Challenges in EPA's coastal and ocean programs

摘要

While the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is faced with a broad array of environmental issues, it is abundantly clear to me that protection of our ocean and coastal resources is of great impoortance, because these resources are both invaluable and at risk. U.S.ocean and coastal habitats support some of the most valuable and diverse biological resources on the planet. These habitats support 66 percent of all U.S. commercial and recreational fish and shellfish and 45 percent of all protected species like turtles and marine mammals. They also include 17,000 square kilometers of coral reefs. In addition, one out of every six jobs in the U.S. is marine-related,