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Committee backs resolutions urging state support for U.N. ocean biodiversity agreement
Summary
Senate concurrent resolution 157 and SR127, urging state adoption and support for implementation of the U.N. agreement on marine biological diversity beyond national jurisdiction, passed committee after Department of Land and Natural Resources testimony; department indicated limited direct involvement in drafting.
Senate concurrent resolution 157 and Senate resolution 127, which urge the state to adopt the U.N. agreement on the conservation and sustainable use of marine biological diversity of areas beyond national jurisdiction (BBNJ) and to support state and county implementation measures, passed the committee unamended.
The Department of Land and Natural Resources testified and indicated staff had limited involvement in preparing the resolution: “I'm actually just read about this resolution for the first time. So I'm not sure if we submitted written testimony. If so, we stand on our written testimony. But I wasn't involved in the leading of that. So apologies,” a department representative said. The department nonetheless was recorded as standing on written testimony.
Why it matters: the resolutions express legislative support for an international ocean-agreement framework and encourage state-level administrative and policy measures to align with it. The committee adopted the chair’s recommendation to pass the measures without amendment.
Formal action: the committee chair recommended passing SCR157 and SR127 unamended; the recommendation was adopted by the committee vote and the measures will advance per the legislature’s procedures.
Next steps: the resolutions move forward from committee; any concrete state or county regulatory steps would require separate implementing legislation or administrative actions.
