![[Valid Atom 1.0]](valid-atom.png "Validate my Atom 1.0 feed")
BBC MUNDO RADIO
LOS ANGELES, May 20 (Xinhua) -- The governors of U.S. states of California, Oregon, and Washington pledged on Thursday to join hands in taking action toward healthy oceans, coasts, and coastal communities.
The three states have worked out eight issue-specific work plans to improve and sustain the health of the three states' shared coastal and ocean resources and the communities that depend on them, according to California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger.
With 500,000 dollars in new funding from the federal government, projects funded by existing federal and state investments will be able to continue and the three states will begin to look at which projects to start next, Schwarzenegger said.
"We are moving from planning to action with the release of these implementation plans," said Schwarzenegger. "Together we made a commitment to address climate change, combat ocean garbage, reduce water pollution, protect our marine habitats, and to unlock the mysteries of our offshore waters by mapping the seafloor off all three states. Today we are taking a bold new step in fulfilling that commitment."
In 2006, governors of the three states were committed to taking action to protect the states' shared coastal and ocean resources. In July 2008, the three governors released a West Coast Governors' Agreement on Ocean Health (WCGA) Action Plan that identified common ocean and coastal management priorities.
The regional agreement was the first of its kind on the West Coast and also aligns well with federal planning efforts currently under way under the Obama Administration's Ocean Policy Task Force established in 2009.
The eight issue-specific work plans released by the governors are: 1. climate change, 2. polluted runoff, 3. marine debris, 4. spartina eradication, 5. renewable ocean energy, 6. ocean awareness and literacy, 7. seafloor mapping, and 8. sediment management, Schwarzenegger said.
The issue areas represent the need to clean up the ocean, protect it from future damage and the importance of balancing new uses of the ocean with existing practices such as fishing and habitat protection.
"The best way to protect the interests of coastal communities is to preserve our existing ocean resources and identify new economic development opportunities," Oregon Governor Ted Kulongoski said. "One example is wave energy. We can tap our ocean as a new source of green power in a way that protects the traditional uses of our ocean. We accomplish this by engaging the public in ocean management policy decisions on the state and regional level, and I encourage participation by all people on the West Coast in shaping the future of our ocean."
"An enormous amount of work was put into these work plans to benefit ocean and coastal health and our working communities," Washington Governor Chris Gregoire said. "This shows the strongest commitment on the part of our citizens and experts. We owe them our deepest gratitude and thanks. Now we must turn our full attention to getting plans transformed into real, on-the-ground work."
