[Federal Register Volume 85, Number 109 (Friday, June 5, 2020)]
[Presidential Documents]
[Pages 34949-34950]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2020-12428]
Presidential Documents
Federal Register / Vol. 85 , No. 109 / Friday, June 5, 2020 /
Presidential Documents
[[Page 34949]]
Proclamation 10048 of May 29, 2020
National Ocean Month, 2020
By the President of the United States of America
A Proclamation
Our ocean and coastal waterways are essential to our
national security, international trade, maritime
commerce, global competitiveness, and transportation.
The jobs of more than 3 million Americans depend on our
ocean economy, which generates more than $300 billion
of economic activity annually. During National Ocean
Month, we reaffirm our commitment to responsible
stewardship of our ocean resources to strengthen and
expand economic opportunities, while also ensuring that
the natural beauty and wonder of the oceans are
preserved and maintained for future generations.
There is much that remains undiscovered in the world's
vast oceans, and my Administration is working to
improve our understanding of its incredible resources.
Today, roughly 18.6 percent of our Nation's oil and gas
production is conducted offshore, employing thousands
of Americans and helping keep prices low for American
families and businesses. There is enormous opportunity
for our country to bolster these numbers and expand
this critical and profitable industry, generating even
more jobs for hardworking Americans. Only 40 percent of
the United States Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ), an
oceanic area larger than the combined land area of the
50 States, has been mapped. Even less of the EEZ's
natural resources have been characterized through
exploration. For this reason, last year, I signed a
historic Presidential Memorandum that prioritizes
mapping, exploring, and characterizing our ocean
waters. Building upon these efforts, last month I
signed an Executive Order Promoting American Seafood
Competitiveness and Economic Growth. This Executive
Order will increase America's competitiveness in the
seafood industry and create new opportunities for
American products in the global marketplace, including
through continued support of our commercial fisheries
and promotion of domestic aquaculture. My
Administration is committed to expanding maritime
commerce, increasing seafood production, promoting
conservation, enhancing national security, and
advancing energy exploration, development, and
production by expanding efforts to study, understand,
and unlock the full potential of our oceans.
As we continue to unlock the economic opportunities in
these flourishing bodies of water, my Administration is
also diligently working to put an end to one of the
biggest challenges facing the global environment:
increased pollution in the oceans. Recognizing that 80
percent of marine litter comes from land-based
resources resulting from insufficient solid waste
management, we have been working hard, with our
domestic and international partners, to improve waste
management systems around the world and deploy
innovative technologies to put an end to the mass
amounts of litter washing into our shared waters. In
addition, I signed the Save Our Seas Act of 2018 into
law, which prioritizes cleanup activities and addresses
international sources of pollution.
The task of balancing the uses of America's oceans
cannot be accomplished by the Federal Government alone.
The 2019 White House Summit on Partnerships in Ocean
Science and Technology highlighted that our continued
[[Page 34950]]
use, conservation, observation, and exploration of the
ocean requires innovative engagement and collaboration
with key partners, including private industries,
States, territories, academia, philanthropic groups,
Native American and Tribal organizations, and other
stakeholders. By working together and harnessing our
collective power, knowledge, and experience, we can
better promote resource stewardship, create and
maintain jobs for American workers, and ensure our
Nation's prosperity while conserving the marine
environment.
Many of the most pressing challenges facing mankind may
have solutions in the oceans. My Administration is
committed to advancing technology and innovation to
better understand how our oceans may help us address
current and future challenges facing our Nation.
Establishing energy infrastructure, discovering and
developing novel marine-derived pharmaceuticals,
improving weather predictions, and advancing offshore
aquaculture operations are just some examples of
innovative initiatives supported by my Administration.
These bold efforts have the potential to promote
economic prosperity, create jobs, and strengthen our
maritime and homeland security for current and future
generations of Americans.
NOW, THEREFORE, I, DONALD J. TRUMP, President of the
United States of America, by virtue of the authority
vested in me by the Constitution and the laws of the
United States, do hereby proclaim June 2020 as National
Ocean Month. This month, I call upon Americans to
reflect on the value and importance of oceans not only
to our security, environment, and economy but also as a
source of recreation and enjoyment.
IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this
twenty-ninth day of May, in the year of our Lord two
thousand twenty, and of the Independence of the United
States of America the two hundred and forty-fourth.
(Presidential Sig.)
[FR Doc. 2020-12428
Filed 6-4-20; 11:15 am]
Billing code 3295-F0-P