Bush Creates World's Largest Marine Reserve

Voice of America ^ | June 15, 2006 | Scott Stearns

[ConservativeMind]

President Bush has created the world's largest marine reserve. Mr. Bush acted to protect an area of the Pacific Ocean that is roughly the size of California.

More than 7,000 species of marine life live in a chain of reefs and shoals stretching nearly 2,000 kilometers northwest from the Hawaiian Islands.

That ecosystem is now a protected marine area where commercial and sport fishing will be phased out over the next five years. Visitors wishing to dive or take photographs must have a permit and no one will be allowed to remove animals or minerals.

President Bush says the move protects a precious natural resource and establishes an important place for research and learning.

"The oceans contain countless natural treasures," he said. "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 creatures who inhabit them."

The islands include endangered Hawaiian monk seals and threatened green sea turtles as well as a rookery for 14 million seabirds.

At more than 300,000 square kilometers, the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands Marine National Monument is slightly larger than Australia's Great Barrier Reef Marine Park, making it the world's biggest protected marine area.

It includes the World War II memorial on Midway Island, which will remain open for research and education programs.

President Theodore Roosevelt established a bird sanctuary on some of the islands in 1909. President Bill Clinton created a coral-reef ecosystem reserve in the area six years ago. By exercising executive powers to declare the islands a national monument, President Bush avoided what would have been a year-long review process to make the area a less-protected national marine sanctuary.

[nosofar]

Bush Creates World's Largest Marine Reserve

Aha!! This shows Bush is building a new army of Marines to take over the world. Our suspicions have been justified! (typical DUmmy)

[nosofar]

Isn't this in INTERNATIONAL WATERS? How does the USA have authority over it.

Um. The USA has bigger guns?

[nosofar]

Actually a land grab, this action goes way beyond the 200 mile limit and links up Hawaii and Midway as a single US entity? No?

Finally! A good old fashioned land grab. What's the point of having the best military in the world if you can't indulge in imerpialistic conquest.

[hosepipe]

The Federal Giverment OWNING land is obscene.. ANY LAND..
The federal givernment owns more land than the size of many States..
Call them Parks or whatever the State should control it NOT the federal givernment..

ALL land should be owned and controlled by the State that land resides in..
Unless we are a democracy and not really a Republic after all..

[Paul Ross]

I was hoping the article would be about these Marines...

[Paul Ross]

Bush Creates World's Largest Marine Reserve
Oo-rah!
[puts on his bifocals]
Oh, wait... Never mind.

LOL!

Been there, done that!

[conservativewasp]

And Bush calls himself a fisherman, HA! I've about had it with this RINO, what the hell happened to freedom and liberty? Protecting it from commercial fishing is fine, preventing sport fishing and diving is absurd.

[Blue State Insurgent]

How about 'Sianara'?

[BJungNan]

People will not be allowed to go there. That from Jacque Cousteau who is one of the people to push this through. Only scientist (the environmental elite) will be able to enjoy this scenic wonder.

Just like communism. For the good...but...some of us will get the privelegdges.

[PleaDeal]

Finally! A good old fashioned land grab. What's the point of having the best military in the world if you can't indulge in imerpialistic conquest.

I'll second that!

[speekinout]

Your Constitution doesn't say anything about a lot of things - Dep't of Ed, Social Security, the FAA, etc.
Our system is based on the Constitution *and* a whole bunch of laws passed by Congress. If the laws haven't been ruled Unconstitutional by the SC, they are as much a part of the system as anything mentioned there.

[RightCenter]

I guess that there are more who dislike the works of Theodore Roosevelt than I thought... saddening.

[capt.P]

Thank you!

[John Lenin]

Smokescreen ! The Hawaiian Islands are ready to break away from the US. This will buy them off.

[RFEngineer]

"And, I hope that air service to Midway Island will start up again because of this. "

Don't count on it. Our President has just ensured that any commercial uses of these waters will be impossible, or nearly so through regulation.

When you aren't conservative, the unintended consequences are much more unpredictable.

[rob777]

.. what the President did was excellent, farsighted, and commendable ...




I am having a hard time seeing what is so "commendable" about yet another move to expand the reach of the federal government.

[Rick.Donaldson]

Isn't a Marine Reserve a place where retired Marines can go hunt the ducks and geese? :)

[Wallace T.]

The Constitutional language clearly indicates that Federal authority was to be mainly focused on military and naval defense. There are other areas where Federal land ownership would be needed in order to carry out Constitutionally authorized responsibilities: post offices, mints, post roads, customs offices. However, nowhere does the Constitution discuss the concept of conservation of natural resources as a legitimate area of Federal authority. During the first century of the Republic, the Federal government attempted to divest itself of public lands either by ceding them to the states upon their admission to the Union or selling or giving them to private individuals (e.g. the Homestead Act of 1862).

What President Bush did in establishing yet another wildlife preserve is to entrench the Federal lockup of natural resources and prevent market forces from exploiting them.

[Carry_Okie]

What President Bush did in establishing yet another wildlife preserve is to entrench the Federal lockup of natural resources and prevent market forces from exploiting them.

Wrote the book on that one.