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About Vernonia's voice. (Vernonia, OR) 2007-current | View Entire Issue (Feb. 21, 2019)
14 community february21 2019 Bonamici Introduces Bipartisan Bill to Address Health of Oceans and Estuaries Legislation would help coastal communities cope with ocean and coastal acidification Congresswoman Suzanne Bon- amici (D-OR), Congressman Don Young (R-AK), Congresswoman Chellie Pin- gree (D-ME), and Congressman Bill Posey (R-FL) have introduced the bi- partisan Coastal and Ocean Acidifica- tion Stressors and Threats (COAST) Re- search Act. The COAST Research Act will strengthen federal investments in research and monitoring of changing ocean conditions. This research will help coastal communities better understand and cope with the effects of environmen- tal stressors on our oceans and estuaries. About one third of the carbon dioxide in the atmosphere is absorbed into the ocean, causing water chemistry to change. Changing ocean conditions affect the more than 3 million blue econ- omy jobs in the United States that rely on the ocean. These jobs contribute at least $352 billion to the economy every year. “Our oceans and estuaries face immediate threats from increasing car- bon emissions,” said Congresswoman Suzanne Bonamici. “As oceans and es- tuaries absorb carbon dioxide produced by human activity, the waters become more acidic, destabilizing fisheries, and threatening the future of coastal commu- nities and ecosystems. The COAST Re- search Act will help strengthen research to better understand coastal and ocean acidification and give communities the tools they need to adapt and mitigate.” “Healthy oceans and water- ways are essential to maintaining strong coastal communities and providing for a robust marine economy,” said Congress- man Don Young. “Ocean acidification is an ongoing threat that must be tackled head-on if we are to ensure a bright eco- nomic future for Alaskans whose jobs depend on healthy oceans. Our legisla- tion makes critical investments to as- sist scientists in their understanding of ocean acidification and equips our coast- al communities with the tools necessary to mitigate its devastating effects. I am grateful to Congresswoman Bonamici for her leadership on this issue, and I look forward to working with the rest of the bipartisan Oceans Caucus on other matters affecting our oceans.” The COAST Research Act reau- thorizes the Federal Ocean Acidification Research and Monitoring Act funding for the National Oceanic and Atmo- spheric Administration (NOAA) and the National Science Foundation (NSF) through 2023. The authorization for this important funding lapsed in 2012. The legislation would: • Strengthen investment in research and monitoring of acidification on oceans and estuaries; • Increase our understanding of the eco- nomic effects of ocean acidification and coastal acidification in estuaries; • Engage stakeholders, including the commercial fishing industry, research- ers, and community leaders through an Advisory Board; • Provide for the long-term stewardship and standardization of data on ocean acidification from different sources, in- cluding the National Centers for Envi- ronmental Information and the Integrat- ed Ocean Observing System; • Recognize the effects of ocean acidifi- cation on estuaries as well as oceans. The bill has been endorsed by the Natural Resources Defense Coun- cil, IOOS Association, Consortium for Ocean Leadership, and the Northwest Association of Networked Ocean Ob- serving Systems. In addition, Bonamici crafted the legislation with input from Ocean Conservancy, Restore America’s Estuaries, researchers at Oregon State University, Oregon Coordinating Coun- cil on Ocean Acidification and Hypoxia, and the Lower Columbia Estuary Part- nership. Bonamici and Young co-chair the House Oceans Caucus, a bipartisan group of House members committed to taking action to protect the health and future of our oceans. This Congress, the Caucus is focused on environmental stressors (including ocean acidification, harmful algal blooms, and hypoxia); ma- rine debris; ocean data and monitoring; coastal resiliency; and illegal, unreport- ed, and unregulated fishing. Bonamici and Posey serve as two of the Co-Chairs of the Congressio- nal Estuary Caucus. The Caucus works to restore our nation’s estuaries and pro- tect the species that reside in them. Vernonia’s Voice is published twice each month on the 1 st and 3 rd Thursday. Look for our next issue on March 7. Don‛t worry. We‛ll go to Meyer‛s Auto Body. I hear they‛re out of this world. Meyer’s Auto Body 493 Bridge Street VERNONIA • 503-429-0248