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.
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