Law of the Sea Treaty now dead, DeMint says

[WestVirginiaRebel]

Washington Times:

The Law of the Sea Treaty now has 34 senators opposed and thus will not have the Senate votes for ratification, a key opponent of the treaty announced Monday.

Critics of the treaty had argued that LOST would require the U.S. to subject its sovereignty to an international body, require U.S. businesses to pay royalties for resource exploitation, and subject the U.S. to unwieldy environmental regulations as defined in the treaty.

“4 additional senators have joined in opposition to LOST, including Mike Johanns (R-NE), Kelly Ayotte (R-NH), Rob Portman (R-OH) and Johnny Isakson (R-GA). With 34 senators against the misguided treaty, LOST will not be ratified by the Senate this year,” Sen. Jim DeMint, South Carolina Republican, said in a statement on his website.

The Law of the Sea Treaty, which entered into force in 1994 and has been signed and ratified by 162 countries, establishes international laws governing the maritime rights of countries. The treaty has been signed but not ratified by the U.S., which would require two-thirds approval of the Senate.

The four senators Mr. DeMint named would bring those opposed in the Senate to 34 — making it impossible to reach the 67 votes that would be required to ratify the pact, which Sen. John F. Kerry, Massachusetts Democrat and Senate Foreign Relations Committee chairman, had wanted to bring to a vote later this year.

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The law of the land trumps the law of the sea.