Marine sanctuary review public comment period extended

MONTEREY, Calif. - The abundance of marine life and pristine coastline are just some of the marvels of the Central Coast.

The Federal Government designated the Monterey Bay as a national marine sanctuary in 1992 to preserve and protect ocean life for generations to come.

"Protecting the ocean is vital to our survival. It produces half of the oxygen we breathe. It is the base of a food web that is fueling the protein sources for more than a billion people on our planet. We need to protect that. It is at the heart of our climate system," said Ken Peterson, with the Monterey Bay Aquarium.

"It's protected from not being over fished, pretty much wiping out the fishing economy. And that's been a good thing because over the years, the growth of the available seafood in our bay has actually grown to the point where it's now allowing fishermen to provide a wonderful living, and provide good fresh seafood for our area," said Chris Shake, owner of Old Fisherman's Grotto.

But in April, President Donald Trump issued the America-First Offshore Energy Strategy, calling for a review of all national marine sanctuary and monument designations.

And the executive order could roll back existing protections.

The public was given 30 days to comment, when there's normally a 90-day window.

Congressman Jimmy Panetta, who represents the Central Coast, and his colleagues fought for more time.

"If you look at that executive order, it's sort of equivocal. They don't mention the Pacific Coast. They don't mention California but, to us, that demonstrates that there is an inkling. There's an interest that they may want to if they can deal with mineral and oil exploration off the coast of California," Panetta said.

From politicians to locals, everyone agrees that America should be a global energy leader, but it's a matter of how.

"You know what? We should be first in energy, and that's why we continue to look into renewables, continue to make sure that California is No. 1 in solar, California is No. 1 in geothermal, No. 2 in wind," Panetta said.

So far, more than 68,000 people have commented on the President's executive order.

Comments can be made and read here.