February 5, 2025
A new bill (HR 261) has been introduced in the US Congress that would amend the National Marine Sanctuaries Act. The Act protects US marine habitat, underwater natural resources and cultural heritage treasures, and empowers community input on the use of our national marine sanctuaries. The proposed law would allow industry to install underwater cables, avoid permitting fees and public scrutiny. It lays the groundwork for further weakening of the NMSA and could allow industry to circumvent extraction activities like oil extraction and fishing prohibited under the Sanctuary Act.
Under review is the elimination for organized comment from stakeholders including commercial and recreational fishermen, local business owners, tour operators, outdoor recreation lovers and non profits all with an interest in maintaining and supporting the 18 sanctuaries in the National Marine Sanctuary system.
National marine sanctuaries are special areas that protect important marine ecosystems around the nation. Some sanctuaries are breeding and feeding grounds for endangered whales, others contain thriving coral reefs or kelp forests, and many are home to historic shipwrecks and other archaeological treasures. NOAA’s Office of National Marine Sanctuaries manages a national network of such places, encompassing more than 1,553,993 square kilometers (600,000 square miles) of U.S. ocean and Great Lakes waters. The goal of the sanctuary system is to protect important natural and cultural places, while still allowing people to enjoy and use the ocean.
On October 11, 2024 the Biden-Harris Administration announced that NOAA designated 4,543 square miles of coastal and offshore waters along 116 miles of California’s central coast as America’s 17th national marine sanctuary. The Chumash Heritage National Marine Sanctuary will conserve the area’s diverse range of marine life and celebrate Indigenous peoples’ connections to the region. It is the third largest sanctuary in the National Marine Sanctuary System.
In January, NOAA is designating the marine portions of Papahānaumokuākea Marine National Monument, a 582,570 square-mile area in the Pacific Ocean, as America’s 18th national marine sanctuary. Papahānaumokuākea National Marine Sanctuary will be the largest sanctuary in the National Marine Sanctuary System, and is one of the largest marine conservation areas in the world.
Located in the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands, the Papahānaumokuākea National Marine Sanctuary will provide additional ways to manage and protect the area’s nationally significant biological, cultural and historical resources.
We oppose any effort, including H.R. 261, that would circumvent the rights granted to communities by the National Marine Sanctuaries Act and any stripping of marine protection by the Trump Administration.
Sign our petition today with the National Marine Sanctuary Foundation and tell Members of Congress to stop special interest groups from cutting community input out of America’s national underwater treasures.
Read About Trump’s Move to Remove Protected Status under National Monuments
President Donald Trump is moving to shrink or eliminate monuments established by his predecessors, including President Joe Biden. As part of the Trump administration’s push to expand U.S. energy production, Interior Secretary Doug Burgum will review and consider redrawing the boundaries of national monuments created under previous presidents to protect unique landscapes and cultural resources. In his first term as President, Trump opened the Bear’s Ears, Staircase Escalante Monuments to mining under Executive Order, and also lifted fishing restrictions within a large marine monument off the New England Coast.