BILL ANALYSIS
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|SENATE RULES COMMITTEE | SJR 5|
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UNFINISHED BUSINESS
Bill No: SJR 5
Author: Wiggins (D), et al
Amended: 7/14/09
Vote: 21
SENATE FLOOR : 23-12, 6/22/09
AYES: Alquist, Calderon, Cedillo, Corbett, DeSaulnier,
Florez, Hancock, Kehoe, Leno, Liu, Lowenthal, Maldonado,
Negrete McLeod, Padilla, Pavley, Price, Romero, Simitian,
Steinberg, Wiggins, Wolk, Wright, Yee
NOES: Aanestad, Ashburn, Benoit, Cogdill, Cox, Denham,
Dutton, Hollingsworth, Huff, Runner, Walters, Wyland
NO VOTE RECORDED: Correa, Ducheny, Harman, Oropeza,
Strickland
ASSEMBLY FLOOR : 50-26, 8/20/09 - See last page for vote
SUBJECT : Gulf of the Farallones and Cordell Bank
National Marine
Sanctuaries Boundary Modification and
Protection Act
SOURCE : Author
DIGEST : This resolution calls upon the Congress of the
United States to quickly pass the federal Gulf of the
Farallones and Cordell Bank National Marine Sanctuaries
Boundary Modification and Protection Act and the President
of the United States to expeditiously sign it into law.
CONTINUED
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Assembly Amendments corrected a typographical error.
ANALYSIS : This resolution makes the following
legislative findings:
1. Inclusion in the National Marine Sanctuary System offers
comprehensive and permanent protection to important
marine resources, large scale ecosystem management, and
vital oceanic research investments, while allowing for
recreational, shipping, and fishing activities.
2. Sonoma and Marin Counties' coastal waters just south of
Bodega Head are within the boundaries of the Gulf of the
Farallones and Cordell Bank National Marine Sanctuaries
and enjoy the protections and benefits of the National
Marine Sanctuary System.
3. The Gulf of the Farallones and Cordell Bank National
Marine Sanctuaries Boundary Modification and Protection
Act (H.R. 223 and
S. 212), authored by Congresswoman Lynn Woolsey and
sponsored by Senator Barbara Boxer, would adjust the
boundaries of those two marine sanctuaries north and
westward to add deeper and biologically important
waters, and would extend the boundaries of the Gulf of
the Farallones National Marine Sanctuary just past Point
Arena, thus including the entire Sonoma Coast and the
southern Mendocino Coast.
4. The area encompassed by the Sonoma Coast and southern
Mendocino Coast is one of the most biologically rich
regions in the world. These waters are within one of
the four coastal upwelling zones on the planet,
comprising only one percent of the ocean, but producing
20 percent of the world's fish. Additionally, the
coastal estuaries of that area are important passages
for endangered salmon and steelhead, essential haul
sites places for seals and sea lions, migration
corridors for the California gray whale and other whale
species, and prolific nurseries for hundreds of aquatic
species.
5. These important marine resources, among the richest on
the planet, must be protected from oil spills and other
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forms of pollution.
6. By expanding the boundaries of the Gulf of the
Farallones and Cordell Bank National Marine Sanctuaries,
the Gulf of the Farallones and Cordell Bank National
Marine Sanctuaries Boundary Modification and Protection
Act (H.R. 223 and S. 212) will protect the University of
California, Davis, Bodega Marine Laboratory's investment
in marine research, regional jobs that are dependent on
commercial and recreational fishing, tourism,
recreational uses, and indefinable aesthetic benefits.
7. A congressional and executive moratorium on offshore oil
exploration and exploitation was removed in 2008,
leaving these waters of special biological significance
unprotected.
This resolution calls upon the Congress of the United
States to quickly pass the federal Gulf of the Farallones
and Cordell Bank National Marine Sanctuaries Boundary
Modification and Protection Act and the President of the
United States to expeditiously sign it into law.
