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Blog Post 10 Infographic

Works Cited

"On the Tide." Marine Conservation Institute. N.p., n.d. Web. 05 June 2017.

"Save the Sea / Committed to save the Sea and Protect Our Environment." Save the Sea / Committed to save the Sea and Protect Our Environment. N.p., n.d. Web. 05 June 2017.

"Water Page Resources." Water Page Resources: The Importance of Water Conservation. N.p., n.d. Web. 05 June 2017.

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Civic Action Assessment of Issue

1. Where are we born and the families we are born into are out of our control. This is why we need to appreciate the community we are in and the advantages that come with it. It is important to play a big role in meeting the needs of the community. Not necessarily something of monetary value, but rather the action we can take as citizens. We must voice our opinions, offer solutions to problems the community is facing, and donate our time. 

2. Before this year I did not understand the importance of civic responsibility. Civic responsibility is a key component of a successful democracy. We must participate in organizations or associations we we can advocate for civil causes.

3. I feel obligated especially with our current administration. This is the reason we need civic action. When our government does not address the issues that we believe are important, then it is our obligation to ensure that they do.

4. I expanded my knowledge of the issue by going to Hanauma Bay on Tuesday, May 16th,  and watching a video they have on conservation. They have specific policies that they enforce that other bays and water sites could use too, yet the policies are not largely adopted because they are not mandated by the states. This is why our government needs to be alerted on these issues through civic action. I also talked to beach agents on the issues the water is facing and what each individual person can do. It is vital to instill knowledge in beachgoers and big businesses so that they understand the repercussions of hurting the water. 

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Interest Groups and PACs

1. 

a. The National Resources Defense Council

b. Combine power of 2 million members, lawyers, scientists, and policy advocates to ensure the rights of all people to the air, the water, and the wild.

c. Works to protect seas from pollution and exploitation, implement laws that allow overfished species to rebound,  fight to protect offshore communities from drilling, ban destructive fishing practices, conserve ocean treasures

d. Coast Guard Reauthorization Act, they are trying to stop dumping into waters, if it continues it will have devastating consequences

e. Located in New York, there are offices everywhere, including San Francisco, so yes there are local meetings I could attend

f. They have lists of ways you can take personal action, including calling congress, saving energy at home, blocking big polluters

g. I really like the incorporation of science into their opinions and beliefs. It helps create a believable story and makes people want to take action.

2.

a. Association of California Water Agencies

b. To promote the development, management, and reasonable beneficial use of quality water in California. 

c. They identify issues to water industry on behalf of citizens, communicates scientific advancements, facilitates consensus building, develops reasonable goals, advocates sound legislation

d. Currently hoping to create clean water and jobs in California (specific legislation is only available to members)

e. Located in Sacramento, no information on local meeting

f. Yes you can register for events that they have (not specified in detail)

g. They are into technology and cost efficiency, it seems like this interest group can appeal to both sides of the spectrum

3. 

a. Freedom Works

b. The EPA is driving up costs for conservation (organization not solely dedicated to environmental issues0

c. too many regulations for institutions and corporations, there are no restrictions to what unelected bureaucrats at EPA can do, not seeking congressional approval, pursuit of alternative energy should not come at the expense of prosperity, need an energy policy that promotes lower costs

d. Lobbying to cancel Obama ERA Regulations

e. Located in Washington DC, no local meetings

f. No volunteer opportunities, you can sign petitions 

g. They explain what the issues are and there is a tab for you to “send a message”, their way of trying to make a change using the power of citizens

4. I think the NRDC is the most organized. It has the most amount of members and puts in detail the specific legislation and goals that they have. Their target audience is people looking to be educated on the environment. 

