Coastal Communities Ocean Acidification Act of 2023

Madam Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 676) to amend the Federal Ocean Acidification Research And Monitoring Act of 2009 to require the Secretary of Commerce, acting through the Administrator of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, to collaborate with State and local governments and Indian Tribes on vulnerability assessments related to ocean acidification, research planning, and similar activities, and for other purposes.

Madam Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks and to include extraneous material on H.R. 676, the bill now under consideration.

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

Madam Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 676, the Coastal Communities Ocean Acidification Act. This bill contains simple and straightforward tweaks to an important program and existing working group. It ensures the participation of Indian Tribes and affected communities in ocean and coastal acidification activities.

Over a decade ago, the Federal Ocean Acidification Research and Monitoring Act of 2009 directed the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, or NOAA, to increase their focus on ocean and coastal acidification--the process in which the chemistry of oceans is altered and made more acidic after absorbing carbon dioxide.

To do this, NOAA established an interagency working group with State and local governments, industry, academia, and other representatives. They also stood up a research program and published a strategic plan for coordinated Federal activities on acidification. Yet, while not excluded from these activities, there was no direct mention of the inclusion of Indian Tribes and communities affected by ocean and coastal acidification. This bill remedies that oversight by including specific language to coordinate vulnerability assessments and research planning with State, local, and Tribal Governments.

This bill also ensures that two representatives from Indian Tribes, Tribal organizations, or Tribal consortia affected by ocean acidification are on the Ocean Acidification Advisory Board with the other members of industry, academia, and subject matter experts.

When it comes to acidification, it is a common misconception that only communities touching the ocean see the effects. In fact, the most recent ocean acidification research plan found that the Great Lakes are projected to become more acidic at a rate similar to that of the oceans.

This finding raises concerns for me because part of my district in Ohio sits on the southern shore of Lake Erie and benefits from the $7 billion annual economic value that the Great Lakes provide.

Luckily, NOAA recognizes the tremendous asset that the region offers and has a dedicated laboratory, the Great Lakes Environmental Research Laboratory, to conduct scientific research on the Great Lakes and their coastal ecosystems.

Madam Speaker, that is why I support the all-hands-on-deck approach this bill ensures. Smaller or overlooked communities like Indian Tribes have direct knowledge of the effects of acidification, both on the coast and inland, and can be an important resource. It only makes sense that they have a seat at the table to provide input on research, assessments, and mitigation that will benefit all of us.

I thank the gentlewoman from Maine (Ms. Pingree) and the gentleman from Florida (Mr. Waltz) for introducing this bill, and their many cosponsors for supporting it.

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

Madam Speaker, I have no further speakers at this time, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Madam Speaker, I have no further requests for time. I am prepared to close once the gentlewoman from Michigan does, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Madam Speaker, I yield myself the balance of my time.

Madam Speaker, I want to reiterate my support for this bill, H.R. 676. Despite the title, the Coastal Communities Ocean Acidification Act has the potential to benefit more than just coastal communities and oceans.

The Great Lakes basin is home to approximately 43 million people, 8 percent of the United States population, and supports $62 billion in wages. This region and my constituents in Ohio are a small piece of the $1 billion United States shellfish industry and the hundreds of thousands of jobs that are affected by ocean and coastal acidification.

Increasing the involvement of Indian Tribes with ongoing NOAA ocean acidification work will protect this critical economic pillar and lead to solutions that the entire country can benefit from.

Madam Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support this bipartisan legislation, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Madam Speaker, on that I demand the yeas and nays.

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

Madam Speaker, I rise in strong support of H.R. 676, the Coastal Communities Ocean Acidification Act of 2023, alongside my colleague from the State of Ohio.

In bipartisan fashion, we gather here today in Congress encouraging our colleagues to support this incredibly important piece of legislation introduced by my colleague from Maine (Ms. Pingree) and my colleague from Florida (Mr. Waltz), two Members who certainly understand the importance of ocean acidification and my colleague from Ohio (Mr. Miller) is spot on.

