Another View of the Beach

When you are at your favorite beach in Florida or California, you are not at the very edge of the country.

Although it might seem like the ocean is the border of the United States, the border is actually 200 miles out from the land. This 200-mile-wide band around the country is called the Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ).

In 1983, President Reagan claimed the area of the EEZ in the name of the United States. In 1994, all countries were granted an EEZ of 200 miles from their coastline according to the International Law of the Sea.

There is a lot of activity just beyond the beach. The beach extends from the shore into the ocean on a continental shelf that gradually descends to a sharp drop, called the continental slope. This continental shelf can be as narrow as 20 kilometers or as wide as 400 kilometers. The water on the continental shelf is shallow, rarely more than 150 to 200 meters deep. The EEZ is part of the United States. The Federal government manages the land under the sea on behalf of the American people.

The continental shelf drops off at the continental slope, ending in abyssal plains that are three to five kilometers below sea level. Many of the plains are flat, while others have jagged mountain ridge, deep canyons, and valleys. The tops of some of these mountain ridges form islands where they extend above the water.

Most of the energy we get from the ocean is extracted from the ground. Oil, natural gas, and minerals all come from the ocean floor.

People are working on other new ways to use the ocean. Solar and wind energy have been used on land, and now they are also being used at sea.

Though this BP oil spill is terrible, we believe if more precautions are taken, the ocean is wonderful place for us to increase our own energy resources and not have to worry about foreign oil to supply us. Don’t we want to control our own diesel fuel prices? Having a good supply of fleet fuel, sure does make it a little easier for your fuel management needs.