I
103D CONGRESS
1ST SESSION
H. R. 293
To designate the waters of the California Central Coast as a national marine
sanctuary.
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
JANUARY 5, 1993
Mr. PANETTA introduced the following bill; which was referred to the
Committee on Merchant Marine and Fisheries
A BILL
To designate the waters of the California Central Coast
as a national marine sanctuary.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
This Act may be cited as the ‘‘California Central
Coast National Marine Sanctuary Act’’.
SEC. 2. FINDINGS.
The Congress finds that—
(1) the marine environment of the waters of the
California Central Coast has special national cul-
tural, educational, research, and economic signifi-
cance, because of its—
(A) significant oceanographic characteris-
tics, including a major permanent upwelling,
several transitional upwellings, and current
interaction located in the Californian transition
zone between the Oregonian and Californian cli-
matic provinces and its interrelationship with
the Nipomo Dune-Point Sal National Natural
Landmark,
(B) sensitive ecological and biological char-
acteristics, including the presence of more than
27 endangered or threatened species of marine
mammals, birds, and reptiles and a mixture of
fish, mammal, shellfish, bird, and plant species
not found elsewhere in the Pacific Basin,
(C) significant archeological values, includ-
ing hundreds of Chumash Indian sites, many
dating back 9,500 years; and
(D) significant estuarine and wetland
ecosystems, including Morro Bay;
(2) the health and productivity of the waters of
the California Central Coast are threatened by a va-
riety of pollutants and expanding industrial uses of
the waters;
(3) the existing State and Federal regulatory
and management authorities applicable to the waters
of the California Central Coast are inadequate to
provide the kind of comprehensive and coordinated
conservation and management of the sensitive ma-
rine environment of those waters that is available
under the Marine Protection, Research, and Sanc-
tuaries Act of 1972 (16 U.S.C. 1431 et seq.); and
(4) the designation and treatment of the waters
of the California Central Coast as a national marine
sanctuary is necessary for the preservation and pro-
tection of this important area of our Nation’s ma-
rine environment.
SEC. 3. POLICY AND PURPOSE.
(a) POLICY.—It is the policy of the United States to
protect and preserve living and other resources of the Cali-
fornia Central Coast marine environment.
(b) PURPOSE.—The purpose of this Act is to protect
the resources of the area described in section 4(b), to edu-
cate and interpret for the public regarding the California
Central Coast marine environment, and to manage such
human uses of the Sanctuary consistent with this Act.
Nothing in this Act is intended to restrict activities that
do not cause an adverse effect to the resources or property
as such waters may be described more particularly by the
Secretary pursuant to subsection (d).
(c) AREAS WITHIN STATE
OF CALIFORNIA.—The
designation under subsection (a) shall not take effect for
any area located within the waters of the State of Califor-
nia if, not later than 45 days after the date of the enact-
ment of this Act, the Governor of the State of California
objects in writing to the Secretary of Commerce.
(d) BOUNDARY MODIFICATIONS.—No later than the
issuance of the draft environmental impact statement for
the Sanctuary under section 304(a)(1)(C)(vii) of the Ma-
rine Protection, Research, and Sanctuaries Act of 1972
(16 U.S.C. 1434(a)(1)(C)(vii)), in consultation with the
Governor of the State of California, if appropriate, the
Secretary of Commerce may make minor modifications to
the boundaries of the Sanctuary as necessary to fulfill the
purpose of this Act. The Secretary of Commerce shall sub-
mit to the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Trans-
portation of the Senate and the Committee on Merchant
Marine and Fisheries of the House of Representatives a
written notification of such modifications.
SEC. 5. COMPREHENSIVE MANAGEMENT PLAN.
(a) PREPARATION OF PLAN.—The Secretary of Com-
merce, in consultation with appropriate Federal, State,
and local government authorities, shall develop a com-
prehensive management plan and implementing regula-
tions to achieve the policy and purpose of this Act by not
later than 24 months after the date of the enactment of
this Act. In developing the plan and regulations, the Sec-
retary of Commerce shall follow the procedures specified
in sections 303 and 304 of the Marine Protection, Re-
search, and Sanctuaries Act of 1972 (16 U.S.C. 1433 and
1434). Such comprehensive management plan shall—
(1) facilitate all public and private uses of the
Sanctuary consistent with the primary objective of
Sanctuary resource protection;
(2) consider temporal and geographical zoning,
to ensure protection of Sanctuary resources;
(3) identify needs for research and establish a
long-term ecological monitoring program;
(4) identify alternative sources of funding need-
ed to fully implement the plan’s provisions and sup-
plement appropriations under section 6 of this Act
and section 313 of the Marine Protection, Research,
and Sanctuaries Act of 1972 (16 U.S.C. 1444);
(5) ensure coordination and cooperation be-
tween Sanctuary managers and other Federal, State,
and local authorities with jurisdiction within or adja-
cent to the Sanctuary; and
(6) promote education, among users of the
Sanctuary and the general public, about conserva-
tion of the California Central Coast marine environ-
ment.
(b) PUBLIC PARTICIPATION.—The Secretary of Com-
merce shall provide for participation by the general public
in development of the comprehensive management plan.
SEC. 6. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.
For carrying out this Act there are authorized to be
appropriated to the Secretary $250,000 for each of the
fiscal years 1993 and 1994.
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