Line drawn in sand as offshore drilling plans set up fight for oceans

Our nation’s beaches draw millions of tourists that keep coastal economies surging. Recreation and tourism account for 2.2 million jobs and more than $100 billion in GDP every year. With those numbers, you’d think their protection would be a given.

Unfortunately for our ocean and coasts, nothing about the environment is a given with the Trump administration. In January, the president proposed opening up more than 90 percent of our coastlines to offshore oil drilling – putting economies that depend on clean beaches at risk of a catastrophic oil spill.

At the same time, the administration is targeting many of our nation’s best marine protected areas as part of the largest-ever attack on ocean protections in U.S. history. Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke has recommended reducing the size and protections of three national monuments: Pacific Remote Islands, Rose Atoll and Northeast Canyons and Seamounts, essentially rendering their rich biodiversity unprotected.

The Trump administration is also studying whether to eliminate protections for National Marine Sanctuaries so oil companies can have new places to drill. As part of the America First Energy Strategy, Zinke is considering five sanctuaries for potential rollback.

Coastal communities know what’s at stake: More than 250 municipalities, 1,200 elected officials,

43,000 businesses and 500,000 fishing families have opposed offshore drilling. In addition, nearly all governors of U.S. coastal states have expressed opposition to new offshore drilling.

The ocean belongs to all of us. Marine monuments and sanctuaries provide havens where marine life can thrive. Science shows that protected areas can boost the abundance, size and diversity of animals within their boundaries, and promote the health of entire marine ecosystems. Monuments and sanctuaries also benefit communities by providing opportunities for recreation and supporting our coastal economies.

Our public lands and waters are part of our identity; they help define who we are. The widespread diversity of historic, cultural and natural treasures that have been federally protected have brought together millions of Americans in an effort to protect them.

As National Ocean Month closes we’re compelled to consider the damage that could be done through these proposals.

PETE STAUFFER, SAN CLEMENTE, CALIF. Editor’s note: Pete Stauffer is environmental director for the Surfrider Foundation.