Lois Capps: “this week I will be participating in the National Ocean Conference in Monterey, California. This historic gathering is…”

“this week I will be participating in the National Ocean Conference in Monterey, California. This historic gathering is taking place just up the road from the district I am privileged to represent along the central coast of California. I am pleased to be joining the President, Vice President, several Members of the Cabinet, some of my House colleagues, and hundreds of scientists, scholars, and conservationists from around the world at this important event. This conference will highlight the important role the ocean plays in the daily lives of all Americans. Today over half of the population in the United States lives and works in coastal areas. Mr. Speaker, one of every six jobs in the United States is marine-related. This is particularly true in San Luis Obispo and Santa Barbara Counties, where our tourism, recreation, fishing, education, and business communities are all dependent on a clean ocean environment. Mr. Speaker, last week I had the opportunity to meet one of the world's renowned ocean explorers, the 1998 National Geographic Society Explorer of the Year, Dr. Sylvia Earle.”