Frist wants further scrutiny of Law of the Sea treaty

Frist wants further scrutiny of Law of the Sea treaty    Sen. Bill Frist, R-Tenn., U.S. Senate majority leader, has indicated he wants further study of the Law of the Sea treaty by Senate committees involved with environment and intelligence before calling for a floor vote.
   In February, the Senate Foreign Relations Committee unanimously approved the treaty, which the full Senate is expected to ratify. Drawn up in 1982, the Law of the Sea treaty gives each nation that has coastlines control over an exclusive economic zone extending 200 miles out to sea. It regulates navigation and fishing, and protects ecosystems in all oceans. The treaty, which as been approved by 145 nations thus far, also establishes an International Seabed Authority to oversee mining operations on the ocean floor.
   The Law of the Sea treaty has drawn support from the shipping industry, the U.S. Navy, the U.S. State and Commerce departments, the oil and gas industry, fishermen and environmentalists, groups which are often at odds on other issues.
   Frist's plans for additional consideration are likely to delay a Senate floor vote until nearer the end of the present legislative session. 'Frist could get this thing ratified in a hurry if he put his mind to it,' The New York Times noted in an editorial Monday. 'But what really seems to be holding him up are election-year fears, which the White House apparently shares, of arch-conservatives who regard the treaty as a whole and the seabed authority in particular as threats to America's sovereignty.'
   'By codifying what is now only custom, by enlarging the Navy's access to strategically important waterways, and by creating regulatory certainty for mining interests, the Law of the Sea treaty would strengthen American sovereignty,' the Times said.