18 



Jason and his argonauts traversed these same waters in search of the Golden 

 Fleece. 



On a far less glamorous note, some people are now suggesting that land fills will 

 gi\e wa> to the placement of waste in the vast abyssal deserts of the deep. 

 Perhaps the storage of nuclear material will follow. Will this realix happen? Do 

 we know enough about the sea to take such a risk? 



Present laws now forbid us from e\en the opportunit> to find out if it is 

 dangerous to place some of our waste in the deep sea. Dare we gamble with the 

 li\es of the next generation on a prayer and a dream b\ continuing to pollute our 

 drinking water. Even when you include the heavy taxation on gasoline, high 

 octane at the pump costs less per volume than Perrier which is certain lo rise. 



In recent years, we have discovered major mineral deposits in the deep sea similar 

 to those mined for centuries on the island of Cyprus. The> contain high 

 concentrations of copper, lead, and sulfur as well as silver and gold. And their 

 formation continues ioda\ in the \ast hydrothermal vent s>stems of the Mid- 

 Ocean Ridge. These long linear mineral deposits ma\ somedav pro\e to be 

 important resources for the next generation. 



Some of these magnificent vent areas with their exotic creatures will also become 

 the Yellowstone Parks of the deep sea. 



The unique chemosynlhetic life forms that presenil> process the toxic materials 

 associated with these \ent communicates will hopefulh be bio-engineered lo 

 convert a portion of our waste products into less harmful or even commercialh 

 valuable b> -products. 



I hese e\oti( creatures max also help us understand the earl\ origins of life on our 

 planet as well as the potential for life on oihei planets. 



Whether this all occurs during the next generation's lime on earth, lime will only 

 tell. But 1 am convinced that much of what 1 have jusi outlined will come to pass. 



■|"hc question 1 can not answer is. what nation will lead the wa>. Had 1 been asked 

 thai question just fise years ago. I would have said without pausing, the United 

 Stales of America. 



Hui nov<. 1 don't know. )ust a few jcars ago, America had a lead in ocean research 

 and engineering that all nations of the world envied. But the gap is closing 

 qui(kl\. More ;mponanil>, we .seem to have lost our wa> as well as our will lo 

 lead. 



We have become totalK preoccupied with the present. We have forgotten that we 

 arc about to enter, not the next decade, nor next centur>, but the next 

 millennium. 



Now is not the time lo be shonsighlcd. Now is the time to form a vision of the 

 future and to strive for thai distant star on the horizon. America is a nation of 

 pioneers with a long history of exploration. 



We are at a critical crossroads in not only the history of ihis country but the 

 historv of the human race. 