5. 

a. Environment America Fund

b. They want to ensure all levels of government consider pro environment policies.

c. Total Receipts: $6,305,336

Spent: $6,076,702

End Cash on Hand: $355,555

d. Republicans: No money

Democrats: 1.3 Million

e. Environment of many states, supported by many of the states, mostly liberal

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Political Party Action

Republican

a. They address environmental problems, but do not want the same kind of conservation as most do. They do not want environmental radicalism to push for a future that they do not understand. The goal is job creation and expanding opportunity, which can be created through a modern look on climate change. 

b. No I do not agree because the problems they are address aren’t attempts to solve them rather make excuses as to why they shouldn’t solve them.

Democrat

a. Democrats want to secure environmental and climate justice. Clean air and water are basic human rights. The fight against climate change should include everyone and be a top priority.

b. I agree with this because they want to tackle climate change head on and get everyone involved. They back up their ideas with scientific evidence and are eager to solve the problems human kind has created.

Libertarian

a. So far governments have been unaccountable for ensuring protection of the environment. People who damage it need to be held accountable for its restitution besides in a court of law. The punishment of such actions need to be clear and enforced.

b. I agree because by strengthening laws against certain actions will lead to less damage. Companies will need to find other ways to accomplish what they were doing without hurting the environment. 

Green

a. Green has strong opinions on conservation. We as people must fit to the Earth’s needs and not the other way around. People have been exploiting our resources to find the cheapest route. The health of the ecosystem should be held paramount. 

b. I agree, but it is quite an extreme stance. Humankind is naturally greedy, it is hard to appeal to all people with such a unlikely outcome. 

Peace and Freedom

a. They want to restore and protect air, land, and ecosystems. They want to promote conservation and cut out the activities and practices that are detrimental to the environment such as fracking, extractions, and drilling. 

b. I agree, but once again it is a very extreme stance which is hard to relate to. It is hard to cut off big industries in the United States. We are so reliant on our fuel that it would be nearly impossible to lose it. 

c. I agree mostly with the democratic ideals on the environment. The stance is not overly aggressive in the way that they want to make dramatic changes so quickly. That would be completely unrealistic. They acknowledge that many industries rely on practices that are deemed bad for the environment, but there are alternative ways the get around it. If the only thing I considered was environmental policy, I would vote for the democratic candidate. 

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Executive Action Assessment of Issue

1. Water conservation, along with other environmental policies, is not represented on the website. Historically, Trump hasn’t taken an active stance on climate change. He prioritizes creating jobs over tracking climate change.

2. I do not agree with his stance. He chooses to ignore the problems at hand and is gutting the programs set up during the Obama Administration.

1. The Department of Interior

2. The Department of the Interior protects and manages the Nation's natural resources and cultural heritage; provides scientific and other information about those resources; and honors its trust responsibilities or special commitments to American Indians, Alaska Natives, and affiliated island communities. It does relate because the mission is to protect our natural resources, which includes water.

3. The US Fish and Wildlife Service- Protects the all wildlife on land or in water, The Bureau of Ocean Energy Management- Protects the Ocean and Environment while managing offshore energy, and Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement- Promotes safety while protecting environment, acts as a regulatory force 

4.The action taken thus far is not enough. Our president doesn’t address the issues at all. The cabinet programs should be enough to address water conservation challenges, but still is not be treated as a priority.

5. S: Water conservation efficiency in El Paso, Texas

A: John Purvis, Fox News

C: El Paso has put restrictions on water usage and educated the public and are evaluating if these efforts are efficient. 

A: Anyone interested in water conservation, or people of El Paso

P: Fox is right leaning, more conservative view on the climate change

S: The goal should be to save more gallons of water and the efforts they have made aren't enough. 

I agree with the idea that there needs to be more effort but not that if it doesn’t work well within the first few months or doesn't make a dramatic difference that they should cut it off. 

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The Legislative Branch

1.

Desaulnier:

a. He wants to make an environmental change in California, which includes water.

b.  He sponsored the Sustainable Water Supplies Act.

Harris:

a. She wants to protect the environment while still building the economy.

b. She has not sponsored any bills to conserve the ocean or water yet.

