WHITE HOUSE BLOCKS SEA SPEED LIMITS FOR SAVING WHALES

[nosmokes]

Time is money! Can't nothing stand in the way of money! Especially when it's foreign oil money, right shrubby?
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original-peer

For Immediate Release: July 12, 2007
Contact: Carol Goldberg [phone]

WHITE HOUSE BLOCKS SEA SPEED LIMITS FOR SAVING WHALES —

Foreign Shipping Companies Opposed; Council of Economic Advisors Involved

Washington, DC — A proposed plan for ship speed limits in order to protect the highly endangered North Atlantic right whale is being held up by White House officials due to opposition by foreign shipping interests, according to Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility (PEER), which has been campaigning for adoption of these measures. In an unusual move, the White House Council of Economic Advisors is now reviewing causes of right whale deaths, a task already done by marine experts.

On June 26, 2006, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) proposed speed limits of 10 knots (or 11.5 miles per hour) for shipping along the eastern seaboard during the migration of right whales between Florida and New England. No action has been taken on the plan more than nine months following the end of the public comment period, despite the urgency of the need stated by NOAA.

Ship strikes are the leading cause of death for the right whale, considered one of the planet’s most endangered species with fewer than 300 animals left in existence. Last year, there were six known right whale deaths – four from collisions with ships. Right whale calves are particularly vulnerable to ship strikes due to their undeveloped diving capability.

“Speed limits are the indispensable ingredient in a winning recovery strategy for the right whale,” stated New England PEER Director Kyla Bennett, a former federal biologist, who has waged a three-year long effort for speed limits and other ship strike reduction measures. “The current official ‘Potential Biological Removal’ level for the right whale is at zero, meaning that the premature loss of even one more whale could tip the species into a tailspin toward extinction.”

Since the public comment period on the NOAA plan ended back in October 2006, the plan is being held up by the White House Office of Management & Budget (OMB) past the normal 90-day review period. Foreign shipping companies are lobbying OMB, which, in turn has taken the peculiar step of asking another arm of the White House, the President’s Council of Economic Advisors, to review both the need for and costs of speed limits. It is not clear what expertise the Council has on the rule’s biological impacts.

As recently as May 3, 2007, the World Shipping Council submitted a letter reiterating opposition to speed limits to Susan Dudley, who heads the OMB Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs. Of the 27 companies that signed the letter, almost all are foreign owned and most of the remainder use foreign- flagged ships. One of the foreign firms, Mediterranean Shipping Company, was cited for intentionally dumping oily waste into Boston Harbor.

“Of the tens of thousands of port calls affected by the proposal, the overwhelming majority are foreign owned or registered. Of course, foreign shippers want no environmental restrictions on how they use and sometimes abuse American waters but our government is supposed to be protecting our national interests, which include our endangered wildlife,” added Bennett, noting that the U.S. Coast Guard was recently authorized to change shipping routes on the Eastern Seaboard to minimize collisions during right whale migrations. “The Bush administration should listen to our own experts rather than corporate lobbyists representing largely foreign interests.”

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complete release including links to related sources here

[Ian David]

1. You're shitting me??? What the fuck is WRONG with that asshole!? n/t

[PDJane]

2. Don't know exactly what is wrong with him,

But the man's an idiot. He swears he's going to veto the college aid bill that passed the house today too....largest increase since 1944.

He just can't stand to see anyone get ahead, I think......

[cui bono]

3. k & r

[Ghost in the Machine]

4. One question. Wouldn't a ship practically have to be idling to only run

at 10 knots? I mean, my boat, when I barely kick it into gear for trolling, runs about 5 mph ...

Also, think about it.... 11 mph down the east coast? It would take 80+ hours just to get from Jacksonville to Miami. I'm looking at all the extra time they would have to pay their crews too. There are some legitimate drawbacks to this bill...

[nosmokes]

6. The limit would only be in effect during migration period which is only a

few months. Right whales are close to extinction and the goddamn ships can either head to open water,slow down or wait out the migration as far as I'm concerned.I'd rather keep the whales around than whatever the hell commodity is on the ship.

[Ghost in the Machine]

12. Hoo boy! I guess I'm *really* gonna step in it here, but ya know, sometimes

extinction isn't such a bad thing. How would you like to live in a world with dinosaurs still roaming around? Pteradactlys flying overhead?

The fact that these whales are almost to the point of extinction may be sad, yes, but it's irrelevent in the whole scheme of life. What purpose do they serve? Being close to extinction, they are protected, which means they can't be hunted, can't be used as a food source or commodity in any way, and generally have no useful purpose other than being something that someone might occasionally see on an outing to the beach or on a boat.

Yes, the whole world of progress *must* slow down so that a fish can swim around somewhere....

