Number: 1979-04
WHEREAS, the United States of America and the Republic of Panama have agreed, in Article XII of the Panama Canal Treaty, to study jointly the feasibility of a sea-level canal; and
WHEREAS, in the event they determine that such a waterway is necessary, they shall negotiate terms for its construction; and
WHEREAS, the ecological effects of a sea-level canal are virtually unknown but potentially enormous and costly; and
WHEREAS, international transportation and Panama Canal experts have shown that the decision of whether or not to construct a sea-level canal need not be made until the year 1990 or later; and
WHEREAS, marine scientists have indicated a need for approximately ten years of studies to adequately assess the potential impacts of a sea-level canal; and
WHEREAS, alternatives to a sea-level canal may be economically superior as well as less ecologically damaging and should be fully studied and coordinated;
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the National Wildlife Federation in annual meeting assembled March 22-25, 1979, in Toronto, Ontario, hereby urges the Congress of the United States of America, as soon as possible, to initiate biological studies of at least ten year’s duration regarding the potential impacts of a sea-level canal; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that these studies should be coordinated with the American Association for the Advancement of Science and the Smithsonian Institution’s Tropical Research Institute.