A trashed monument

Monday, Aug. 11, 2008 | 2:04 a.m.

President Bush basked in the rare praise of environmentalists two years ago after he created the largest national monument in the country.

Environmentalists hoped the designation would provide extra protection to the nearly 140,000-square-mile Northwestern Hawaiian Islands Marine National Monument, which has been overwhelmed with trash.

Because of the way the Pacific Ocean’s currents run, the area is something of an oceanic garbage dump. Each year an estimated 57 tons of trash in the ocean — from plastic bottles to fishing gear — end up on the chain of islands and in surrounding waters. The trash has not only smothered sensitive coral reefs but has also ensnared monk seals and choked sea birds.

That is of particular concern to biologists because of the diversity of the islands and their coral reefs. The monument is home to about 7,000 rare species, a quarter of which are found only in the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands.

Unfortunately, the Bush administration has dramatically slashed the budget for cleanup efforts since creating the monument.

In 2005 the government spent $2.1 million to clean up accumulated trash, but since then Bush has budgeted only $400,000 a year for cleanup efforts. A monument manager told the Associated Press the Bush administration made its budget requests based on incorrect estimates of the amount of trash that floats into it.

In the name of “good stewardship,” Bush increased the budget to $590,000 for the current fiscal year, but that is still a far cry from what is needed. As a result, the monument is still awash in debris that is threatening animals and the environment.

By creating this monument, the Bush administration took on the responsibility for protecting it, but in slashing funding, it has disgracefully abdicated its role.

It is now up to Congress to take responsibility and properly fund the monument.