WHEREAS, President Clinton signed Executive Order 13089 on June 11, 1998, and
WHEREAS, Section 2 of EO 13089 requires all Federal agencies to "ensure that any actions they authorize, fund, or carry out will not degrade the conditions of [coral reef] ecosystems, and
WHEREAS, Sections 4 and 5 of EO 13089 establish the U.S. Coral Reef Task Force (USCRTF) to "oversee implementation of the policy and Federal agency responsibilities set forth in this order" (Section 4)... and "develop, recommend, and seek or secure implementation of measures necessary to reduce and mitigate coral reef ecosystem degradation and to restore damaged coral reefs", and
WHEREAS, EO 13089 clearly places oversight responsibility with the USCRTF, and
WHEREAS, passive oversight by the USCRTF based upon annual reports of actions already undertaken by Federal agencies would fail to meet the intent and requirements of EO 13089, and
WHEREAS, active oversight by the USCRTF to ensure that Section 2 of EO 13089 was met would require a defined procedure and staff;
NOW, THEREFORE, we respectfully request that the final action plan adopted by the U.S. Coral Reef Task Force fulfill their mandate to protect U.S. coral reefs from damaging federal agency actions by:
Country: