Senate Concurrent Resolution 559

A CONCURRENT RESOLUTION DESIGNATING JANUARY 13, 2010, AS "WEAR BLUE FOR A HEALTHY GULF AND COAST DAY IN MISSISSIPPI" TO SHOW SUPPORT FOR THE FIRST EVER NATIONAL OCEAN POLICY.

WHEREAS, Mississippi Gulf Coast is an astonishingly beautiful environment, from coral reefs to cypress swamps. These ecosystems support an incredible diversity of life that we have only just begun to explore, and they also sustain us in our day-to-day lives, for one, oceans give us most of the oxygen that we breathe; and

WHEREAS, unfortunately, our oceans and coasts are managed by 20 different federal agencies trying to implement 140 separate and often conflicting laws and regulations. This tangled management is not effectively addressing threats to our coasts and oceans such as unsustainable fishing, wetlands loss, water pollution and ocean acidification; and

WHEREAS, for the first time ever, a unifying National Ocean Policy that protects, maintains and restores our oceans, coasts and Great Lakes is within reach. By coming together on January 13th and wearing blue we will join citizens throughout the nation standing for healthy oceans and coasts:

NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE SENATE OF THE STATE OF MISSISSIPPI, THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES CONCURRING THEREIN, That we do hereby designate January 13, 2010, as "Wear Blue for a Healthy Gulf and Coast Day in Mississippi" to show support for the first ever National policy that would protect, maintain and restore our oceans, gulf coasts and Great Lakes, and encourage all citizens to learn about and support this effort.

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, That this resolution be forwarded to the Bureau of Marine Resources, the Wear Blue for Oceans Campaign and made available to the Capitol Press Corps.