H.R. 223, authored by Congresswoman Lynn Woolsey, expands
the Gulf of the Farallones National Marine Sanctuary
northward, adding 861 square nautical miles off the coasts
of Sonoma and Mendocino Counties (S. 212 is the companion
measure authored by Senate Barbara Boxer). H.R. 223 also
expands the Cordell Bank National Marine Sanctuary
northward and westward, adding 233 square nautical miles
off Sonoma and Marin Counties. The combined area of the
Sanctuaries would grow by roughly one-third to
approximately 3,458 square nautical miles - approximately
the size of the state of Delaware.
According to the author's office, these areas are
considered by marine experts as among the most biologically
rich regions in the world. This resolution states that
these waters are within one of the four coastal upwelling
zones on earth, comprising only one percent of the ocean
but producing 20 percent of the world's fish. The area's
coastal estuaries provide critical habitat for endangered
salmon and steelhead, haul sites for seals and sea lions,
and migration corridors for the California gray whale and
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other aquatic species.
The author's office believes that the areas proposed to be
included in the Sanctuaries are currently vulnerable to oil
and gas development. In July 2008, former President Bush
repealed an executive order that withdrew certain areas in
the outer continental shelf (OCS), including offshore
California, from oil and gas leasing. In September 2008,
Congress voted not to renew a moratorium on offshore oil
and gas development, officially opening up federal waters
off the California coast to drilling for the first time
since 1982.
On the very last day of the Bush Administration, the
Interior Department proposed a new five-year plan for oil
and gas leasing on the OCS. In 31 lease sales, the plan
proposes to lease as much as 300 million acres of the OCS
to drilling, including about six million acres off the
coast of Humboldt, Mendocino, San Luis Obispo, Santa
Barbara, Ventura, Los Angeles, and San Diego Counties.
On February 10, 2009, Ken Salazar, the Secretary of
Interior announced a four-part strategy "for developing a
new, comprehensive approach to energy resources of the
OCS." Among other things, it extends the public comment
period for the proposed five-year oil and gas leasing
program 180 days until September 21, 2009, hosting four
public meetings nationwide this month to solicit input on
whether, where, and how the federal government develops its
conventional and renewable energy resources of the OCS.
Expanding the boundaries of the Sanctuaries would lead to
revisions of their respective management plans. H.R. 223
requires these revisions to "facilitate all appropriate
public and private uses" of the Sanctuaries consistent with
the primary objective of resource protection, identify
research needs, establish a long-term ecological monitoring
program and database, promote public education, and
establish "temporal and geographical zoning if necessary to
ensure protection" of sanctuary resources.
FISCAL EFFECT : Fiscal Com.: No
ASSEMBLY FLOOR :
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AYES: Ammiano, Beall, Block, Blumenfield, Brownley,
Buchanan, Caballero, Charles Calderon, Carter, Chesbro,
Coto, Davis, De La Torre, De Leon, Eng, Evans, Feuer,
Fletcher, Fong, Fuentes, Furutani, Galgiani, Hall,
Hayashi, Hernandez, Hill, Huber, Huffman, Jones,
Krekorian, Lieu, Bonnie Lowenthal, Ma, Mendoza, Monning,
Nava, John A. Perez, V. Manuel Perez, Portantino, Ruskin,
Salas, Saldana, Skinner, Solorio, Swanson, Torlakson,
Torres, Torrico, Yamada, Bass
NOES: Adams, Anderson, Bill Berryhill, Tom Berryhill,
Conway, Cook, DeVore, Duvall, Emmerson, Fuller, Gaines,
Garrick, Gilmore, Hagman, Harkey, Jeffries, Knight,
Logue, Miller, Nestande, Niello, Nielsen, Silva, Smyth,
Tran, Villines
NO VOTE RECORDED: Arambula, Blakeslee, Audra Strickland,
Vacancy
CTW/RJG:mw 8/26/09 Senate Floor Analyses
SUPPORT/OPPOSITION: NONE RECEIVED
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