Sam Farr: “I offer this amendment which essentially maintains the Sea Grant International Program authorization without limitation…”

“I offer this amendment which essentially maintains the Sea Grant International Program authorization without limitation on the countries with which we can collaborate through the year 2000. We are now becoming more and more aware of how our oceans and Great Lakes are truly international. We just heard of the issue of the zebra mussels which obviously is not just a United States issue, it is a Canadian issue. The very nature of the marine environment dictates that ocean resources are seldom, if ever, conveniently contained within one nation's boundaries. On May 19 and 20 of this year, the gentleman from Pennsylvania [Mr. Weldon] hosted an advisory committee on the protection of the seas here in this Capitol. I attended that with Vice President Al Gore, with the Speaker of the House, the gentleman from Georgia [Mr. Gingrich]; Secretary of Defense, William Cohen; Secretary of the Navy, John Dalton; and fellow Representatives including the gentleman from Maryland [Mr. Gilchrest], the gentleman from Rhode Island [Mr. Kennedy], the gentleman from California [Mr. Brown], the gentleman from California [Mr. Rohrabacher]; the gentleman from New Jersey [Mr. Saxton], and others, as well as representatives from agencies and countries from around the world. We were all here to discuss the importance of oceans in the world's security.”