Kerry Kicks Off Earth Day Commemoration by Outlining Plan for Healthy Oceans

4/20/2004

From: Stephanie Cutter of John Kerry for President, 202-712-3000; Web: http://www.johnkerry.com

TAMPA, April 20 -- Following is a copy of John Kerry's Ocean Plan. State-by-state analysis can be viewed at: http://www.johnkerry.com/features/environment/

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OCEANS PLAN:

JOHN KERRY KICKS OFF EARTH DAY COMMEMORATION BY OUTLINING PLAN FOR HEALTHY OCEANS, HEALTHY COMMUNITIES

Part of Comprehensive Plan for Cleaner Water

Today, millions of Americans enjoy our oceans and it is imperative that we protect them for future generations to enjoy. In addition, our oceans are critical to our economy. Residents of Florida well understand that ocean resources are crucial to jobs in the state's fishing industries and provide significant recreational and tourism opportunities.

Unfortunately, our oceans are at risk. George W. Bush has ignored these serious threats, and has demonstrated the same callous disregard for oceans that he has for America's other environmental treasures. John Kerry has a plan to strengthen coastal communities and economies, improve public health, and achieve healthy oceans. Kerry will:

I. Implement Tough New Protections For Our Beaches

II. Aggressively Target Toxics That Are Being Released Into Our Waters, Contaminating Our Fisheries And Endangering Our Health

III. Create Federal-State Partnership To Address Pollution Threats

IV. Provide Communities With The Tools To Protect Important Coastal Ecosystems And Implement Smart Coastal Development

OUR OCEANS ARE IN JEOPARDY:

-- Beach Closings Are at Record Highs. A national study found that more than 12,000 beach advisories against swimming were issued in 2002 due to high pollution levels. (National Resources Defense Council, "Testing the Waters 2003," 8/13/03)

-- Ocean Pollution Can Cause Serious Health Problems. Pathogens in sewage-contaminated waters can cause a wide range of diseases -- including ear, nose, and throat problems, gastroenteritis, hepatitis, and respiratory illness. Swimming- associated illnesses have a more serious impact on children, elderly people, and those with weakened immune systems. (National Resources Defense Council, "Testing the Waters 2003," 8/13/03)

CLEAN OCEANS ARE IMPORTANT TO OUR ECONOMY:

-- Beach Pollution: A Major Economic Risk. About one-third of Americans visit a coastal region annually. The Environmental Protection Agency believes that coastal waters support 28.3 million jobs and generate $54 billion in goods and services. (National Resources Defense Council, "Testing the Waters 2003," 8/13/03; EPA, "Treasured Waters: Protecting Our Coastal and Marine Resources," June, 1996)

-- Florida's Economy: Dependent on Tourism. Approximately 60 million people visited Florida each year and the tourism industry enriches Florida's economy by nearly $50 billion each year and directly employs 900,000 Floridians. (Florida Office of Policy Program Analysis and Government Accountability)

-- Recreational Fishing. Recreational fishing generates approximately $116 billion in annual revenue in the United States -- with much of this economic activity tied to our oceans. (American Sport Fishing Association)

-- Florida Beaches Are Closing, Undermining Economy, and Harming Health. There were 1,745 beach closings in Florida in 2002.

o Vero Beach Experience Closures Because of Red Tide. Vero Beach was forced to close its beach because of red tide. The Vero Beach Press Journal reported, "Red warning flags signaling no swimming were flapping in the wind at some county beaches Wednesday after the county Environmental Health Department found large amounts of bacteria in parts of the ocean...the bacteria could have came from many sources like drifts, tide or winds causing a stir in the ocean. But another reason he said might be from the water drainage pipes that are located on the shore of Humiston Beach Park and Sexton Plaza beaches." (Press Journal, 3/11/04)

o Mysterious Dolphin Die-offs in Florida Panhandle. A die- off that claimed 105 bottlenose dolphins in the Florida Panhandle apparently has ended, but an investigation of the cause will continue. "We still have a lot of unanswered questions," said Blair Mase, Southeast stranding coordinator for the National Marine Fisheries Service. "Even though the event is over, the investigation will go on for several months." Mase agreed that red tide is the chief suspect, but she said scientists also will try to determine if another naturally occurring toxin, domoic acid, common to California waters but rare in the gulf, played any part. (Associated Press, 4/13/04)

GEORGE BUSH - NOT TAKING ACTION TO ADDRESS OCEAN POLLUTION: Instead of trying to address ocean pollution, George Bush has systematically undermined protection of our water resources. The Bush Administration is supporting or has already taken steps to:

