Protect America's Oceans and Great Lakes!

President Obama
1600 Pennsylvania Ave NW
Washington, DC 20500


Dear President Obama,


Thank you for calling for a strong national policy that protects our oceans, coasts and Great Lakes, and an implementation strategy to ensure benefits are realized in and on the water. Our oceans and Great Lakes are not just places of wonder and beauty -- they are economic engines that provide valuable jobs, food, energy resources, and recreation and tourism opportunities. The U.S. ocean economy contributes more than $230 billion to the nation's GDP every year. Protecting our oceans means protecting our economy and sustaining jobs nationwide.

However, these essential resources are currently managed by more than 140 different and often conflicting laws, which can lead to poor management and even worse problems. In order to overcome the enormous challenges faced by our oceans and Great Lakes -- including pollution, habitat loss, overfishing and climate change -- we need a unifying national policy that ensures federal agencies are working together, and with the states, to protect these great waters.

For these reasons, I urge you to issue an executive order that embraces the recommendations of your Ocean Policy Task Force and establishes a national policy to protect, maintain and restore the health of these valuable marine and Great Lakes ecosystems.

I also urge your administration to create a comprehensive and ecosystem-based marine spatial planning framework that:

1. Is based on sound science;
2. Protects, maintains and restores marine wildlife, their habitat and healthy ecosystems;
3. Addresses all impacts and uses of our oceans and coasts;
4. Does not let a lack of information delay actions to protect resources; and
5. Empowers government at all levels to do their best to protect our oceans and coasts.

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Thank you for your leadership to ensure a healthy future for our oceans, coasts and Great Lakes and the millions of Americans who depend upon them.