Shifting Baselines

Posted by Jack Sterne, jack@oceanchampions.org

For those of us who follow the world of ocean politics (and politics generally), Leon Panetta is the closest thing we have to a rock star. Panetta served as the chairman of the Pew Oceans Commission, and prior to that was President Clinton's Chief of Staff, head of the Office of Management & Budget, and a seven-term Congressman from Sam Farr's current district (Monterey/Santa Cruz). He was the guy who brought all the players together to create the Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary and was a major force in creating the still-standing moratorium on new offshore oil & gas drilling. This is a guy who really knows how to get things done, and we're extremely grateful that he has chosen to make the oceans of his keystone issues (he was also on the Baker-Hamilton Iraq Study Group, but that's another story entirely).

Here's a great piece from last week highlighting a talk Panetta gave to a New York State panel charged with making recommendations for addressing coastal pollution and ecosystem problems on that state's coasts. Panetta talked about the decline of large ocean fish species, the huge dead zone in the Gulf of Mexico, and the major problems of ocean governance that plague management of our oceans (one of the main issues that the OCEANS-21 bill is designed to fix. He also endorsed the ecosystem-based management approach New York is proposing to take to tackle coastal problems.

But his main point: less talk, more action. According to the article, Panetta warned the group against becoming "a great talking forum, but not doing much." It's a common problem that affects a lot of well-intentioned efforts: they get bogged down in process, and don't accomplish anything. Congress, for instance, has largely been sitting on the report of the U.S. Commission on Ocean Policy. The solutions are pretty clear, but the political will just isn't there.

We've been working to build that will on the Hill for the last few years, and it may be starting to pay off. We're hearing that a new version of OCEANS 21 may be out soon, and it may see action by the House Natural Resources Committee within the next month or so. Let's hope Congress gets Panetta's message.

And speaking of Panetta, I'm proud to say that he has been a great supporter of Ocean Champions. Here's a picture of him with Ocean Champion John Barrow (D-Ga.) at our first D.C. fundraiser:

That's me on the left, Barrow, Panetta, and Ocean Champions Board Chair Rob Moir.

Our third fundraiser is today at Sonoma Restaurant in DC, and we're proud to say we're expecting a record turnout of members. If you're in D.C., please drop by, here's a link to the details.