WASHINGTON (AFP) — President Barack Obama on Friday set up a task force to craft the first US national policy for sustainably managing the country’s oceans, drawing praise from environmentalists who said the move was long overdue.
"We are taking a more integrated and comprehensive approach to developing a national ocean policy that will guide us well into the future," Obama said in a proclamation declaring June "National Oceans Month."
The proclamation was issued along with a memorandum setting up the high-level Ocean Policy Task Force.
"Our nation’s economy relies heavily on the oceans … They support countless jobs in an array of industries including fishing, tourism and energy," the president said.
Read the AFP newswire story in full
View the presidential proclamation marking June 2009 as National Oceans Month [PDF]
Read the White House memorandum establishing the Interagency Ocean Policy Task Force [PDF]