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Skriven 2006-06-15 23:34:06 av Whitehouse Press (1:3634/12.0)
Ärende: Press Release (0606156) for Thu, 2006 Jun 15
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President Bush Establishes Northwestern Hawaiian Islands National Monument
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For Immediate Release
Office of the Press Secretary
June 15, 2006

President Bush Establishes Northwestern Hawaiian Islands National Monument
The East Room

President's Remarks view

˙˙˙˙˙ Proclamation: Establishment of the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands
Marine National Monument ˙˙˙˙˙ Fact Sheet: The Northwestern Hawaiian
Islands Marine National Monument: A Commitment to Good Stewardship of Our
Natural Resources ˙˙˙˙˙ In Focus: Environment

2:34 P.M. EDT

THE PRESIDENT: Thank you all. Please be seated. Pretty good deal when you
get introduced by your wife. (Laughter.) I really am glad Laura is here,
because she is a champion of our nation's cultural and natural resources.
It's an honor to share this important day with her at the podium. And I
want to thank you all for coming.

As I was walking in here, I actually saw Theodore Roosevelt's portrait over
there. What's interesting is that we are here to fulfill a legacy of
conservation that was first begun by Theodore Roosevelt. In 1909, President
Roosevelt established the Hawaiian Island Reservation, and he did so to
protect native seabirds from being hunted. His executive order was the
first of many presidential efforts to protect the life and waters of
Northwestern Hawaiian Islands.

In a few moments, I will sign a proclamation to designate the waters in
this region a national monument. This action will create the Northwestern
Haw aiian Islands Marine National Monument, the largest single conservation
area in the history of our country, and the largest protected marine area
in the world. (Applause.)

As a marine national monument, the waters of the Northwestern Hawaiian
Islands will receive our nation's highest form of marine environmental
protection. We will protect a precious natural resource. We will show our
respect for the cultural and historical importance of this area. And we
will create an important place for research and learning about how we can
be good stewards of our oceans and our environment.

I can't thank the Governor for being here enough, Governor Linda Lingle.
She's -- as I'll mention a little later on, we've been in close
consultation with the Governor. And when did you leave yesterday?
(Laughter.) We're sure honored you're here representing your great state.

I want to thank Senator Daniel Akaka for joining us, as well. I want to
thank Congressman Ed Case, and I know that Congressman Neil Abercrombie
will be here shortly for the signing of this important proclamation. Sherry
Boehlert is here from the great state of New York. A strong
conservationist. Welcome, Congressman. I'm glad you're here. I appreciate
Senator Fred Hemmings from -- he's a Minority Leader, by the way, of the
Hawaiian State Senate. Thanks for coming. I'm glad you're here.

I appreciate Secretary Dirk Kempthorne, Secretary Carlos Gutierrez. I want
to thank Vice Admiral Conrad Lautenbacher of NOAA. Thanks for coming.
Appreciate your hard work on this issue. As you will hear a little later
on, NOAA will be playing an important part of this national monument.

I want to thank Jean-Michel Cousteau for joining us. He just showed me a
picture of another President -- well, two fathers kind of gathered
together. And it's proud for two sons to be carrying on the legacy of
conservation. He's made a really important movie that I hope people will
watch about the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands. I think the American people
will understand better about why I made the decision I made when they see
the movie that Jean-Michel has produced.

I want to thank Silvia Earle. She's a marine biologist. She's Explorer in
Residence of the National Geographic Society. It was during the showing of
the movie that she sat me down and gave me a pretty good lecture about
life. (Laughter.) She actually invited me to spend a week with her under
the seas. (Laughter.) There's some in Congress who would like me to spend
my lifetime under -- (laughter.)

I want to thank Mike Nussman. He's the President and CEO of American
Sportfishing Association. Thanks for coming, Mike. I want to thank the
guests from the environmental community who are here today. Thanks for your
hard work on this vital issue.

The vibrant beauty of the oceans is a blessing to our country. And it's a
blessing to the world. The oceans contain countless natural treasures. They
carry much of our trade; they provide food and recreation for billions of
people. We have a responsibility, a solemn responsibility, to be good
stewards of the oceans and the creatures who inhabit them.

In 2004, my administration released an ocean action plan to promote an
ethic of responsible use and stewardship for our oceans and coastal
resources. By establishing this new National Monument, we implement an
important part of our plan, and we accomplish three goals for the nation:
First, this new national monument will honor our commitment to be good
stewards of America's natural resources.

Our duty is to use the land and seas wisely, or sometimes not use them at
all. Good stewardship of the environment is not just a personal
responsibility, it is a public value. Americans are united in the belief
that we must preserve our natural heritage and safeguard the environment.
(Applause.) This belief has affirmed our laws, and today we reaffirm that
commitment once again.

The Northwestern Hawaiian Islands are a beautiful and special place. The 10
islands and atolls stretch over 1,400 miles. That's the distance from
Chicago to Miami. In the tropical waters surrounding the archipelago, there
are more than 4,500 square miles of coral reef habitat thriving under the
surface. Think about that -- 4,500 square miles of coral reef. These
undersea forests and mountain ranges comprise the largest remote reef
system in the world. And this region holds the largest and healthiest
untouched coral reef system in the United States. And we're going to
preserve it.

These reefs burst with life: Great predators, like the white tip reef shark
and the spinner dolphins and the Trevally jacks. The archipelago is home to
more than 7,000 marine species. That's a quarter of which are found nowhere
else on the world. The Northwestern Hawaiian Islands are also the primary
home for nearly 1,400 surviving Hawaiian Monk Seals. That's virtually the
entire population of this critically endangered species. They are the
breeding grounds for approximately 90 percent of the threatened Hawaiian
Island Green Sea Turtle population.

