Wednesday, June 18, 2014

Obama Proposes Creation Of World's Largest Ocean Sanctuary

President Obama unveiled a proposal on Tuesday that would create the world's largest ocean sanctuary south and west of Hawaii, The Washington Post and The Associated Press are reporting. According to the outlets, Obama intends to expand a sanctuary created by George W. Bush. Under the proposal, the Pacific Remote Islands Marine National Monument would go from 87,000 square miles of protected ocean to 782,000 square miles of ocean that surround seven islands and "atolls controlled by the United States," the Post reports.  Obama unveiled his proposal at an oceans conference hosted by Secretary of State John Kerry at the State Department. "Growing up in Hawaii, I learned early to appreciate the beauty and power of the ocean," Obama said, according to The New York Times. "And like Presidents Clinton and Bush before me, I'm going to use my authority as president to protect some of our most precious marine landscapes, just like we do for mountains and rivers and forests."...more

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