john bryson has a very, very interesting background that goes wide and deep. after graduating from yale law school he was one of the folks that put together the national resources defense council and took a lifelong interest in the preservation and enhancement of our natural resources throughout the country. he also in california was the chair of the state water resources control board. now, that's worth thinking about for a second, because califor a california, as mark twain once said, whiskey is for drinking. water is for fighting over. when you're the chair of the board and you understand that the waters in the north, the agricultures in the middle and people in the south, there's plenty to fight over. when you're the chair, can you

keep that fighting to a minimum and actually make progress on the issue of water in california? and john did that. john, of course, went on to become president and ceo of evanston international, one of the world's largest and in my vup most progressive energy companies. john is a talented, intelligent, thoughtful secretary of commerce. he is the person who the president has entrusted with the rather sizable mission for this administration to be able to 24/7 create jobs, extend the reach of commerce throughout the world in the united states of america, domestically and abroad. it is my pleasure to introduce the 37th secretary of commerce, the honorable john bryson.

[ applause ] >> fred knocked me out with that. that is very generous, and i thank you very much. fred and i, when he was in the assembly of the california legislature, am i saying it, the assembly, right? yeah. and we had a tough stretch in california and we worked very, very hard to sort things out. this was -- i won't go into any of the details, but it was an amazingly challenging period of time and we worked it through and fred it's so nice to see you. and jason, i want to say that you're having undertaken this, 13 years, is a real service to all of us. it's a fabulous service, and this is a wonderful gathering. i thank you all for being here.

as fred said, president obama, it's an honor to greet you on behalf of him and the entire administration for this ocean week. it's great to see such a diverse community here from researchers to businesses to congressional staff, to the local regional and nonprofit groups, and i want to thank the national marine sanctuary foundation for putting together such a great week as well as for their input into the national ocean policy, which will soon enter its implementation phase and i think all of you know, we should all stay tuned for more on that in the months ahead. so obviously, this is a crucial moment for america's economy. you all know that as we emerge

from the biggest recession since the great depression. our businesses have added over 4.3 million jobs. over the last 27 months. that's good news, but we still have much more work to do. touched on that. that's what i'm most engaged in, and today what i wanted to do is speak to how our oceans play a key role in that critically important economic recovery. the fact is, america's waters have always been a strong economic engine. some call that the blue economy. sir walter recaaleigh, one of america's early explorers, and he said this -- i like this a lot --

for whosoever commands the sea, he said, commands the trade. and hoonwhosoever commands the riches of the world and consequently the world itself. i'm sure raleigh couldn't have fathomed the impact of planes or railroads much less e-commerce, but the fact remains, even centuries after he spoke those memorable words there remains a vital and powerful link between america's ocean, rivers, lakes and coasts and merkel economy. america's economy. consider this. more than half americans live in coastal watershed counties. that's true even though this area marks up only 17% of our u.s. land area. and those counties support about 66 million jobs. so it's along the coastal areas.

and so now more than ever we need to ensure that the blue kmip economy is strong and growing. this morning i'll touch on three ways we can do that. so first, we simply need to show off america's waters. so i grew up in portland, oregon, and as a boy i remember going with my father and my uncle down to the columbia river, down to the coast, and while they would go out in the deep water to catch salmon, i wou would spend much of my day trying to fix the line on my little fishing pole. i was really into this. and then one summer when i -- in the years i was in high school, i got very excited about something, and i worked as a camp counselor on the puget

sound, and each week i took campers out, every week, campers out for three and four-day canoe trips. these were big trip, we thought, and i'm sure that many of you have kernpersonal connections t our waters and you cher ish's. he cherish the memories you made with friends and family. today it's time we share those experiences with the rest of the world. that's what noaa and the marine foundation are working towards every day. together they support 14 marine protected areas across the u.s., and these sanctuaries offer snorkeling, whale watching, fishing and much more. and although altogether noaa estimates that these communities and coastal businesses derive about $4 billion into our economy -- let me take it a little further.

nationwide, we also see major impacts on our economy from things like recreational fishing. so when you add up the beach shops and the boat sales and the other economic drivers and fishing communities, that comes to more than $73 billion supporting hundreds of thousands of jobs. so let me talk for a minute, however, about a missed opportunity. our oceans, our coasts our great lakes are sometimes all entirely overlooked when both americans and international travelers plan their vacations. that's part of the reason why secretary salazar, the department of interior and i are heading up the administration's new national travel and tourism strategy, which was released

just last month. we believe that showing off our oceans, rivers, lakes and coast isn't just a nice thing to do. the fact is that travel and tourism is america's number one services export. this is a big impact on our economy and jobs. so last year, for example, we had an all-time record of 62 million international travelers to the u.s. and they supported 7.6 million good american jobs. we need to build on that momentum. that's why our new plan, the one that has just been put out, assets goal of 700 -- i'm sorry. sets a goal of 100 million visitors each year by 2010. let's move that up. the only way we're going to meet that goal is, obviously, if all

of us work together. many federal agencies, for example, are involved in this effort. i'm give you one example. the state department is working to issue more tourist visas from countries that have a growing middle class. and then in addition our private sector partners on, for example, the u.s. travel and tourism advisory board are working to ensure a great experience for our tourists. they want, for example to make it easier for them to get through our airports and arrive at their final destinations, and today we -- we need your help. let's get the word out about the wonderful opportunities to discover and explore america's vast waters. i encourage you to check out the new tourism strategy, and thank you -- thank you very much in advance for helping reach its important goals.

all right. that's one. and then the second way we can strengthen the blue economy is to maximize the potential of our oceans and waterways. i believe we can ensure that our oceans are healthy while also leveraging their ability to drive the economy. and specifically, they can help increase u.s. exports. even with air cargo and high-speed trains, it's important to remember that shipping remains a cornerstone of our export infrastructure. in fact, and this is, to me, a stunning fact. nearly 90% of our foreign goods trade has measured by volume, transmitted by ship. so in 2011, over half a trillion dollars in u.s. goods were exported around the world through shipping. it occurs to me that sir walter raleigh would be smiling at

that. it's no surprise, i think that our waterways are a key part of president obama's national export initiative. seeking to double u.s. exports by the year 2015 a very ambitious goal, but we're making historic progress towards that ambitious goal, and last year -- last year we hit an all-time record. all-time u.s. record, of $2.1 trillion in exports. our folks in places like noaa are working harder than ever to build on that. for example, noaa the navigational services division uses high-tech positioning tools combined with the latest weather data to ensure that our exports can move safely and efficiently. technology and information we provide to the private sector is particularly important at our nation's ports.

for example, if a shipper knows that a port has just one additional inch water duct, they can load more goods on to the boat. so with that one inch, just as an example as can you put 99 more chevy volts on to the car carrier or enough wheat to make over 400,000 loaves of bread. my commitment is that we will continue to do everything possible to empower our exporters who use the sea to send out good quality made in america products. today -- today we must do even more, and i'll give just one important and timely example. the senate, as i think all of you know, is taking a hard look at having the u.s. join the law of the sea convention. this has the strong support of groups ranging from our milit y

military, the world wildlife fund, the petroleum institute to the u.s. chamber of commerce. the economic effects, the economic benefits of this treaty are clear. first it will ensure that we continue to protect and maintain those shipping routes, but it's more than that. it will give our energy companies the certainty they need to make critical investments and create jobs, help our telecommunications companies as they build and maintain under sea cables and secure our access to rare earth minerals which we need, for example to make computers and cell phones. importantly, it will also help us urge other countries to sustain, to support sustainability, protect the marine habitats and species and to promote healthy oceans. already over 160 countries have

signed on to this treaty. republicans and democrats alike have voiced their support for many years. everyone from presidents clinton and bush to secretary of defens coast to james watkins. former chief of the u.s. naval operations, u.s. secretary of energy and the chair of the commission on oceans policy. so it's clear that no country has more to gain from this treaty than does the u.s. important meetings are already under way to draw up the rules thatflowing from the convention. the u.s. has an empty seat waiting for us at the table. we need to fill it. after all, america has nerve been con tonight sit back and let others make decisions that could affect our security, our

economy or our environment, and the benefits of this treaty are too great to ignore especially at this crucial moment in our recovery. we should act now. so finally, it's commencement season. we all know that or most of us know it or are affected by it in some ways. i am. i think it's important to the close that we need to expect the next generation to understand, explore and protect our waters in the decades that lie ahead. about a mile from here in d.c.'s crime museum noaa just opened a new exhibit on the 40th anniversary of the marine mammal protection act. as you know, this law helps protect marine life and our marine ecosystems as we speak.

it might about young person wandering around that museum, looking at the pictures and thinking for the first time, this is what i want to do. this is my world. i fwhaet mabut that. of you had that same uh-huh moment early on and today you probably still have moments that really spark your interest and imagination. for example, i'm sure that many of you know that noaa's telepresence technology allows us to send seafloor images to researchers and scientists around the world. and as you may have seen on the news a few weeks ago, this helped us uncover an incredible ship wreck deep in the gulf of mexico. looking forward we're going to do even more to spark the interest of those young people. for example, starting this weekend we're teaming up with

the national marine sanctuary foundation and the sports fishing conservancy to launch what's called the sanctuary classic. through competitions and scholarships the sanctuary classic will sanction excitement among our youth about conservation and fishing. so what's clear is this -- we need to find young people who share our curiosity and our interest in america's waters. maybe they want to be an oceanographer or researcher who works in this field, maybe they want some day to go into public service at at place like noaa, or perhaps they will simply want to start a business that helps people understand and enjoy our waterways like that camp i worked for that summer. taking campers on canoe trips on the puget sound. that was the greatest thing i could do. we need to identify these young

people. we need to nurture them and mentor them and ultimately make sure they can make a difference, just like all of you are making in your daily work. and so what i want to do is con clupd way quote conclude with a quote from a favorite president of mine. this president i have right now, his portrait behind my desk at the commerce department, president kennedy once said, knowledge of the oceans is more than a matter of curiosity. our very survival. they hinge upon it. i think everyone here would agree our oceans and our waters are critical toll our prosperity, to our quality of life, and to the future of our nation. so let's show them off, let's maximize the potential and let's

inspire that next generation to follow in our footsteps. thank you very much, and have a great, great week. thank you. [ applause ] well, president obama is mixing campaignlien slative bus wrapped up a two-day trip to the west coast. the president started his day in the los angeles area with a fund-raising breakfast for about 300 people tickets started at $2,500. this afternoon the president heads to nevada for a speech at university of nevada, las vegas. the white house says he's prevent student loan rates from doubling at the end of the month. live coverage of the president's remarks starts at 3:50 eastern. the congressional core spoents

din sir tomorrow night and house speaker john boehner will speak, entertainment by comedian wayne brady. coverage at 9:00 eastern. see it on c-span. the b-52, everyone thinks back to vietnam. they think linebacker operations. they think of the this of the b-52. cold war. so there's a different kind of power associated with the b-52 as opposed to other long-range bombers. >> these are two friends. union and confederate, who knew each other prior to the civil war. who fought against each other at the battle of pea ridge in 1862. here they are at age 100 sitting on the porch talking about the old days. >> we have one to the east, marked 9 ot 01. the gate to west marked 903 and they really reflect our reference the moment of the bomb, which was at 9:02. >> watch for the travels of

c-span's local vehicles every month on book tv and american history tv and look for history and literary culture in jefferson city, missouri. june 30th and july 1st on c-span2 and c-span3. a five-year farm and food bill that revamps the federal safety net for farmers cleared its first proposal hurdle in the senate. senators vote the 90-8 earlier today to officially begin the day on what could be several weeks of attempts to amend the legislation that would spend someone $100 billion on crop insurance, conservation and nutrition programs. that measure would save $23 billion over ten years from current spending levels. some savings would come from eliminating the current system where farmers get paid directly regardless whether they plant a crop. see this live on our companion network c-span2. congressional leaders of both the house and senate intelligence committee are holding a press conference this afternoon to discuss the recent classified national security

information leaks. live coverage of that briefing beginning at 12:30 eastern. just under 10 minutes from now. right now, though, a discussion of the transportation bill proposal that would eliminate federal highway and mass transit programs from today's "washington journal." >> our guest representative tom graves. he's republican from georgia, a member of the appropriations committee. first of all, welcome. >> great to be with you, thank you. >> the highway bill sets to expire in late june. june 30th. what has to happen in the congress before that expiration date? >> a lot has to happen. as you know, we've been in a back-and-forth debate over different concepts with the highway bill and currently it's in conference committee between the house and senate, and a lot of new ideas, though, have been interjected into this debate. one comes from myself and senator jim demint. i've been proposing a new concept. sort of a 21st century solution how to we find transportation amounted em poubers states,

allow them to keep the excise tax and spend it on projects they see best fit and not sending all the money to washington and threat be dealt out. totally different concepts but a lot's got to happen in the next few weeks winchts is your concept better? >> allows states, empowers the states. give us a chance to govern. an opportunity in 2010 to govern and we will change the way things are operating in washington. we'll even send some of it back to the states, and this is one of those concepts you could really do that with, because it was a temporary proposal in the 1950s when it was intended to be for 15, 16 years. temporary tax to build out the interstate system, and since then that tax has only ballooned, and now 18.4 cents per gallon that every american pays when they go to the gas pumps. that money comes up to the federal government and it's -- divvied out back to the states, and take georgia, for example.

we only get 89% on average of our tax dollars sent back to the state of georgia to be spent on roads and bridges, or anything else. and with that comes all the mandates. all of washington's wishes and demands on how you spend that, and we're just saying, look, let's -- we tried it. we've messed it up. it worked for a while but it's not working anymore. let's send it back to where we know it works best. that's back to the states. the states are so innovative. they come up with so many great solutions. they're better at handling all the issues that are meant to be dealt with within the states and the federal government really has messed this up and doesn't have a responsibility here anymore. however, though, for those that say, what about maintaining the interstates between states? senator demint and myself we allow for that to happen by a portion of that excise tax being held by the federal government for maintenance and making sure there's continuity any transportation between states. so back to the original intent of what was intended back in the

1950s. >> some of the elements from the proposal, the transportation empowerment act of 2011 to phase out federal highway mass transit programs go over a four-year transition period. the gas tax like the representative talks about would go from 18.4 droents 3.7 cents and april lew it to control per gallon of gas tax. done in a block grant? >> that's the transition phase. more of a block grant. those that say, whoa, a tax increase in the states? no, it wouldn't. we've had a lot of discussion about this, and there's already 18.4 cents collected at the tax -- the tax collected currently at the pump. if states want to move up to 18.4 cents then have the flexible but also not to do that. they say we want to save our consumers in the state tax dollars and keep the tax less. keep it lower. how can they do that? swroun as much money to spend on roads and transportation. but in fact they would have

more, because without the federal government's red tape, that dollar's going further. states can charge less taxes and actually get roads done quicker, and more of the priorities and projects in the states accomplished at a better pace and within the needs and the demands of the transportation and freight and people movement that's required in each community. >> once the states get ahold of that money would they have requirements to use it just for transportation purposes instead of meeting our shortfalls in the budget? >> most are dedicated to highways, transportation-related projects already in georgia. again, that's up to every state. i'm one that says let the states make these decisions. this is not something the federal government needs to tell you how to spend your money. that's why we're in the mess we're in now. the state of georgia already handled that. i imagine other states are in the similar position. >> what types of response to your proposal? >> a lot of people, you can imagine, support it. 27 donors states like georgia

where we don't receive back everything we get. it actually goes to other states. then you have others that don't like it. you know why? because it's giving up of power. anytime you're giving up pow around money in washington there's going to be resistance. you can imagine a little resistance to this as well. >> representative, join us for a discussion on the highway bill, highway taxes, or gas taxes and other issues. if you want to give him a call and talk and the ask questions the number 202-737-to 002 republicans. 2 op 2-737-0001 democrats. 202-638-0205 for independents. twitter address, c-spanwj, e-mail, c spa-span.orc-span.org. go ahead. >> caller: yes, sir. i agree with the -- with the representative there. i -- we have the example of

wisconsin, and when the state began to control funds and things, the state was actually able to lower taxes -- well, they didn't lower them, but they did not increase any. they were able to get their budget in line, and it just seems that, you know, government involved, especially the federal government, and the needs of the local government and all of that, sometimes don't really know what the local governments need. and so i think it should be a state thing. state by state. the same with providing health care and other issues. when the fed gets involved in it, there's waste.