-- Weaken Control on Waste. Ninety-two percent of beach closures in 2002 were due to animal or human fecal matter. Contamination from agricultural run-off is a leading source of water pollution in Florida. However, the Bush Administration has chosen to protect the factory farms that are polluting water supplies and harming our beaches, rather than take on this growing threat to our health. Once again the Bush Administration is choosing corporations over public health. (Environment2004, December, 2003)

-- Cut Funding for Sewage Treatment. About 10 percent of beach closings in 2002 were caused by sewage overflows from sanitary and combined sewers and malfunctioning sewage treatment plants. Bush's 2004 budget slashed water quality by $900 million. Florida would have lost $16.4 million. (National Resources Defense Council, "Testing the Waters 2003," 8/13/03; Environment2004, December, 2003)

-- Roll Back Cleanup Requirements for Rivers, Lakes, and Estuaries. The Bush Administration gutted and delayed an EPA rule that would have forced cleanup and restoration of the 21,000 bodies of water that have been designated as "impaired" -- that is, too polluted for fishing and swimming. By ignoring the problem at its source, the Bush Administration is guaranteeing that our oceans will continue to receive polluted waters from inland sources. (The Record (Bergen County, NJ), 7/17/01)

-- Allow Untreated Waste Water Discharge. The Bush Administration proposed weakening rules on overflow wastewater to allow cities to release only partially treated sewage during heavy rains and snowmelts. This decision will boost levels of disease-causing pathogens endangering the quality of drinking water and threatening the health of beachgoers. (Chicago Tribune, 2/15/04)

NEW REPORT BY U.S. OCEANS COMMISSION CONFIRMS WHAT WE ALREADY KNOW - THAT OUR OCEANS AT RISK: The Pew Oceans Commission released a major oceans report in May, 2003 which documented the significant threats faced by our oceans, and issued a number of recommendations for improving oceans management. Many of the findings and recommendations included in the Pew report are echoed in another report being issued today by the U.S. Commission on Ocean Policy. John Kerry was instrumental in passing the legislation in 2000 that created the U.S Commission, he applauds the effort taken by the Commission in completing its Congressionally-mandated tasks, and looks forward to studying its recommendations.

Among other important findings, the U.S. Oceans Commission reconfirmed the seriousness of the threats to our oceans and coastal resources:

-- Coastal Areas, Which Generate Over Half Of The Country's Gross Domestic Product, Are Subject To Increasing Use For Commerce, Recreation, Or Development. By the year 2025, about 75 percent of Americans will live in coastal areas, putting more people at risk from natural hazards, fragment wildlife habitat, and contributing to coastal pollution.

-- Living Ocean And Coastal Resources That Were Once Considered Boundless Are In Jeopardy. Many marine and coastal habitats are threatened by pollution and human activities. California has lost 91 percent of its wetlands since the 1780's; Louisiana, home to 40 percent of all wetlands in the lower 48 states, loses 25-35 square miles of wetlands per year.

-- Environmental Threats To The Oceans Have Grown Increasingly Complex. Problems that scientists know little about continue to emerge. Various marine toxins afflict more than 90,000 people per year and account for 62 percent of all seafood-related illnesses. A 1999 report of the National Research Council warned that environmental threats such as these, as well as physical oceanographic processes that result in phenomena like El Nino and tsunamis, may have significant implications for the health of human populations.

JOHN KERRY'S PLAN FOR CLEANER OCEANS: Throughout his career, John Kerry has worked tirelessly to protect our oceans. As the Senator from a state that relies heavily on its ocean resources for both commerce and recreation, John Kerry has stood up to protect depleted fish stocks, reduce pollution in our oceans, and create sustainable commercial and sport fisheries. As a member of the Senate's Oceans and Fisheries Committee, he authored important new laws to protect our oceans and he has worked tirelessly to oversee the many agencies that impact our ocean resources, including the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and the Environmental Protection Agency. He also has led the fight against George Bush's continuing attempts to weaken the Clean Water Act and clean water regulations.

As President, John Kerry would make the health of our oceans a top priority, integrating his commitment to protect our oceans and beaches into his Clean Water Agenda.

I. IMPLEMENT TOUGH NEW PROTECTIONS FOR OUR BEACHES.

Today, despite federal requirements that establish uniform standards for monitoring beachwater quality (as required in the Beaches Environmental Assessment and Coastal Health Act of 1990, the so-called "BEACHES Act"), most beaches are not using up-to-date health standards to determine whether it is safe to swim. In other areas, beaches are not monitored or are not closed when pollution exceeds recommended health standards. Despite an April 10, 2004 federal deadline for states to use uniform health standards to monitor beach-water quality and to issue warnings or close beaches when the water exceeded criteria for unsafe levels of contamination, many states have failed to do so. (Oceana Press Release, "Safe Swimming Standards Behind Schedule," 4/8/04)

-- John Kerry will immediately enforce the BEACHES Act, the Federal law guaranteeing that states set uniform standards for monitoring beachwater quality.