As Members from the Great Lakes region, we do applaud NOAA's efforts to understand the Great Lakes and to observe their inner workings. At long last, we are finally now requiring the collaboration of our Tribal communities into the Ocean Acidification Board of NOAA. Tribes with their incredible expertise and their knowledge of the inner workings of our oceans will be important contributors to this board, the history of this board, and the way in which we move forward to advance the science of ocean acidification and mitigating the negative impacts of acidification on the livelihoods, traditions, and well-being of coastal communities.

Acidification has resulted from the oceans absorbing about 30 percent of the world's atmospheric carbon emissions. This change in water chemistry has certainly had detrimental impacts on the health of aquatic organisms by inhibiting their ability to grow and develop. The impacts can be felt across all levels of the ocean ecosystem, and it seriously impacts coastal economic activities, such as fisheries, aquaculture, and ecotourism.

Indeed, ocean acidification--and we know this most prominently through discussion about our reefs--has already had considerable impact on the socioeconomic parts of our oceans. It is also true that the impacts are felt well beyond coastal communities and supporting their fight against ocean and coastal acidification should be a national endeavor, which is, again, why we are bringing today's legislation before you.

H.R. 676 would improve the ability of coastal communities to respond to the challenges of acidification by including two representatives from Indian Tribes, Tribal organizations, and Tribal consortia from affected communities, thereby integrating traditional ecological knowledge into science and addressing societal inequities-- inclusion at its best.

Additionally, the bill supports the continued dissemination of research, data, and modern efforts among Federal agencies, non-Federal resource managers, and affected stakeholders by maintaining the Ocean Acidification Information Exchange--knowledge.

Madam Speaker, I strongly urge my colleagues to support this important bipartisan legislation that rises to the challenge of ocean and coastal acidification, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Madam Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentlewoman from Maine (Ms. Pingree).

Madam Speaker, I yield the gentlewoman from Maine an additional 30 seconds.

Madam Speaker, in closing, we are also delighted to have new members of the Science, Space, and Technology Committee join us in passing bipartisan legislation. We are so grateful for the expertise from our colleague from Maine and the phenomenal leadership of our ranking member, Ms. Lofgren, and certainly our chair, Mr. Lucas.

Madam Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

Madam Speaker, I thank my colleague from Michigan for both being a strong supporter of this bill and yielding me the time.

I thank the gentleman from Ohio for understanding the role of the Great Lakes and how the role of ocean acidification impacts all of us. I truly appreciate his support of this bipartisan bill.

I thank Chair Lucas and Ranking Member Lofgren for their work to address the impacts that climate change has had on our oceans

Madam Speaker, I rise today in support of my bill, H.R. 676, the Coastal Communities Ocean Acidification Act, a bipartisan bill that would direct the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration to support the current efforts of coastal communities already facing the impacts of ocean acidification, particularly underserved and rural coastal communities, and better equip them with the resources to respond.

According to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, atmospheric carbon dioxide concentrations are now higher than at any time in the last 2 million years, and about 30 percent of the carbon dioxide we release into the atmosphere is absorbed by the ocean.

More carbon dioxide in our waters creates challenging growing conditions for marine organisms, especially those with calcium carbonate shells, such as clams, lobsters, and oysters.

Ocean acidification threatens not only our fisheries but the entire blue economy, our marine resources, industries, and jobs, as well as coastal communities like mine that depend on them. A 2020 report found that in the United States, particularly in the waters off Maine and Massachusetts, ocean acidification hot spots could lead to economic losses of $400 million a year by 2100.

In a State renowned for its lobster and shellfish--which as you know, Madam Speaker, is Maine--you can imagine we take this threat very seriously. I am proud of the efforts in Maine to tackle this challenge, such as through implementing ocean monitoring and data collection and exploring the ability of seaweed and kelp to lower acidity.

Madam Speaker, my bill would support these efforts and more by improving NOAA's collaboration with State, local, and Tribal Governments on community vulnerability assessments, research planning, and similar activities related to ocean and coastal acidification. In addition, ensuring the Ocean Acidification Information Exchange will bolster data sharing on ocean acidification research, data, and monitoring efforts between Federal experts, community acidification networks, and other affected stakeholders.

This legislation will address the growing and far-reaching threat of ocean acidification to help ensure our ocean industries, including fisheries, and the communities that depend on them are more resilient to our changing oceans.

Madam Speaker, I urge my colleagues to join me in supporting H.R. 676 today.