Environmental advocates line up against Trump administration marine policy
A June executive order by President Donald Trump that revoked former President Barack Obama’s ocean policy and prioritized energy production and economic gains over marine sustainability has drawn ire, and some action, from scientists, lawmakers and environmental groups spanning the Monterey Bay.
They criticize, in part, the elimination of regional planning groups that were formed under Obama’s 2010 executive order that created the ocean policy, three months after the Deepwater Horizon oil spill in April 2010. The groups developed zoning rules for the open ocean that create a buffer between transportation, energy development and sensitive ecosystems. The West Coast’s group included tribal governments and state and federal agencies.
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The research director of the Center for the Blue Economy at Middlebury Institute of International Studies in Monterey, Charles Colgan, said he is alarmed that Trump’s executive order pits the economy against environmental protection.
“Too many consider conservation as a cost that is a drain on the economy and view the actions of businesses as entirely beneficial,” Colgan said. “It’s not a zero-sum game. We have more than 50 years of practical experience that indicates that when the environment is protected the economy does quite well.”
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Read the full story: Ocean Advocates Speak Out