e2.org/ext/document.jsp?docId=4641
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