1230 May 26 / Administration of William J. Clinton, 2000

We intend to establish ecological reserves

in the most fragile areas to keep them offlimits to fishing, drilling, and other damaging

uses. I’m also directing the EPA to strengthen water quality standards all along our coasts

and provide stronger protections for the most

vulnerable ocean waters, to reduce pollution

of beaches, coasts, and oceans.

Second, I’m announcing today our commitment to permanently protect coral reefs

of the northwest Hawaiian Islands. If you’ve

ever been there, you know why we should.

These eight islands are not, all of them, so

well-known, but they stretch over 1,200

miles. They shelter more than 60 percent of

America’s coral reefs. They’re home to plants

and animals found nowhere else on Earth

and to highly endangered species, including

leatherback turtles and monk seals.

I’m directing the Departments of Interior

and Commerce to develop in the next 90

days a comprehensive plan to protect the

reefs, working with State and regional authorities and making sure the people of Hawaii also have a voice at the table. It is in

our national interest to do this, and it should

not be a partisan issue. On more than one

occasion, Representative Gilchrest has supported our environmental initiatives, and I

thank you, sir, for that. It should not be a

Republican or a Democratic issue.

I sent a budget this year to the Congress

to provide significant new resources to fight

climate change and air and water pollution.

My lands legacy initiative would provide

record funding to protect our lands and

coasts. I think the leadership in Congress is

swimming against the tide, because they’ve

proposed a budget that would cut funding

for critical environmental priorities. A House

committee has slashed lands legacy by 75

percent. And once again, the majority is loading up the budget bills with anti-environmental riders that would cripple the new national monuments I created earlier this year,

surrender our public lands to private interests, and undermine our efforts to protect

water resources and combat global warming.

Already in this year of rather hot election

rhetoric—you may have noticed there’s an

election this year—[laughter]—there have

been commitments to roll back the efforts

I have taken to create 43 million roadless

acres in our national forests. We need to have

a clear, national, bipartisan consensus at the

grassroots level, that we don’t need these riders, and we do need a national commitment

to the environment.

For thousands of years, oceans and beaches have stirred the human imagination.

Today, ocean depths offer hopes for medicine and science. They still stir the curious

child in all of us. I said in my State of the

Union Address that I thought in the next few

years, we would not only decode the human

genome and find cures for various kinds of

cancer, Parkinson’s, Alzheimer’s, diabetes;

we would also find out what’s in the black

holes in the universe. But we are also going

to find out what’s in the darkest depths of

our oceans, and what we find out may save

hundreds of thousands of people.

Forty-five years ago Rachel Carson wrote

from her Maryland home that the sea ‘‘keeps

alive the sense of continuing creation and of

the relentless drive of life . . . in the sea

nothing lives to itself . . . the present is

linked with past and future, and each living

thing with all that surrounds it.’’ If we could

all think that about each other and our community—that we do not live to ourselves, that

we are linked to the past and the future, and

that everything that happens requires a due

consideration for all that surrounds it—then

America would have its greatest days in the

new millennium.

Thank you very much, and God bless you.

NOTE: The President spoke at 2:07 p.m. on North

Ocean Beach. In his remarks, he referred to

Carolyn Cummins, president, Maryland Coastal

Bays Program, and Marc Koenings, superintendent, Assateague National Island Seashore.

Executive Order 13158—Marine

Protected Areas

May 26, 2000

By the authority vested in me as President

by the Constitution and the laws of the

United States of America and in furtherance

of the purposes of the National Marine Sanctuaries Act (16 U.S.C. 1431 et seq.), National

Wildlife Refuge System Administration Act

of 1966 (16 U.S.C. 668dd–ee), National Park

Service Organic Act (16 U.S.C. 1 et seq.),

Administration of William J. Clinton, 2000 / May 26 1231

National Historic Preservation Act (16

U.S.C. 470 et seq.), Wilderness Act (16

U.S.C. 1131 et seq.), Magnuson-Stevens

Fishery Conservation and Management Act

(16 U.S.C. 1801 et seq.), Coastal Zone Management Act (16 U.S.C. 1451 et seq.), Endangered Species Act of 1973 (16 U.S.C. 1531

et seq.), Marine Mammal Protection Act (16

U.S.C. 1362 et seq.), Clean Water Act of 1977

(33 U.S.C. 1251 et seq.), National Environmental Policy Act, as amended (42 U.S.C.

