"SAVE OUR SEAS ACT" HEADS TO PRESIDENT’S DESK

Washington, D.C. - December 2, 2020 - (The Ponder News) -- U.S. Senators Dan Sullivan (R-Alaska), Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.) and Bob Menendez (D-N.J.) are applauding final Senate passage of the Save Our Seas 2.0 Act this evening. The Save Our Seas 2.0 Act was introduced in June 2019 to address the plastic debris crisis threatening coastal economies and harming marine life.

The legislation seeks to help reduce the creation of plastic waste, find uses for the plastic waste that already exists to keep it from entering the oceans, spur innovation, and tackle the problem on a global scale. It builds on the initial progress secured by the Save Our Seas Act, which was sponsored by Sullivan and Whitehouse and signed into law by President Trump in 2018.

“Save Our Seas 2.0 is the most comprehensive marine debris legislation ever to pass Congress,” said Senator Sullivan. “This proves that major bipartisan achievements on some of the biggest environmental challenges are possible. The progress we have made over the past few years on the marine debris crisis, beginning with the original Save Our Seas Act, is historic and constitutes a whole-of-government approach to helping protect our pristine environment across the globe and, particularly, in Alaska, which has more coastline than the rest of the Lower 48 combined. I thank my colleagues in the House and Senate for coming together to clean up our oceans, spark innovation on managing plastic waste, and protect our fisheries and coastal communities.”

“While marine debris presents a massive international challenge, it’s a manmade problem that we can solve by finding creative solutions at home and abroad,” said Senator Whitehouse, who co-founded the bipartisan Senate Oceans Caucus to find common ground in responding to issues facing the oceans and coasts. “Save Our Seas 2.0 is a wide-reaching, bipartisan bill that builds on progress we’ve already made addressing ocean pollution. There’s much more that needs to be done to tackle the scourge of plastic waste washing up on our shores—Save Our Seas 3.0 is already in the pipeline.”

“Today is a great day for New Jerseyans and all Americans in the fight to protect our beautiful coastlines and beach communities from the growing scourge of plastic waste washing up on our shores. Save Our Seas 2.0 provides the most comprehensive set of tools to help bolster the United States’ leadership and response to this growing global environmental and economic challenge and I’m so pleased to see it become law,” said Senator Menendez, Ranking Member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.

Roughly eight million metric tons of mismanaged plastic waste from land enters the oceans each year. Ninety percent of this plastic enters the oceans from ten rivers, eight of which are in Asia. The plastic breaks down into tiny pieces that can enter the marine food chain and harm fish and wildlife, and wash ashore on even the most remote stretches of coastline. Plastic has been found in areas as remote as the Mariana Trench, the deepest known point in the ocean.

The Senate first passed Save Our Seas 2.0 in January and today approved technical changes made in the House. The House version of the bill was sponsored by Representatives Suzanne Bonamici (D-Ore.) and Don Young (R-Alaska).

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.

Udall Statement on BLM Proposal to Suspend or Delay Waste Prevention Rule

Washington, D.C. - October 6, 2017 (The Ponder News) -- U.S. Senator Tom Udall responded to the announcement by the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) that it is proposing to suspend or delay some requirements of the BLM’s 2016 natural gas waste prevention rule. Leaking, venting and flaring from natural gas operations wastes $100 million in taxpayer-owned natural gas resources a year, and NASA scientists say it has created a methane hotspot the size of Delaware over the Four Corners region. Udall led the successful fight in the Senate to protect the rule from Republicans’ attempt to roll it back using the Congressional Review Act (CRA).

“The BLM’s proposal to roll back the natural gas waste prevention rule would hurt taxpayers, school children, New Mexico’s economy, and our environment. This rule takes common-sense and cost-effective steps to limit the waste of taxpayer-owned natural gas, providing badly needed revenue to cash-strapped states like New Mexico for public education and other essential services. Prior to this rule, $100 million in taxpayer-owned natural gas was wasted each year from oil and gas wells operating on public lands in New Mexico. The new standard also creates jobs in a new and growing field of methane capture technology. And, the rule is helping to reduce dangerous pollution across the West and in New Mexico, where a methane cloud the size of Delaware is hanging over the Four Corners region. This rule is simply good policy – good for taxpayers, good for the economy, and good for the environment.

“The arguments against this rule from the current administration do not hold water. Since the rule came into effect in November 2016, employment data shows no evidence of any jobs lost, and the number of drilling rigs in operation has increased significantly. Everyone should agree that preventing the waste of taxpayer-owned resources should not only be a goal – it’s our obligation. That’s why senators from both parties came together to save this common-sense rule in May.

“The BLM’s process includes the opportunity for public comment, and the administration is required by law to take those into account and act in a deliberate and transparent way. I encourage every New Mexican and every American to speak out forcefully to defend this rule – and to defend their tax dollars, new jobs, and the air they breathe.”