Presidential Documents

Federal Register / Vol. 86, No. 107 / Monday, June 7, 2021 / Presidential Documents 30143 

Proclamation 10226 of June 1, 2021 

National Ocean Month, 2021 

By the President of the United States of America 

A Proclamation 

The world’s ocean basins are critical to the success of our Nation and, 

indeed, to life on Earth. The ocean powers our economy, provides food 

for billions of people, supplies 50 percent of the world’s oxygen, offers 

recreational opportunities for us to enjoy, and regulates weather patterns 

and our global climate system. During National Ocean Month, we celebrate 

our stewardship of the ocean and coasts, and reaffirm our commitment 

to protecting and sustaining them for current and future generations. 

My Administration is dedicated to improving our Nation’s public health 

by supporting resilient ocean habitats, wildlife, and resources in which 

all Americans rely on. Through our ‘‘America the Beautiful’’ initiative, we 

are working with State, Tribal, and local partners to conserve at least 30 

percent of United States lands and waters by 2030—so that our natural 

world can continue to supply the food, clean air, and clean water that 

every one of us depends on to survive. We are also committed to supporting 

safe, plentiful, and sustainable seafood harvesting for domestic consumption 

and export, and reducing public health risks such as harmful algal blooms 

that have proliferated as a result of climate change and the acidification 

of our waters. 

The ocean has always been essential to our economy, and that will remain 

true as we build back better and develop the clean industries and good 

jobs of the future. My plan to dramatically expand offshore wind energy 

over the next 10 years will provide good-paying union jobs and a sustainable 

source of clean energy. Investing in resilient, reliable coastal infrastructure— 

including modern ports and waterways—that can withstand the impacts 

of rising seas and powerful storms will keep our economy competitive 

in the global marketplace while making our families safer. Conserving and 

restoring coastal wetlands and habitats will also strengthen our efforts to 

tackle climate change, improve the resilience of coastal communities, and 

help restore nursery areas that are important to our fisheries. Investing 

in our fishing communities and supporting local seafood supply options 

will also be critical to helping us build a climate-resilient, sustainable ocean 

economy. 

Climate change is a global challenge that is integrally linked to the ocean. 

By protecting our ocean and coastal ecosystems and resources, we are also 

protecting the worldwide economies and people that depend on them. To 

address these challenges, we are building on our Nation’s long legacy of 

ocean exploration and research to gain new insights into ocean ecosystems 

and biodiversity and ways the ocean can sequester and store carbon. Marine 

life, changing ocean conditions, and plastic and other pollution pay no 

attention to national boundaries. That is why we must focus on a worldwide 

approach to conservation and sustainability. In collaboration with our international partners, my Administration will continue America’s global leadership in ocean science, stewardship, and conservation. Our engagement in 

international efforts, such as the United Nations Decade of Ocean Science 


khammond on DSKJM1Z7X2PROD with PRESDOC7
30144 Federal Register / Vol. 86, No. 107 / Monday, June 7, 2021 / Presidential Documents 

for Sustainable Development, reflects the priorities and values of my Administration to ensure that ocean science delivers greater benefits for the American people, the people of the world, and international ocean ecosystems. 

My Administration is also committed to delivering climate justice, including 

ensuring equitable access to our ocean and coasts for all Americans—and 

working to ensure that Indigenous Americans, Black Americans, and other 

people of color are no longer forced to shoulder disproportionate climate 

and environmental burdens, as they historically have. My Administration 

will work hard to further break down the barriers many communities of 

color face by creating new opportunities to diversify ocean-related access 

and workforces. We will also equip educators with tools to teach our Nation’s 

youth how to become a powerful generation of ocean stewards. 

It is imperative that we take proper action now to ensure that the ocean 

continues to thrive. During National Ocean Month, we recognize the central 

role of a healthy ocean in sustaining all of our lives, and pledge to find 

innovative ways to conserve, protect, and restore our ocean. 

NOW, THEREFORE, I, JOSEPH R. BIDEN JR., President of the United States 

of America, by virtue of the authority vested in me by the Constitution 

and the laws of the United States, do hereby proclaim June 2021 as National 

Ocean Month. I call upon Americans to take action to protect, conserve, 

and restore our ocean and coasts. 

IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this first day of 

June, in the year of our Lord two thousand twenty-one, and of the Independence of the United States of America the two hundred and forty-fifth. 

[FR Doc. 2021–11979 

Filed 6–4–21; 8:45 am] 

Billing code 3295–F1–P 


khammond on DSKJM1Z7X2PROD with PRESDOC7BIDEN.EPS</GPH>