Resolution Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary Expansion.
[Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary Expansion]
Resolution amending Commission on the Environment Resolution 004-13-COE in support of the Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary Expansion.
WHEREAS, The Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary (the Sanctuary) was designated in 1992 for the purpose of understanding and protecting the coastal ecosystem and submerged cultural resources of central California; and,
WHEREAS, The Sanctuary is home to one of the most diverse marine ecosystems in the world, including 33 species of marine mammals, 94 species of seabirds, 345 species of fishes, and numerous invertebrates and plants; and,
WHEREAS, The San Francisco-Pacifica Exclusion Area (commonly known as the doughnut hole), that was left out when the sanctuary was created, is also home to myriad seabirds, mammals and other marine species, including the rare sevengill shark and the local stock of harbor porpoises that inhabits both the doughnut hole and San Francisco Bay; and,
WHEREAS, Conditions that led to the creation of the Exclusion Area, the marine region stretching from Pedro Point in Pacifica to the Point Bonita Lighthouse in Marin County, have significantly changed since 1992, suggesting that a review of the exclusion decision is now appropriate; and,
WHEREAS, The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) is proposing to expand the Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary to include the Exclusion Area; and,
WHEREAS, The expansion of the Sanctuary could lead to more financial resources for research, education, outreach and natural resource protection; and,
WHEREAS, While a number of federal and state agencies now have regulatory responsibilities in this area, designating the Exclusion Area as part of the marine sanctuary can provide the long-term coordinated and comprehensive planning and management needed to protect its habitats and ecosystem; and,
WHEREAS, NOAA’s proposal to administratively adjust the Sanctuary boundaries to include the Exclusion Area will: protect additional nationally significant seascape, wildlife, shipwrecks and Native American artifacts; honor the seafaring community; and promote ecotourism; and,
WHEREAS, The protection of marine wildlife is consistent with the Biodiversity Policy of the SF Commission on the Environment; and,
WHEREAS, Many species of marine wildlife using the Sanctuary are also found within San Francisco Bay; and
WHEREAS, The Commission on the Environment supports, at least in the near term, the beach nourishment component of the Ocean Beach Master Plan developed by SPUR; and,
WHEREAS, While the San Francisco Public Utilities Commission has made great strides in reducing the incidents of primary-treated discharges into the ocean, there will still be storm events when such discharges may be necessary; and,
WHEREAS, The expansion of the Sanctuary Boundary would help celebrate achievements in environmental awareness and management resulting in improved water quality and the return of marine wildlife; now, therefore be it,
RESOLVED, That the San Francisco Commission on the Environment strongly supports the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s proposal to expand the Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary to include the Exclusion Area; and, be it,
FURTHER RESOLVED, That the San Francisco Commission on the Environment urges NOAA to consider the feasibility and appropriateness of further expanding the Sanctuary into San Francisco Bay to provide needed protection for the harbor porpoise, the sevengill shark, the leatherback sea turtle, and other species of concern that use or may use the marine environment on both sides of the Golden Gate Bridge, and, be it,
FURTHER RESOLVED, That the Commission does not view the environmental protection goals of this Resolution as inconsistent with the potential development of renewable energy resources in the future, subject to appropriate environmental review, and be it,
FURTHER RESOLVED, That the Commission similarly does not view the environmental protection goals of this Resolution as inconsistent with the current and expected future management of Ocean Beach and San Francisco’s wastewater infrastructure, and be it,
FURTHER RESOLVED, That the Commission urges NOAA to incorporate provisions into the boundary expansion language that clearly assure that the following will not be precluded: the use of dredged sediment for beach nourishment and the use of managed retreat as an adaptive management strategy as called for in the Ocean Beach Master Plan; the Army Corps of Engineers’ dredging of sediments from the outer bar and the beneficial reuse of those sediments; the ability of the SF Public Utilities Commission to protect, maintain and eventually replace, without an increased administrative burden, the Southwest Ocean Outfall, the Lake Merced Tunnel, and/or other Oceanside infrastructures; and the discharge, when necessary, of wastewater treated to the less-than-secondary level, and be it,
FURTHER RESOLVED, That the Commission urges the San Francisco Public Utilities Commission to continue to work to reduce stormwater inputs into the combined system and to reduce the number and volume of combined sewage discharges, and be it,
FURTHER RESOLVED, That the Commission urges NOAA, as part of its NEPA review of the proposed boundary expansion, to assess the environmental impacts of a range of scenarios involving different numbers and volumes of combined sewage discharges.
I hereby certify that this Resolution was adopted at the Commission on the Environment’s Meeting on May 28, 2013.
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Monica Fish, Commission Secretary
VOTE: Approved (4-0) (3 Absent)
AYES: Commissioners Arce, Gravanis, Stephenson and Wald
NOES: None
ABSENT: Commissioners Josefowitz, King and Mok