Dear Future President,

According to Ann M. Simmons, a writer for the New York Times, approximately one-third of the oceans within the borders of the United States are protected . Is one-third enough? The endless cycle of companies dumping dangerous wastes in the ocean will continue, because the Environmental Protection Agency doesn’t require the companies to pay for the lasting impact these wastes cause.

Ann M. Simmons, the author of many articles concerning environmental issues, stated that oceans “are the lifeblood of our planet.” It is disappointing that some view the ocean as unimportant and they believe ocean pollution doesn’t directly influence their lives, because it is incontrovertible that the human race would not be able to survive without the benefits of the vast body of water. The article “Clean Water Laws are Neglected, at a Cost in Suffering”, states that some people believe that making the companies pay for polluting would be senseless because they believe that the cost isn’t worth it considering that the chemicals may have a very minimal influence on marine life, but the 60,000 chemicals not regulated by the government are still being studied , so the risks of these chemicals are not yet determined. The EPA and other organizations focused on the conservation of oceans are not able to keep up with the rate at which pollutants are dumped into lakes and rivers because it has “significantly accelerated.” While the safety of the chemicals found in water are being determined, more chemicals are being dumped in . This makes it nearly impossible to ensure all of the water in the ocean is decisively harmless to marine life because so many chemicals are being added to the water at the same time.

According to an article addressing the “blue economy”, written by Ann Simmons, nearly “fifty-five percent of U.S. rivers and streams are in poor condition for aquatic life”, which is very alarming.  More rivers and streams must be protected so the marine life, which is very important to the ecosystem, can survive. These organisms ingest the chemicals and aren’t able to defend themselves against any exposure of the harsh metals and chemicals being released into these bodies of water. There is no way for these marine organisms to remove contaminants from the water, so they are forced to swim helplessly through the cloudy and heavily polluted water.

Companies must adhere to laws designed to allow the EPA to fine companies for polluting, and there must be adjustments to the law to make sure there is definite consequences to companies dumping wastes into the ocean. The companies must be held responsible for polluting our oceans, and an effective way to do this is to make them pay a fine that is proportional to the amount of chemicals they dumped, the current condition of the ocean, and the severity of the chemicals. The fine will have to inconvenience these companies enough that they will be less willing to continue dumping these wastes, and they will have to find alternative ways to get rid of chemicals.

Sincerely,

Jessica S.