Eni Faleomavaega: “I again compliment and thank my good friend, the chairman of the Subcommittee on Fisheries Conservation, Wildlife and…”

“I again compliment and thank my good friend, the chairman of the Subcommittee on Fisheries Conservation, Wildlife and Oceans for his management of this legislation, and I do commend the gentleman from Pennsylvania (Mr. Greenwood) as the chief author of this legislation, H.R. 2090. Mr. Speaker, the world's oceans are critical to human health, as well as the vitality of our entire planet. The establishment of an advisory panel to examine the feasibility and value of a coordinated domestic and international oceanography program makes good sense. With this in mind, I do support the principles and the provisions behind the passage of the Exploration of the Seas Act. I just have a little concern about the relevance and the need of the legislation, given the fact that earlier this year we did pass the Oceans Act of 2000 which was passed by the Congress and subsequently signed by the President on August 7 of this year. This law already establishes a commission to evaluate and make recommendations on oceans policy.”