Feinstein:

a. She wants to address climate change, and specifically to California’s drought, she wants to conserve water.

b. Her bill Emergency Drought Relief Act passed, which has long term and short term provisions to address the drought.

2.

c. There are at least 4 bills that pertain to water.

d. H.R. 2129

e. The Climate Change Adapt America Fund Act of 2017 wants the Climate Change Advisory Commission to make recommendations and guidelines for issue of climate change and fund projects that will help adapt to climate change.

f. This would have an impact on my topic, oceans and other bodies of water, because just by improving the state of the environment, the quality of the water will improve. 

g. I would vote yea because this Act is primarily to spread awareness and help people adapt and learn what to do. They don’t have to think on their own, they can take recommendations from an agency that knows everything there is to know about climate change.

h. It was introduced in late April in the house and reviewed by House Committee on Ways and Means, House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure, and House Committee on Energy and Commerce. There has not been a vote yet so it is still in the House. 

i. I am satisfied with the fact that they are trying to spread awareness and advocate for climate change, but there are direct bills for water itself. The decline of the quality of ocean water should be a widely debated topic.

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State Action

1. a. Catharine Bakar voted for the sale of microbeads that harm water and sea life. 

b. I agree with her position because those small little beads do cause a lot of harm not only in the ocean but local water bodies that they find their way into. They are not natural substances and therefore bad for the plant life and and creatures in the water.

c. She coauthored a bill that allows BART to increase its use of renewable energy, which reduces the carbon footprint of commuters. This will have a positive effect on the ocean. She has not sponsored any bills that are directly related to ocean conservation.

a. He wants to protect clean water and helped pass Water and Park Bonds which protects clean water, clean air, parks and coastline throughout California. He wants to conserve water and reduce carbon emissions. 

b. I agree with his position because it is vital to keep the small amount of potable water clean. Eliminating carbon emission is the biggest, most effective place to start.

c. He wants a smoking ban on state beaches and state parks, making them much cleaner. 

2. a. AB1228

b. It was introduced February 17, 2017

c. The bill is currently still in the Assembly. 

d. I would encourage my representatives to support it because it regulates commercial fishing which is a large contribution to the ocean’s current problems. 

3. S: Ocean Conservation and plastic

A: The Seahawk, Megan Romanchock

C: There is a negative impact of plastic in water on marine life. Not only is the plastic itself a physical danger, but the chemicals in it are harmful and the accumulation of that waste is not only dangerous to the marine life but also humans. 

A: People interested in Ocean Conservation, plastic effect on water, people concerned with environmental issues

P: Slightly left leaning, but pretty objective piece given that most of it is fact

Yes I agree. I think it is eye opening to people to see the waste they are creating is not only dangerous for the animals in the water but could come back to hurt us also. 

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Constitutional Issues

1. Coeur Alaska v. S.E. Alaska Conservation Council

2. Decided on June 22, 2009

3. The United States Army Corps of Engineers granted permits to Coeur Alaska to dump wastewater into a lake.The South East Alaska Conservation Council sued to prevent the discharge of the processed water, arguing that granting the permits exceeded the power of the USACE. The federal district court ruled the permits were valid.  On appeal, the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit ruled to void the permits and that the USACE improperly interpreted the Clean Water Act.

4.  Did the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit err in invalidating the United States Army Corps of Engineers' longstanding interpretation of the Clean Water Act?

5. It violates an act/law passed by the government. States have to follow federal law. Not following laws is a violation of Article VI the supremacy clause. 

6.  The Supreme Court held that the USACE and not the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) had authority to grant permits allowing Coeur Alaska Inc. to discharge processed wastewater into the lake. Both the USACE and EPA agreed on a common definition of "fill material," which described the discharge planned by Coeur at its mining site in Alaska. Further, since the USACE had exclusive rights to grant permits relating to the discharge of fill material, the Court reasoned that it was clear that USACE had authority to grant Coeur a permit to discharge its waste at its mining site.