4321 et seq.), Outer Continental Shelf Lands

Act (42 U.S.C. 1331 et seq.), and other pertinent statutes, it is ordered as follows:

Section 1. Purpose. This Executive Order

will help protect the significant natural and

cultural resources within the marine environment for the benefit of present and future

generations by strengthening and expanding

the Nation’s system of marine protected

areas (MPAs). An expanded and strengthened comprehensive system of marine protected areas throughout the marine environment would enhance the conservation of our

Nation’s natural and cultural marine heritage

and the ecologically and economically sustainable use of the marine environment for

future generations. To this end, the purpose

of this order is to, consistent with domestic

and international law: (a) strengthen the

management, protection, and conservation of

existing marine protected areas and establish

new or expanded MPAs; (b) develop a scientifically based, comprehensive national system of MPAs representing diverse U.S. marine ecosystems, and the Nation’s natural and

cultural resources; and (c) avoid causing

harm to MPAs through federally conducted,

approved, or funded activities.

Sec. 2. Definitions. For the purposes of

this order: (a) ‘‘Marine protected area’’

means any area of the marine environment

that has been reserved by Federal, State, territorial, tribal, or local laws or regulations to

provide lasting protection for part or all of

the natural and cultural resources therein.

(b) ‘‘Marine environment’’ means those

areas of coastal and ocean waters, the Great

Lakes and their connecting waters, and submerged lands thereunder, over which the

United States exercises jurisdiction, consistent with international law.

(c) The term ‘‘United States’’ includes the

several States, the District of Columbia, the

Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, the Virgin

Islands of the United States, American

Samoa, Guam, and the Commonwealth of

the Northern Mariana Islands.

Sec. 3. MPA Establishment, Protection,

and Management. Each Federal agency

whose authorities provide for the establishment or management of MPAs shall take appropriate actions to enhance or expand protection of existing MPAs and establish or recommend, as appropriate, new MPAs. Agencies implementing this section shall consult

with the agencies identified in subsection

4(a) of this order, consistent with existing requirements.

Sec. 4. National System of MPAs. (a) To

the extent permitted by law and subject to

the availability of appropriations, the Department of Commerce and the Department of

the Interior, in consultation with the Department of Defense, the Department of State,

the United States Agency for International

Development, the Department of Transportation, the Environmental Protection Agency, the National Science Foundation, and

other pertinent Federal agencies shall develop a national system of MPAs. They shall

coordinate and share information, tools, and

strategies, and provide guidance to enable

and encourage the use of the following in

the exercise of each agency’s respective authorities to further enhance and expand protection of existing MPAs and to establish or

recommend new MPAs, as appropriate:

(1) science-based identification and

prioritization of natural and cultural

resources for additional protection;

(2) integrated assessments of ecological

linkages among MPAs, including ecological reserves in which consumptive

uses of resources are prohibited, to

provide synergistic benefits;

(3) a biological assessment of the minimum area where consumptive uses

would be prohibited that is necessary

to preserve representative habitats in

different geographic areas of the marine environment;

(4) an assessment of threats and gaps in

levels of protection currently afforded

1232 May 26 / Administration of William J. Clinton, 2000

to natural and cultural resources, as

appropriate;

(5) practical, science-based criteria and

protocols for monitoring and evaluating the effectiveness of MPAs;

(6) identification of emerging threats and

user conflicts affecting MPAs and appropriate, practical, and equitable

management solutions, including effective enforcement strategies, to

eliminate or reduce such threats and

conflicts;

(7) assessment of the economic effects of

the preferred management solutions;

and

(8) identification of opportunities to improve linkages with, and technical assistance to, international marine protected area programs.

(b) In carrying out the requirements of

section 4 of this order, the Department of

Commerce and the Department of the Interior shall consult with those States that contain portions of the marine environment, the

Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, the Virgin

Islands of the United States, American

Samoa, Guam, and the Commonwealth of

the Northern Mariana Islands, tribes, Regional Fishery Management Councils, and

other entities, as appropriate, to promote coordination of Federal, State, territorial, and

tribal actions to establish and manage MPAs.

(c) In carrying out the requirements of this

section, the Department of Commerce and

the Department of the Interior shall seek the

expert advice and recommendations of nonFederal scientists, resource managers, and

other interested persons and organizations

through a Marine Protected Area Federal

Advisory Committee. The Committee shall

be established by the Department of Commerce.

(d) The Secretary of Commerce and the

Secretary of the Interior shall establish and

jointly manage a website for information on

MPAs and Federal agency reports required

by this order. They shall also publish and

maintain a list of MPAs that meet the definition of MPA for the purposes of this order.

