National Ocean Policy. During consideration of the Commerce-Justice-Science appropriations bill (H.R. 5326), Rep. Bill Flores (R-Texas) offered an amendment that would bar the use of funds in the bill to implement an executive order signed by President Obama in July 2010 calling for a national ocean policy. According to a press release on May 9 by the House Natural Resources Committee, Rep. Flores stated: \”The National Ocean Policy was formed without congressional authority and would be run by unaccountable and unelected Washington bureaucrats. These proposed policy guidelines and processes have the potential to change the permitting criteria and requirements for a large number of economic sectors.\” Moreover, Obama\’s National Ocean Policy explicitly calls for \”pursuing the United States\’ accession to the Law of the Sea Convention,\” also known as the Law of the Sea Treaty (LOST).
The House adopted Flores\’ amendment on May 9, 2012 by a vote of 246 to 174 (Roll Call 234). We have assigned pluses to the yeas because the Constitution does not empower the federal government to regulate the permitting criteria and other requirements of our nation\’s various economic sectors. Furthermore, ratifying the Law of the Sea Treaty would legitimize the UN\’s power grab over 70 percent of the Earth\’s surface and constitute a huge loss of our national sovereignty.
