Dr. Ileana Johnson Paugh ——Bio and Archives--January 8, 2026

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“Negotiated in the 1970s, the Law of the Sea treaty was influenced by the New International Economic Order, a set of economic principles advanced at the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) in the 1970s and 1980s,” calling for redistribution of wealth to the less developed countries.

President Ronald Reagan rejected the treaty in 1982 because it demanded technology and wealth transfer from developed countries to developing nations as well as adopting regulations and laws to control oceanic pollution. Jurisdictional limits on oceans included a 12-mile territorial sea limit and a 200-mile exclusive economic zone limit. The treaty aimed to regulate economic “activity on, over, and beneath the ocean’s surface.”

Despite the many pros and cons of LOST, in March 2004, the U.S. Senate Foreign Relations Committee recommended by unanimous vote that the U.S. sign the treaty.

Sen. Mike Lee (R-Utah) opposed the Law of the Sea Treaty (LOST) on several grounds, including the loss of National Sovereignty. According to Sen. Mike Lee, treaties must represent U.S. economic and security interests.

To ratify a treaty, the President needs two-thirds majority vote from the Senate. To this date, LOST has not been ratified.

The rejection of LOST has not affected our economy and navigation rights. Sen. Lee found the loss of National sovereignty and mandatory dispute resolution included in the Law of the Sea Treaty (LOST) quite troubling.

The International Seabed Authority (“the Authority”) has the power to distribute........

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