(e) The Department of Commerce’s National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration shall establish a Marine Protected Area

Center to carry out, in cooperation with the

Department of the Interior, the requirements of subsection 4(a) of this order, coordinate the website established pursuant to subsection 4(d) of this order, and partner with

governmental and nongovernmental entities

to conduct necessary research, analysis, and

exploration. The goal of the MPA Center

shall be, in cooperation with the Department

of the Interior, to develop a framework for

a national system of MPAs, and to provide

Federal, State, territorial, tribal, and local

governments with the information, technologies, and strategies to support the system. This national system framework and the

work of the MPA Center is intended to support, not interfere with, agencies’ independent exercise of their own existing authorities.

(f) To better protect beaches, coasts, and

the marine environment from pollution, the

Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), relying upon existing Clean Water Act authorities, shall expeditiously propose new sciencebased regulations, as necessary, to ensure appropriate levels of protection for the marine

environment. Such regulations may include

the identification of areas that warrant additional pollution protections and the enhancement of marine water quality standards. The

EPA shall consult with the Federal agencies

identified in subsection 4(a) of this order,

States, territories, tribes, and the public in

the development of such new regulations.

Sec. 5. Agency Responsibilities. Each Federal agency whose actions affect the natural

or cultural resources that are protected by

an MPA shall identify such actions. To the

extent permitted by law and to the maximum

extent practicable, each Federal agency, in

taking such actions, shall avoid harm to the

natural and cultural resources that are protected by an MPA. In implementing this section, each Federal agency shall refer to the

MPAs identified under subsection 4(d) of

this order.

Sec. 6. Accountability. Each Federal

agency that is required to take actions under

this order shall prepare and make public annually a concise description of actions taken

Administration of William J. Clinton, 2000 / May 26 1233

by it in the previous year to implement the

order, including a description of written comments by any person or organization stating

that the agency has not complied with this

order and a response to such comments by

the agency.

Sec. 7. International Law. Federal agencies taking actions pursuant to this Executive

Order must act in accordance with international law and with Presidential Proclamation 5928 of December 27, 1988, on the Territorial Sea of the United States of America,

Presidential Proclamation 5030 of March 10,

1983, on the Exclusive Economic Zone of

the United States of America, and Presidential Proclamation 7219 of September 2,

1999, on the Contiguous Zone of the United

States.

Sec. 8. General. (a) Nothing in this order

shall be construed as altering existing authorities regarding the establishment of Federal MPAs in areas of the marine environment subject to the jurisdiction and control

of States, the District of Columbia, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, the Virgin Islands

of the United States, American Samoa,

Guam, the Commonwealth of the Northern

Mariana Islands, and Indian tribes.

(b) This order does not diminish, affect,

or abrogate Indian treaty rights or United

States trust responsibilities to Indian tribes.

(c) This order does not create any right

or benefit, substantive or procedural, enforceable in law or equity by a party against

the United States, its agencies, its officers,

or any person.

William J. Clinton

The White House,

May 26, 2000.

[Filed with the Office of the Federal Register,

12:14 p.m. May 30, 2000]

NOTE: This Executive order will be published in

the Federal Register on May 31.

Memorandum on Protection of U.S.

Coral Reefs in the Northwest

Hawaiian Islands

May 26, 2000

Memorandum for the Secretary of Interior,

the Secretary of Commerce

Subject: Protection of U.S. Coral Reefs in the

Northwest Hawaiian Islands

The world’s coral reefs—our tropical rain

forests of the water—are in serious decline.

These important and sensitive areas of biodiversity warrant special protection. While

the United States has only 3 percent of the

world’s coral reefs, nearly 70 percent of U.S.

coral reefs are in the Northwest Hawaiian

Islands. Many of the Northwest Hawaiian Island’s coral, fish, and invertebrate species are

unique, and the area is home to endangered

Hawaiian monk seals and threatened turtles.

In 1909, President Theodore Roosevelt set

aside certain islands and reefs in the Northwest Hawaiian Islands for the protection of

sea birds. Today, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife

Service manages this area as the Hawaiian

Islands National Wildlife Refuge.

In June 1998, I signed an Executive Order

for Coral Reef Protection (E.O. 13089),

which established the Coral Reef Task Force

and directed all Federal agencies with coral

reef-related responsibilities to develop a

strategy for coral reef protection. States and

territories with coral reefs were invited to be

full partners with the Federal Government

in preparing an action plan to better protect

and preserve the Nation’s coral reef ecosystems. In March of this year, the Task

Force issued the National Action Plan to

Conserve Coral Reefs. The Plan lays out a

science-based road map to healthy coral reefs

for future generations, based on two fundamental strategies: promoting understanding

of coral reef ecosystems by, for example, conducting comprehensive mapping, assessment, and monitoring of coral reefs; and reducing the adverse impacts of human activities by, for example, creating an expanded

and strengthened network of Federal, State,