Natural Resources Committee Home

June 15, 2009

The President
The White House
Washington, DC 20500

Dear Mr. President:

On behalf of the nation’s governors, we urge you to give the United States Senate your strong support for the advice and consent of the U.N. Convention on the Law of the Sea. Since 1994, the Law of the Sea has established a legal regime governing activities on, over, and under the world’s oceans, codifying over two centuries of customary international ocean law.

Governors recognize the importance of international agreements that affect our oceans, and support the ratification of the Convention. Ratification will enable the United States to protect sovereign interests during considerations of the Commission on the Limits of the Continental Shelf, which oversees claims to seabeds beyond the 200-mile Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) and its potential for energy, mineral, and marine resources. The Convention will also allow the U.S. to establish measures to reduce marine pollution, including taking action against vessels suspected of violating regulations within EEZ waters. In addition, ratification will allow the United States to participate in negotiations and decision-making regarding international issues such as deep seabed mining and dispute settlement, introduce proposed amendments to the Convention, or block amendments that are not in the best interest of the nation.

Until the United States is a full party to the Convention, we are hindered in accessing ocean resources, establishing and promoting environmental protections, and curtailed from participating in continuing debate on sovereign rights. Therefore, Governors urge the swift ratification of the U.N. Convention on the Law of the Sea.

Sincerely,