An Interview with the Honorable Senator Barbara Boxer

LH: Were you directly involved in the Sanctuary’s designation?

BB: Yes, as a Marin County resident and Supervisor, I recognized the importance of preserving our coast and worked to push the proposal forward. In fact then-Marin Supervisor Gary Giacomini and I worked hard to expand the proposed sanctuary boundaries to include the Marin coastline. Our main goal was to stop offshore oil drilling. I urged our Congressional delegation to support the legislation, and I worked to convince my fellow Board members to support the proposal, which they did.

LH: Why was this important to you?

BB: My personal goal has always been permanent protection for the California coast.  In 1969, a terrible oil spill occurred off the coast of Santa Barbara, spilling 235,000 gallons of crude into the ocean.  I was horrified to see the impact this spill had on wildlife, the coast and California’s marine environment.  I pledged to work towards protecting as much of the California coast as possible for marine life and future generations.  The designation of the Farallones Marine Sanctuary was a vital step towards that goal.

LH: What opposition did you face?

BB: When designation of a marine sanctuary was first proposed, the fishing community was hesitant. But their concerns were quickly put to rest once assurances were included to protect fishing in the area. Overall, everyone was supportive and we worked together to get this important designation approved.

LH: Who were some of the key players at that time?

BB: In the early 1980s, Congressmen John and Phil Burton were the key players in getting this passed at the federal level. Supervisor Giacomini put a tremendous amount of effort into this, and State Senator Milton Marks and San Francisco Mayor Dianne Feinstein also worked hard to oppose offshore oil drilling. We also owe a big thanks to the Bay Area environmental community, including long time marine advocates and my good friends Warner Chabot, Richard Charter, and Zeke Grader (Pacific Coast Federation of Fishermen’s Associations).

LH: How did the threat of offshore oil drilling contribute to the nascent environmental movement?

BB: The oil spill hit home for Californians, who mobilized to protect our coast after witnessing the tragic devastation caused by the oil spill in 1969.  The citizen response to this spill was overwhelming, and the movement grew during the 1980s and 1990s as offshore oil development was again proposed by the federal government.  When I went to Congress, we worked hard every year to ensure permanent protection for the California coast from offshore drilling.  This is a constant battle.

LH: In your opinion, how have we progressed in terms of protecting our coast since the early 80s?

BB: I am encouraged to say that we have progressed in the last 25 years. The Gulf of the Farallones National Marine Sanctuary was established in 1981 and the Cordell Bank National Marine Sanctuary was designated eight years later. The Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary quickly followed. As a Congresswoman, I was proud to sponsor a bill in 1989 that amended the 1972 Marine Protection, Research and Sanctuaries Act to prohibit oil or gas exploration in national marine sanctuaries. In 1996, President Clinton issued an executive order to permanently protect the coast of California from offshore oil and gas drilling.
Every year that I have served in Congress, I have worked for coastal protection. Just last year, Congresswoman Lynn Woolsey and I introduced legislation to expand the Gulf of the Farallones and Cordell Bank national marine sanctuaries to protect even more of the fragile coast.

LH: What do you see as the current challenges or threats to the Sanctuary today?

BB: Unfortunately even with the designation of marine sanctuaries and a moratorium on offshore drilling, we are still battling for ocean protection.  We are witnessing the decline of several marine species, including the humpback whale.  We are also fighting an Administration intent to drill offshore.  I continue to work for a permanent ban on offshore oil drilling along the California coast.

LH: The current Administration has consistently ignored the recommendations of the PEW and U.S. Commissions on Ocean Policy that recommend using an ecosystem protection approach to protecting our ocean.  Do you consider this a thoughtful or strategic approach to ocean protection?

BB: Yes, I do consider the ecosystem-wide approach a good strategy for ocean protection and I oppose the Administration’s ignoring of these recommendations.  The marine environment contains a complex web of species and we have to find ways of addressing the environment as a whole, instead of piece by piece.  In 2005, I introduced the National Ocean Protection Act, which would implement the recommendations of the PEW and U.S. Commissions on Ocean Policy.  I was pleased to get the support of hundreds of organizations concerned with the state of our oceans.  We will keep working to get the commissions’ recommendations implemented.

LH: The challenges to our oceans can seem daunting – rising ocean temperatures, an island of plastic debris the size of Texas floating in the North Pacific, the collapse of entire fisheries.  Is there a ray of hope in all of this?

BB: Yes, there is hope as long as the people of America value this resource.