Title: A resolution recognizing the 50th anniversary of the enactment of the Marine Protection, Research, and Sanctuaries Act of 1972, which provided for the establishment of national marine sanctuaries.
Policy area: Public Lands and Natural Resources

Summary:
This resolution (1) recognizes and celebrates the 50th anniversary of the enactment of the Marine Protection, Research, and Sanctuaries Act of 1972; and (2) acknowledges the importance of national marine sanctuaries to supporting community resilience, protecting biodiversity, and increasing access to nature.

[Congressional Bills 117th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. Res. 852 Introduced in Senate (IS)]

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117th CONGRESS
  2d Session
S. RES. 852

    Recognizing the 50th anniversary of the enactment of the Marine 
 Protection, Research, and Sanctuaries Act of 1972, which provided for 
           the establishment of national marine sanctuaries.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

            November 30 (legislative day, November 29), 2022

 Ms. Baldwin submitted the following resolution; which was referred to 
         the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation

_______________________________________________________________________

                               RESOLUTION


 
    Recognizing the 50th anniversary of the enactment of the Marine 
 Protection, Research, and Sanctuaries Act of 1972, which provided for 
           the establishment of national marine sanctuaries.

Whereas, on October 23, 1972, the Marine Protection, Research, and Sanctuaries 
        Act of 1972 (33 U.S.C. 1401 et seq.) became law and ushered in a new era 
        of ocean conservation;
Whereas, as of October 2022, the National Marine Sanctuary System is a 
        nationwide network that conserves spectacular oceans, coasts, and Great 
        Lakes waters;
Whereas communities across the United States can nominate their most treasured 
        places in marine and Great Lakes waters for consideration as national 
        marine sanctuaries;
Whereas national marine sanctuaries protect biodiversity, safeguard 
        extraordinary seascapes, historic shipwrecks, and sacred cultural 
        places, and provide abundant recreational opportunities;
Whereas national marine sanctuaries provide opportunities for community-Tribal 
        partnerships to preserve the traditional ecological resources and 
        cultural sites of local Indigenous peoples;
Whereas the conservation of marine ecosystems is vital for healthy oceans, 
        coasts, and Great Lakes, addressing climate change, and sustaining 
        productive coastal economies;
Whereas national marine sanctuaries support coastal communities and generate 
        billions of dollars annually in local economies by providing jobs in the 
        United States, supporting commercial, Tribal, and recreational 
        fisheries, bolstering tourism and recreation, engaging businesses in 
        stewardship, and driving the growth of the blue economy;
Whereas national marine sanctuaries connect people and communities through 
        science, education, recreation, and stewardship, inspiring community-
        based solutions that help individuals understand and protect the most 
        spectacular underwater habitats, wildlife, archaeological resources, and 
        cultural seascapes of the United States;
Whereas national marine sanctuaries are living laboratories to conduct 
        cooperative science and research to improve resource management and 
        advance innovative public-private partnerships;
Whereas national marine sanctuaries can help make the oceans, coasts, and Great 
        Lakes more resilient by protecting ecosystems that sequester carbon, 
        safeguarding coastal communities from flooding and storms, and 
        protecting biodiversity;
Whereas the United States is a maritime nation, and the oceans, coasts, and 
        Great Lakes are central to the way of life of the people of the United 
        States; and
Whereas engaging communities as stewards of the waters protected as natural 
        marine sanctuaries makes natural marine sanctuaries unique and provides 
        a comprehensive, highly participatory approach to conserving marine 
        ecosystems and the Great Lakes for current and future generations: Now, 
        therefore, be it
    Resolved, That the Senate--
            (1) recognizes and celebrates the 50th anniversary of the 
        enactment of the Marine Protection, Research, and Sanctuaries 
        Act of 1972;
            (2) acknowledges the importance of national marine 
        sanctuaries to supporting community resilience, protecting 
        biodiversity, and increasing access to nature;
            (3) celebrates the ability of the National Marine Sanctuary 
        System to protect nationally significant places in the oceans, 
        coasts, and Great Lakes;
            (4) calls on the National Oceanic and Atmospheric 
        Administration to partner with communities and find consensus 
        on designations of new national marine sanctuaries; and
            (5) encourages Federal agencies to balance priorities and 
        work together to support the priorities of the Marine 
        Protection, Research, and Sanctuaries Act of 1972.
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