-- John Kerry will ensure that there is timely, comprehensive public notification of beach closures.

-- Unlike George Bush, Kerry will provide the necessary funding for the law so that states are able to establish standards and implement monitoring programs.

II. AGGRESSIVELY TARGET TOXICS THAT ARE BEING RELEASED INTO OUR WATERS, CONTAMINATING OUR FISHERIES AND ENDANGERING OUR HEALTH.

Virtually every day, we are learning more disturbing information about toxics that are entering our waters and oceans, contaminating our fisheries, and endangering our health. For example, there are health advisories against eating certain varieties of fish from almost all of Florida's freshwater bodies, including the Everglades and Lake Okeechobee, and for many coastal species as well. (Miami Herald, 3/17/04)

Mercury is the latest -- but far from the only -- toxin that is entering the food chain, typically through the atmosphere, and then into our waters. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimate that 4.9 million women of childbearing age in the U.S. have unsafe levels of mercury in their blood. The people hit hardest are newborn infants -- every year one in six infants is born with levels of mercury in their blood so high they can cause brain damage. (Palm Beach Post, 4/16/04) George Bush has bowed to energy industry pressure and is attempting to reduce the controls that would be placed on the largest source of mercury contamination in the United States -- power plant emissions -- and to delay those reduced controls for at least a decade.

John Kerry will create a new Toxics Task Force at EPA that will be charged with identifying the sources for toxics that are entering our food chain and endangering our health, and taking action to stop the flow of toxics into the environment. When it comes to mercury, John Kerry will not let the utilities off the hook. Rather than defer to their desire to reduce the costs of controlling toxics from their smokestacks and into our waters, he will crack down and not put off until tomorrow what should be done today.

III. FEDERAL-STATE PARTNERSHIP TO ADDRESS POLLUTION THREATS.

Eighty percent of pollution to the marine environment comes from land-based sources, such as runoff pollution. Urban and rural polluted runoff, sewage treatment plant malfunction, and marine debris all take their toll on the health of our marine ecosystems. Recent government reports on our coastal health have shown that most of our coastal water quality is only "fair" to "poor." Wastewater from factory farms contributed to 1,745 beach closings in Florida in 2002 and 92 percent of those closings were due to elevated bacteria levels from animal or human fecal matter. (National Resources Defense Council, "Testing the Waters 2003," 8/13/03; Environment2004, 12/2003)

John Kerry will work hand-in-hand with cities to reduce stormwater run-off from our streets and developments. He will embrace the pioneering efforts of some cities to address this serious problem, and will lead a national effort to: (1) define the scope of water quality problems caused by runoff and sewer overflow and establish reporting obligations that will provide broader disclosure of impacted water bodies; and (2) put federal incentives in place so that new developments and infrastructure retrofits lead to reduced polluted runoff.

John Kerry also will work with farmers to help them reduce the runoff of excess pesticides and fertilizers into our waterways. Through a collaborative effort with the farming community, best management practices to reduce runoff will be identified, and the Kerry Administration and farmers will develop an incentive system that encourages and enables farmers to put such practices in place. At the same time that the Kerry Administration proceeds with a cooperative, incentive-based approach to help family farmers protect water supplies, John Kerry's EPA will not hesitate to crack down on those factory farms whose irresponsible waste disposal practices are threatening water supplies.

IV. PROVIDE COMMUNITIES WITH THE TOOLS TO PROTECT IMPORTANT COASTAL ECOSYSTEMS AND IMPLEMENT SMART COASTAL DEVELOPMENT.

America's coastlines are under increasing pressure as some poorly-planned development activities threaten to further degrade water quality and destroy wildlife habitat. John Kerry believes that states and communities should have more tools available to them to protect our coasts, empowering them to shape development in a way that will not injure the very resources that make coastal areas so attractive in the first place.

Toward that end, John Kerry will work with states and communities to define and protect marine sanctuaries, and to ensure that development does not impinge on sensitive resources. Unlike President Bush, who broke his promise to fully fund the Land and Water Conservation Fund (LWCF), John Kerry will make federal LWCF funds available for the acquisition of fragile coastal lands, and he will work with the Congress to direct additional funds to those communities and states that are implementing carefully thought-out plans to protect their coastal resources.

John Kerry also will fully support ecosystem-wide management efforts to protect some of our major coastal resources that are under assault from a number of sides -- and that includes the Everglades, the Chesapeake Bay, California's Bay Delta, the Columbia River estuary, the lower Mississippi, Puget Sound, and our magnificent Great Lakes -- to name only a few. John Kerry pledges to bring together federal, state and local resources to attack these difficult ecosystem-wide challenges with good science, and vigorous leadership.

Paid for by John Kerry for President Inc.