7. It establishes the rights of agencies to decide what is within their authority, and in this case, the USACE to grant permits for dumping waste.

8. I agree with the decision even though the act is bad for the environment because it is established in the Clean Water Act how fill material is defined. Given the definition, it is evident that it is within the USACE’s authority to grant the permit regarding the dumping of the waste water. 

S: Ocean Pollution

A: Ed Cara, Vocative

C: Even in the two deepest trenches in the ocean, crustaceans exhibited very high amounts of persistent organic pollutants which cause serious health problems. 

A: People who are interested in conservation or in ocean critters

P: Leaning slightly left, pretty objective otherwise, states facts

The significance of the article is that warns people that we are polluting even the deepest trenches of the sea. We have an impact on places we don’t even go. I agree with it because it exemplifies what we, as humans, are really capable of and that it is a necessity to make a change as quickly as possible. 

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Economic Assessment of Issue

1. Both individuals and business are affected by ocean conservation. The fishing industry will suffer if the quality of its fish is changed. Marine ecosystems are essential for human survival. 

2. The resolution is a need because the ocean affects the air we breathe, water we drink, and food we eat.

3. Though the use of technology for research is vital, the most important resource or service would be human action. Humans are the cause of the problems in the ocean but humans can also be the change.

4. To lessen the effects humans have had on the oceans, Marine Protected Areas are important. To achieve this, land and labor are necessary.

5. The incentive to help fix the ocean should be to help better the environment. For many, this issue is nonexistent. In order to solve the problem, people must be aware on the global scale but that is difficult if not everyone believes in it.

6. The opportunity costs of conserving the ocean would be amount of fish caught that were reduced due to overfishing and closing more tourist areas off for marine protection.

7. The opportunity costs are worth the political, economic, and social challenges. This fishing industry will have to stop overfishing but if they continue the quality of the ocean will continue to dive and there won't be any fish to catch anyway.

8. The fishing industry profits from overfishing and markets that sell the fish can buy them at a cheap price.

9.  The technology industry will profit because their products are required to help locate areas for marine protection and monitoring the improvement thereafter. 

10. There are several types of externalities caused by industrial activities such as overfishing, oil spills, garbage dumping, sewage and factory waste disposal, and use of toxic pesticides.

11. The issue cannot be totally solved using government subsidies but it would definitely help. The problem has escalated to the point that money cannot fix it, it requires many people to take action. 

12.  

S: Cost of Overfishing

A: Care2.com, Graph taken from Huffingtonpost, written by Director of US Fisheries Campaigns at the Pew Environmental Group

C: Ecotrust analyzed the economic losses associated with overfishing

A: People who read articles on Care2.com, those interested in environmental issues

P: Factual graph, all data that can be proved or confirmed, Care2 is left of center given stance on environmental issues

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S: Overfishing

A: OCCIPIC, Organization for Ocean Conservation, Author unknown

C: Factual, written to inform

A: Targets those who are interested in ocean conservation, meant for followers or those researching the topic

P: Organization trying to spread awareness for overfishing. Tells people that the ocean is being depleted due to human negligence.

S: Their goal is for people to avoid overfishing and this is achievable only if people have an understanding of ocean conservation. If they are informed and aware of where their fish are coming from then they can spread the word to stop destructive commercial fishing and protect the ocean in general.

I agree with this blog however I am not sure I would follow it because it doesn’t seem like they are currently active on social media. Their information makes sense and is easy to comprehend. It can reach those who do not understand the topic and compel them to want to learn more.

I follow the National Ocean Service, SeaWeb, Marine Conservation, Fins and Fluke, Marine Conservation Saving Oceans, and Ocean Unite. I follow these accounts because they report on Ocean conservation and what people can do. They tweet the specific problems and post pictures of marine life and ocean current events. I find the tweets that relate to politics interesting. Marine Conservation retweeted a tweet that talks about what Obama did for the oceans.