Bipartisan Bill to Fight Ocean Acidification Introduced

by: Suzanne Bonamici (D-OR, 1st)

Washington, D.C. - March 28, 2019 - (The Ponder News) -- Representatives Suzanne Bonamici (OR-1), Derek Kilmer (WA-6), Jaime Herrera Beutler (WA-3), and Don Young (AK-AL), reintroduced bipartisan legislation to help fight ocean acidification. The bill, entitled the Ocean Acidification Innovation Act, would allow federal agencies to use existing funds to conduct prize competitions to increase the ability to research, monitor, and manage ocean acidification and its impacts.

“Coastal communities in Oregon and across the country are already facing the devastating effects of ocean acidification, and we must strengthen our approach,” said Rep. Bonamici. “The Ocean Acidification Innovation Act’s prize competition will encourage collaboration and spur innovative strategies to mitigate and adapt to ocean acidification. This will help the communities, environments, and industries that rely on healthy oceans and are facing the harsh realities of rising carbon emissions.”

“We know that changing ocean chemistry threatens entire livelihoods and industries in our state. So, this bipartisan bill is really about jobs,” said Rep. Kilmer. “There are generations of folks in our coastal communities who have worked in fishing and shellfish growing, but that’s endangered if we don’t maintain a healthy Pacific Ocean. This bill creates a strong incentive for experts to focus on developing innovative solutions to this serious challenge.”

“Our coastal communities depend on a healthy shellfish and fishing industry,” said Rep. Herrera Beutler. “Ocean acidification threatens those jobs and the health of the ocean’s ecosystem, which is why we’re offering this bipartisan bill that will help us better understand the problem and find solutions.”

“Healthy oceans and waterways are essential to maintaining strong coastal communities and providing for a robust marine economy,” said Rep. Young. “Ocean acidification is an ongoing threat that must be addressed head-on. This bill helps our American innovators develop new tools for tackling this pressing issue. Alaska’s maritime jobs depend on healthy oceans, and I will keep working with my friends on both sides of the aisle in the fight against ocean acidification.”

Ocean acidification is a rising threat to coastal communities throughout the Pacific Northwest and growing evidence suggests that acidic ocean conditions harm the ability of many marine organisms to generate shells. These marine organisms, which include oysters, mussels, and pteropods, are a key part of the food chain for salmon, herring, and other fish. In addition, scientists at the University of Washington recently discovered that ocean acidification also threatens the $220 million Dungeness crab fishery, raising serious concerns about future implications for species and ecosystems in the region.

The legislation was created in collaboration with key stakeholders, including the XPRIZE Foundation, an innovative non-profit organization that creates public competitions designed to encourage increased investment in solutions to major societal problems. For example, the Ansari XPRIZE awarded for personal spaceflight technology helped launch a brand-new $2 billion private space industry.

Federal agencies have increasingly viewed prize competitions as a means of maximizing the return on taxpayer dollars, leveraging prizes to attract more resources to tackle difficult scientific challenges.

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. The Caucus is focused on environmental stressors (including ocean acidification, harmful algal blooms, and hypoxia); marine debris; ocean data and monitoring; coastal resiliency; and illegal, unreported, and unregulated fishing.

Bonamici also introduced the bipartisan Coastal and Ocean Acidification Stressors and Threats (COAST) Research Act in February. The COAST Research Act will strengthen federal investments in research and monitoring of changing ocean conditions.

Save Our Seas Act Signed Into Law

Washington, D.C. - October 15, 2018 - (The Ponder News) -- The Save Our Seas Act, which will assist local communities and states in removing garbage and debris from our oceans and shores, was signed into law. House Oceans Caucus Co-Chairs Congresswoman Suzanne Bonamici (D-OR) and Congressman Don Young (R-AK) introduced the House companion bill, H.R. 2748, last year.

“The ocean is resilient and we can help it heal, but we cannot continue to ignore the garbage polluting our oceans and shores,” said Congresswoman Suzanne Bonamici. “More than eight million tons of plastic are dumped into our oceans each year, harming our coastal economies, endangering marine life, destroying important marine habitat, propagating invasive species, and creating hazardous conditions for the maritime industry. I was proud to work with my fellow House Oceans Caucus Co-Chair Don Young on this bipartisan bill to assist local communities and states in preventing and responding to marine debris events. Marine debris is entirely preventable and establishing this law is an important step in protecting the health of our oceans.”

“Alaskans know, better than most, how marine debris can impact our oceans and coastlines,” said Congressman Don Young. “I was proud to work with my Oceans Caucus colleagues, particularly my co-chair Suzanne Bonamici, to pass this critical legislation out of the House. This bill will allow NOAA and the Coast Guard to address the creation and cleanup of marine debris, and will give the U.S. tools to work with foreign allies to ensure they have the necessary tools to end this crisis. I am very pleased to see this legislation signed into law, and I appreciate my colleagues in the House who passed this bill with unanimous consent.”

The Save Our Seas Act reauthorizes the NOAA Marine Debris Program through Fiscal Year 2022 and provides resources to help states respond to severe marine debris events. The bill allows the NOAA Administrator, in coordination with relevant Governors, to declare severe marine debris events, authorize funding to assist with cleanup and response, and encourage international engagement to address the growing effects of marine debris.

Bonamici and Young spoke on the House floor to encourage their colleagues to support final passage. You can download video footage of Bonamici speaking here, and Young speaking here.

Healthy beaches and waterways are critical to the marine ecosystems that drive the economy in coastal communities. More than 3 million jobs in the U.S. rely on our oceans, contributing at least $352 billion in economic activity annually.

The House Oceans Caucus is a bipartisan group of House members committed to taking action to protect the health and future of our oceans. In addition to marine debris, the Caucus focuses on efforts to address ocean acidification, illegal, unreported, and unregulated fishing, and weather and natural disaster hazards that threaten coastal communities and wildlife.