I think you're beginning to get a feel for why I made the decision I made.
The national monument we're establishing today covers nearly 140,000 square
miles. To put this area in context, this national monument is more than 100
times larger than Yosemite National Park, larger than 46 of our 50 states,
and more than seven times larger than all our national marine sanctuaries
combined. This is a big deal. (Applause.)

We will preserve access for native Hawaiian cultural activities. As part of
the proclamation, the Department of the Interior and the Department of
Commerce will work with the state of Hawaii and the public to develop a
plan to manage the monument. This proclamation will also charge NOAA to use
its expertise to oversee the new marine areas and the Fish and Wildlife
Service to apply their skills to the wildlife refuge areas.

Within the boundaries of the monument, we will prohibit unauthorized
passage of ships; we will prohibit unauthorized recreational or commercial
activity; we will prohibit any resource extraction or dumping of waste, and
over a five-year period, we will phase out commercial fishing, as well. For
seabirds and sea life, this unique region will be a sanctuary for them to
grow and to thrive. And for the American people, it will be a place that
honors our responsibility to protect our natural resources.

This new monument shows what cooperative conservation can accomplish. My
administration is committed to working in a spirit of respect and
cooperation with those seeking to protect our land, and sea, and sky. We
believe cooperative conservation is the best way to protect the
environment. This means we must focus on the needs of states, and respect
the unique knowledge of local authorities, and welcome the help of private
groups and volunteers.

Through cooperative conservation, we're moving away from the old
environmental debates that pit one group against another, and towards a
system that brings citizens of every level of government together to get
results. In the northwest Hawaiian Islands, we have worked with Governor
Lingle and state officials, and native Hawaiian leaders to ensure, first
and foremost, that they wanted the monument, and, secondly, to make sure
that we protect the cultural and historical heritage of these islands.

For more than a thousand years, native Hawaiians sailed these waters and
visited these islands as part of sacred journeys. The islands are dotted
with archeological treasures and traditional sites of worship. This
monument will protect the cultural ties that native Hawaiians have to these
lands and waters. We respect these natives' beliefs, and this monument will
safeguard both the natural and spiritual treasures of the region.
(Applause.) And for this reason, we will consult with native Hawaiian
leaders to give this monument a native Hawaiian name.

Protecting the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands, volunteers play an important
part. Jean-Michel taught us that in his movie. Through a major
federal-state partnership, volunteer divers work together to remove nets
and gear that have been abandoned by fishermen. In one year alone, divers
removed more than 120 tons of this derelict fishing gear. To fight the
destructive effects of abandoned nets and other debris, the Ocean Action
Plan directed the Coast Guard and EPA and NOAA and the State Department and
the Interior Department to coordinate efforts to improve how the federal
government tracks, prevents, and cleans up maritime waste. And we've got
more work to do. And I expect these agencies to be robust in our efforts to
prevent this kind of debris from polluting our -- polluting this sanctuary,
this monument.

We're going to work together with volunteers to make our oceans safer for
marine life. And to give this remote and special place our nation's highest
level of protection -- as we give it this kind of protection, we're also
reminded of our responsibility to be wise managers of marine resources
living off every coast. And that's why we're working to end over-fishing.
Over-fishing is harmful. It's harmful to our country, and it's harmful to
the world.

To protect our marine ecosystem and the future fishing of all kinds, the
Ocean Action Plan calls for Congress to reauthorize the Magnuson-Stevens
Fishery Conservation and Management Act. They need to get that done. This
act would provide enhanced authority to work with regional fish councils to
build an improved market-based system to restore our fisheries. I like to
fish, and I expect this government of ours to protect the fisheries so
sports people can fish and get a good catch. That's why I'm glad the
sportsmen are here -- Sportfishing people are here. You know, you just got
to understand, we're going to listen to you. It's in the nation's interest
that we have a robust recreational fishing industry.

Congress needs to move forward with my administration's plan to build a
well-managed system of offshore aquaculture. Aquaculture, or "fish
farming," uses pens in the ocean -- open ocean to feed and grow shrimp,
shellfish, and many other types of fish. And when we get this right, these
farmed fish can provide a healthy source of food and reduce pressure on the
ocean ecosystems.

In the Northwest Hawaiian Islands, we're also preserving an historic
landmark of great importance. Near the northern edge of these islands lies
Midway Island, the site of one of the most decisive battles of World War
II. On this atoll, there's a memorial to the sacrifice and valor of those
who fought in the Pacific theater during World War II. This national
monument will have special access area around Midway Island. That's what we
want. We want people to go and pay homage to those who sacrifice for our
freedom.

Third, the new national monument creates a new opportunity for ocean
education and research for decades to come. Successful ocean stewardship
depends on informed policy makers and an informed public. One of the key
priorities of the Ocean Action Plan is promoting ocean education.
Jean-Michel put it this way, he said, "How can we protect what we don't
understand?" Ninety-five percent of our planet's oceans have yet to be
explored. We're just beginning to appreciate what the seas have to offer
humanity. The waters of this new national monument will be a living
laboratory that offers new opportunities to discover new life, that helps
us better manage our ocean ecosystems, and allows us to pursue advances in
science.

You know, in America, there's a great consensus that we have an obligation
to be good stewards of the environment. Success of a generation is not
defined by wealth alone. We also will be measured by the respect we give to
the precious creatures of our natural world.

We have great choices before us in this country. And with the designation
of the Northwestern Hawaiian Island Marine National Monument, we are making
a choice that will leave a precious legacy.

I want to thank you all for joining us today. It's an historic moment.
Thank you all for your leadership. And may God bless the country.
(Applause.)

(The proclamation is signed.) (Applause.)

END 2:50 P.M. EDT

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