Just before the Senate consideration of S. 1213, the Administration indicated its support for Senate passage of S. 1213, as modified by the Manager's Amendment. We will provide detailed Administration comments on the House bills in a views letter in the very near future. The three bills are quite different and the Administration would like to work with you to address the issues that they raise. The guiding principle for the Administration is an Oceans Act that contributes to preservation of the Nation's oceans and coastal areas and does not infringe on the prerogatives of the President and the Executive Branch. Today, half of the U.S. population lives within 50 miles of our shores and more than 30 percent of the Gross Domestic Product is generated in the coastal zone.
Coastal areas are also prime areas for recreation.
But, many of our ocean and coastal resources once considered inexhaustible are severely depleted. Wetlands and other marine habitats are threatened by pollution and other human activities. This year natural forces are again threatening communities and economies along all of our coasts. Even if this were not the International Year of the Ocean, there are ample reasons to focus national attention on the health of our ocean and coastal regions and resources. More than thirty years ago in 1966, legislation was enacted calling for a comprehensive national program to explore the oceans, develop marine and coastal resources, and conserve the sea.