Following are some of Surfrider Foundation's major legislative and policy efforts:

OCEANS-21
(HR 21)

The purpose of the Ocean Conservation, Education, and National Strategy for the 21st Century Act ("OCEANS-21") is to establish a national policy for our oceans, to strengthen the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, and to establish a national and regional ocean governance structure. This bill addresses the management of ocean and coastal resources. In doing so, it creates the critically important organic act for NOAA and solidifies their position as a lead agency for ecosystem based management. The bill creates mechanisms to promote marine ecosystem health in response to the recommendations of the Pew Oceans Commission and the US Commission on Ocean Policy.


Reauthorization of the Coastal Zone Management Act
(To be introduced)

The federal Coastal Zone Management Act ("CZMA") was originally enacted in 1972 as a federal program to encourage states to voluntarily develop their own programs to manage the nation's coastal resources. Specifically, it was developed to facilitate coastal states and Great Lake States in developing and initiating comprehensive programs to manage and balance the competing uses of and impacts to coastal resources. The Act is used to establish our state coastal programs, administered by entities such as California's Coastal Commission and New Jersey's Department of Environmental Protection. It addresses issues such as beach access and coastal development. Reauthorization of the CZMA will update the Act and support state efforts in managing their coastlines in a transparent and forward-thinking manner.


BEACH Act Funding and Support
(Through Appropriations and Clean Coastal Environment and Public Health Act)

Since its passage in 2000, the Beaches Environmental Assessment and Coastal Health Act ("BEACH Act") has been funding beach water quality monitoring programs in coastal states across the nation. Surfrider is working to secure higher appropriations for the BEACH Act funding and support the Clean Coastal Environment and Public Health Act, which will be submitted to re-authorize the BEACH Act. This bill proposes to increase federal support for beach monitoring programs and requires EPA and the states to do more to not only monitor water quality but to take steps toward solving our nation's water pollution problems. This bill includes provisions for improved public notification programs, rapid testing methods and source tracking for pollution prevention.


Oil Spill Legislation

Surfrider Foundation is committed to protecting our finite coastal resources and therefore opposed to any new drilling off of our coasts. The goal of Surfrider's legislative efforts in this regard is to pass laws which will protect our coastal waters from the dangers posed by increased oil drilling and to strengthen oil spill prevention and response policies. Oil spills along our coasts result from accidents involving tankers and other shipping vessels, from transferring oil to vessels, and when pipelines break. Catastrophic spills, such as the Exxon Valdez that dumped 11 million gallons in Prince William Sound have a devastating impact to the marine environment, are harmful to human health and are essentially impossible to cleanup. Researchers at Woods Hole are still finding oil in nearby sediments from a spill that happened in the 1970s. In addition, smaller and chronic oil spills and seeps occur regularly. These spills contaminate coasts and estuaries, and they can cause human health problems. The more recent November 2007 San Francisco Cosco Buscan oil spill exemplifies the need for stricter regulations on carriers, more research on resultant environmental harms, and coordinated oil spill response plans. Surfrider will work to support oil spill prevention and response legislation, including a reinstatement of the Congressional offshore drilling moratorium, in an effort to protect our oceans from the potentially detrimental harm caused by oil drilling.


Clean Cruise Ship Advocacy and Potential Legislation

Due to the great harm that cruise ship and gambling ship discharges pose to our ocean and marine environment, Surfrider is actively engaged in working with the EPA and legislators to issue final standards reliant on best available technology, improved inspection on board ships, and monitoring for ship discharges. We have worked to assess proposed legislation entitled the Clean Cruise Ship Act, which would prohibit discharges of sewage (including sewage sludge), graywater and oily water from the ship bilge within 12 miles of U.S. shore or in marine sanctuaries, marine national monuments and marine protected areas. The bill would require ships to treat their wastewater wherever they operate; and authorize broadened enforcement authority. Proposed legislation would establish minimum limits for levels of fecal coliform, total suspended solids, and chlorine in treated sewage and graywater. Surfrider also entered comments on the Draft Cruise Ship Discharge Assessment Report issued by the EPA (available at http://www.epa.gov/owow/oceans/cruise_ships/disch_assess.html ).