WASHINGTON – Secretary of State Hillary Clinton joined military leaders Wednesday in pushing reluctant Senate Republicans to ratify The Law of the Sea Treaty, which Clinton said could unlock hundreds of billions of dollars while protecting U.S. economic interests overseas.
The passage of the 30-year-old international treaty would allow the U.S. to tap into offshore natural resources including oil and gas, claim areas of the Arctic and secure international navigational rights for U.S. commercial ships.
Clinton, who testified before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee along with Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta and Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman General Martin Dempsey in full court press from the Obama administration, said U.S. oil and gas companies are “ready and able” to explore offshore drilling but need “international legal certainty” before taking action, which can happen only if the U.S. joins the Law of the Sea Convention by ratifying the treaty.
Sen. John Kerry, D-Mass., presides over a Senate Foreign Relations Committee hearing Wednesday. (Susanna Pak/MNS)
The committee’s chairman, Sen. John Kerry, D-Mass., said he won’t bring a vote on the treaty before the November election. “A number of colleagues on and off the committee have been very candid and suggested that they would be more comfortable if we can avoid pushing this deliberative process into the middle of an election,” he said. “I would like to see this treaty stay out of the hurly-burly of presidential politics.”
Some Republicans, led by Sen. Jim DeMint, R-S.C., have vowed to hold up the vote. So far, 26 of the Senate’s 47 Republicans have signed a letter pledging to oppose ratification. Thirty-four votes are needed to kill the treaty in the Senate.
In his letter, DeMint writes, “To effect the treaty’s broad regime of governance, we are particularly concerned that United States sovereignty could be subjugated in many areas to a supranational government that is chartered by the United Nations under the 1982 Convention. Further, we are troubled that compulsory dispute resolution could pertain to public and private activities including law enforcement, maritime security, business operations, and nonmilitary activities performed aboard military vessels.”
The convention provides the U.S. with an extended continental shelf beyond 200 nautical miles from shore, giving the U.S. the internationally recognized right to drill for oil, gas and mineral resources in an area that is 1.5 times the size of Texas. Supporters of the treaty say access to these untapped resources could help boost the U.S. economy and result in job creation.
Exxon Mobil Corp. and the Shell Oil Company, as well as business organizations such as the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, the American Petroleum Institute and the National Association of Manufacturers, endorse ratification of the treaty.
The U.S. is the only NATO country other than Turkey that has not ratified the treaty. About 160 countries have signed it so far.
The treaty would also allow the U.S. to dig up rare earth minerals used in smart phones, flat screen TVs and medical equipment, which are currently produced almost exclusively by China.
“Whether it’s rare earth minerals, the Arctic or illegal maritime claims, China is moving the ball over the goal-line while we are sitting on the sidelines,” Kerry said.
Russia and Canada are establishing the outer limits of their continental shelves and claiming portions of the Arctic, which could include areas that belong to the U.S. under the treaty.
Forgoing claims in the Arctic could have major economic implications. According to the U.S. Geological Survey, the Arctic holds a quarter of the world’s undiscovered resources, including tens of billions of barrels of oil.
As the Arctic warms, “you will see China, India, Brazil, you name it, vying for navigational rights through the Arctic,” Clinton said.
Beyond securing economic zones, the treaty would allow U.S. ships to travel safely in international waters, an important factor when it comes to trade. Commercial ships would be able to navigate safely through areas like the South China Sea and the Strait of Hormuz, the latter of which sees a significant portion of the world’s oil stream.
If the U.S. were to join the Law of the Sea Convention, it would have a guaranteed, permanent seat on the council that governs deep seabed mining, a point that Clinton repeatedly brought up during the hearing. The U.S. would be the only nation with a permanent seat.