There's always two sides to a story, huh?

[nosmokes]

15. Or maybe I don't see making a species go extinct because it doesn't serve a

useful purpose to *you* as progress.There is such a thing as intrinsic value that a *thing* can have by simply being. Like a view.

[MisterP]

26. how dare you! don't you know the planet belongs to one species, not the other 4,000,000!!!?

:sarcasm:
bet he cried when the mothership was detonated by Will Smith in Independence Day: I mean, human civilization wasn't serving the ALIENS' needs, were they? just lying around, existing and LIVING--ick! can't have that

[TZ]

16. You are being sarcastic I hope

If not than this is the biggest piece of bullshit I have seen for awhile. You do know that most whale populations have been decimated by man--including these particular whales which were hunted extensively. What the hell do you mean by no purpose do they serve. Do you know ANYTHING about ecology? Everything has its place in the circle of life. Just because you can't see it, doesn't mean they don't SERVE a purpose. BTW, what PURPOSE do you serve? What makes you more important to the whole scheme of life?
As for the dinosaurs, I wouldn't have minded if a few survived..and actually some very closely related did. They are called crocodilians!
And a whale is not a fish, its a Mammal! I guess your small primate brain can't figure that one out ( you know that whales have large brains and many biologists argue that many whales are sentient...)

If you are being sarcastic I apologize..if not.....

[Ghost in the Machine]

20. Well now, do you feel better since you got your personal insults out of the way?

First off, yes I know a whale is a mammal, but for all intents and purposes for the statement I was making, it's a fish. It looks like a fish, swims like a fish and smells like a fish. Besides, the statement wouldn't have sounded right had I said "Yes, progress *must* slow down so a mammal can swim around", now would it?

Now, to address your personal insults, let's check out a 'primate brain', ok? I know a crocodile is a decendant of dinosaurs, and date back to that era, but hey, they can't step on your car and crush it, can they? Doesn't your brain get that? :rofl:

[nosmokes]

22. Don't go getting all defensive and play victim now Ghost. You admitted

you were about to step in it and invited this on yourself. It would be rather hypocritical and assholian to get all fired up now because folks accepted the invite and came to the party.;)

[Ghost in the Machine]

24. oh, I'm not being defensive, I just reply back in the tone and demeanor that I receive

if someone wants to keep it civil and discuss something intelligently, even if we disagree whole heartedly and will never agree, then that's fine.

I can get down and dirty with the best of them also, but it doesn't lead to anything intelligent from either party involved.

[Toasterlad]

17. It's Never a Good Idea to Play God

NATURE decides when animals go extinct, not humans. You don't have to be religious (I am not) to realize that there's a pattern to the universe, and living things are a part of it. Just because YOU see no purpose for these animals doesn't mean they don't have one. You have no way of knowing what effect their dimished numbers have already had on the food chain, let alone what effect their extinction will have. DON'T. FUCK. WITH NATURE.

[BrainGlutton]

21. A world with dinosaurs would be kewl.

Of course, our species never would have evolved if the dinos had not gone extinct.

[karlrschneider]

11. Uh, 80 hours to go 300 miles?

Maybe your charts are a little out of date...like 400 years?

[Ghost in the Machine]

13. DOH! I was thinking of the 8 hour *drive* from Miami to the state line

and somehow it got mixed up with 800+ miles in my head... Blah!

Damn you for pointing out my faulty reasoning!! :rofl:

:hi:

[karlrschneider]

14. LOL....no thing.

I've made the trip by road, by intracoastal and by air many times. It's boring either way. :D

[Phrogman]

19. Actually, the savings in fuel costs would probably compensate for crew wages

e0m

[Ghost in the Machine]

23. would it really even save much fuel? when you think about the whole

'mass in motion' thing. How much more raw power does it take to keep pushing a load along at low speed as comapred to maintaining cruising speed?

Think of it like pulling a trailer: you start out slow, with the engine and low gears working harder to get you up to speed, and once you get up to speed, you change to high gear and it's less work and strain on the motor. If you never build up speed, you stay in low gear, working your engine and transmission harder and longer.

[Madspirit]

5. k&r..n/t

[spanone]

7. you can bet some corporation was gonna lose a percentage point of profit

junior loves bidness

[nam78_two]

9. I was thinking the exact same thing.nt

[nam78_two]

8. K&R-what is wrong with these people?nt

[Annces]

10. The sooner these jerks are out of the White House, the better n/t

[lonestarnot]

18. Tell me,

who in the hell is going to enforce speed limits on the high fucking seas?

[nosmokes]

25. That wouldn't be a big problem. GPS, radar, amount of time from port to

port- there are numerous ways of enforcing the limit.And it ain't like Homeland Security is overly busy securing our ports or checking containers or sumpin like that.