Washington, DC – In response to reports that President Obama is designating the Northeast Canyons and Seamounts Marine National Monument in the Atlantic Ocean, LCV President Gene Karpinski issued the following statement:

“This is a major victory for our oceans. President Obama has already protected more land and water than any other president in history, and he continues to lead by example by creating the first marine national monument in the Atlantic Ocean. The area is pristine and ecologically intact, supporting fragile and ancient deep-sea corals, a large diversity of marine mammals, and canyons that cut deep into the continental shelf and underwater mountains that rise thousands of feet from the ocean floor. By removing the stresses of commercial resource extraction, this sensitive ecosystem will be better able to cope with the harmful impacts of climate change that are already taking a devastating toll on our oceans. This designation comes in the wake of an extensive stakeholder engagement process, including numerous well-attended public meetings in New England, an official comment period in which 300,000 Americans made their voices heard, public support for the proposal by dozens of New England elected officials, and a poll of Rhode Island and Massachusetts residents showing 78% support for protecting the area. We strongly applaud President Obama for this historic action to preserve our ocean ecosystems from the effects of climate change.”

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