Senator Toomey opposes the UN Law Of The Sea Treaty

WASHINGTON, D.C. - U.S. Senator Pat Toomey (R-Pa.) announced his opposition to the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea treaty, an international agreement governing the use of the world's oceans. The Law of the Sea treaty would compromise the United States' sovereignty by subjecting American navigational rights to an international body that is indifferent, and sometimes opposed, to American interests. In addition, the treaty would compel the United States to transfer billions of dollars in royalties from oil and gas development on the U.S. Outer Continental Shelf to the International Seabed Authority, an unaccountable, multinational organization which would disburse these funds to foreign entities - including many that are openly hostile to the United States. "The United States has the greatest navy in the world, and it has sufficiently protected our navigational rights and freedoms for more than 200 years before the Law of the Sea treaty's existence," Sen. Toomey said. "We do not need to rely on an unaccountable international body to secure these rights. Doing so would only jeopardize American interests, including potentially subjecting us to unlimited litigation and liabilities from others around the world who would challenge our domestic environmental policies. "The United States has a long tradition of opposing the Law of the Sea treaty, beginning with President Ronald Reagan's rejection of the treaty in 1982, and we should continue that tradition today."