Coastal Communities Ocean Acidification Act of 2019

Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentlewoman from Texas (Ms. Johnson), the committee chairwoman, for yielding me the time and for supporting this bill, as well as the ranking member from Oklahoma, both of whom have shown a true willingness to address the impact of climate change and the impact that it has had on our oceans.

The increased carbon absorbed by our oceans has presented a crisis that has touched coastal communities in the Pacific and Atlantic Oceans, as well as the connected water bodies in between. That is why it is encouraging to see the health of our oceans finally receive the attention from this Chamber that they have long deserved, with the four bipartisan bills before us today.

Despite congressional inaction, the Federal Government has done its best to address ocean acidification through existing programs and budgets.

I would particularly like to recognize the work of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, better known as NOAA, which has never shirked its responsibility to safeguard our seas in the face of climate change, even though the agency did not receive additional resources to meet this complex challenge. It is due to NOAA's research that we know that our oceans have increased in acidity by approximately 30 percent since the industrial revolution and could experience increases up to 150 percent by the end of the century.

Let's be clear. That data isn't just frightening on an environmental level. It also spells disaster for our economy.

America's coastal communities produce 45 percent of the Nation's gross domestic product, and nearly 3 million American jobs are directly dependent on the resources of our oceans and the Great Lakes. If we let this

problem intensify, the financial implications will ripple across all of our communities.

I remember hearing about the issue of ocean acidification taking hold in Maine during the summer of 2012. Maine had experienced a big spike in ocean temperatures that summer. Triggerfish, seahorses, and a lot of invasive species started showing up that year.

A little fishery for squid popped up in Penobscot Bay. Black sea bass, which are common south of Cape Cod, migrated north and became a major predator of small crustaceans, such as baby lobsters. In a State renowned for its lobster, you can imagine that the impacts on our economy were significant.

Meanwhile, our clammers and shellfish growers have reported similar impacts.

Bill Mook, an oyster farmer on Maine's Damariscotta River, told me that he has had to adjust operations to mitigate for ocean acidification and worries how future oyster production will be affected.

According to a recent study by the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institute, the Gulf of Maine is more susceptible to pressures of ocean acidification than any other region on the East Coast.

These are only a few of the reasons why I introduced the bipartisan Coastal Communities Ocean Acidification Act, which is one of the four bills under consideration today. My bill would direct NOAA to study the socioeconomic impacts of ocean acidification on coastal communities nationwide and, better yet, finally provide the agency with the additional authorized funding needed to do this essential research.

Mr. Speaker, I urge support for the four bipartisan bills before the House today, including my own. It is critical that we protect our coastal economies and our oceans so that they are here for the next generation.

Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 1716) to direct the Secretary of Commerce, acting through the Administrator of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, to conduct coastal community vulnerability assessments related to ocean acidification, and for other purposes, as amended.

Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and to include extraneous materials on H.R. 1716, the bill under consideration.

Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 1716, the Coastal Communities Ocean Acidification Act of 2019, which is sponsored by the gentlewoman from Maine (Ms. Pingree).

The bill directs the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, or NOAA, to conduct vulnerability assessments to study socioeconomic impacts of ocean acidification on coastal communities across the country.

As more coastal regions across the U.S. are negatively impacted by ocean acidification, it is critical that we work to understand these impacts and to develop mitigation and adaptation strategies. These strategies can help these communities adequately prepare and respond to a more acidic coastal environment.

In order to be successful, these assessments must involve all coastal communities in the U.S., which this bill does by including indigenous groups and Tribal governments.

The bill also includes language that ensures that all U.S. territories, which are highly reliant on coastal and marine resources, can also take advantage of NOAA's coastal vulnerability assessments. This will allow these island communities to protect their vibrant coastal economies in the face of an acidifying ocean.

The vulnerability assessments in this bill also include the economic impacts on commercial fisheries and outdoor recreation. These industries are significant contributors to many coastal economies, and it is important that they are part of the discussion when developing strategies to deal with ocean acidification.

I am glad that this bill passed out of the Committee on Science, Space, and Technology in a bipartisan fashion, and I urge my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to support this legislation to better prepare our coastal communities and economies against the growing threat of ocean acidification.

Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as she may consume to the distinguished gentlewoman from Maine (Ms. Pingree).

Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentlewoman from Oregon (Ms. Bonamici).

Mr. Speaker, I ask for support of the bill, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I thank the chairwoman for yielding time and for her support of this bill.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of Congresswoman Pingree's Coastal Communities Ocean Acidification Act.

I am proud to be an original cosponsor of this bill, which would direct NOAA to conduct a vulnerability assessment to identify communities that are dependent on coastal and ocean resources that may be affected by ocean acidification.

The Pacific Coast is more vulnerable to ocean acidification than other coastal regions, and it can be used as a testing ground for different strategies and models to manage and adapt to ocean acidification.

But ocean acidification is fundamentally a global phenomenon. We must strengthen our understanding of the socioeconomic effects of ocean acidification on a range of geographically diverse coastal communities.

Importantly, this bill directs NOAA to work with States, like my home State of Oregon, that are already developing ocean acidification response plans.

I thank members of the Science, Space, and Technology Committee for including my amendment during the full markup to authorize $2.7 million annually for fiscal years 2020 through 2024.

I hope that my COAST Research Act will complement this bill and address some of the gaps in our understanding of the socioeconomic effects of ocean acidification. But there must be a separate authorization for vulnerability studies.

Finally, and importantly, I thank all the staff who worked on not only this bill but also the COAST Research Act and the other two ocean acidification bills, especially, in my office, Maxine Sugarman, but all the staff on both sides of the aisle in our offices and the hardworking committee staff.

Finally, I thank Congresswoman Pingree for her continued leadership on protecting the health of oceans and improving research on ocean acidification.

Mr. Speaker, I urge all of my colleagues to support this bill.

Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 1716, the Coastal Communities Ocean Acidification Act of 2019.

This bill simply directs the Secretary of Commerce to conduct a vulnerability assessment of the impacts of ocean acidification on coastal communities. This assessment would identify those communities most likely to be affected by ocean acidification in the coming years.

Once these communities are identified, the assessment would examine the economic impacts of ocean acidification on these communities by directing Federal agencies to coordinate with local officials, community stakeholders, and local businesses. Once the assessment is complete, a corresponding report will be made publicly available and would be revised every 7 years.

Our Nation's coastal communities are dependent on the health of our oceans. A 2014 NOAA study found there were 149,000 ocean-dependent businesses in the United States that employ more than 3 million people in industries such as seafood and tourism.

Ocean acidification is a threat to the health and vitality of these communities, and this legislation is an important step to assist those communities most directly impacted by this phenomenon.

Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support this bill, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I have no additional speakers, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I, too, advocate support of the bill, and I yield back the balance of my time.