Rick Larsen

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor the life and legacy of Paul Roberts, a dedicated public servant, environmental advocate, policy expert, musician and proud resident of Everett, Washington. Sadly, Paul passed away on June 24, 2026 after a courageous battle with cancer.

Paul Roberts was instrumental in making Everett the city it is today. His legacy can be seen in the fabric of everyday life in Everett--in its environmental plans, transportation investments, schools, arts and music scene and in its future light rail system. Whether as a city planner, policy consultant, representative for regional boards or as a long-time member of the Everett City Council, Paul used his extraordinary talents to serve the people of Everett and the greater Puget Sound region.

From a deep passion for protecting our cherished environment, to his foresight on bringing the naval base to Everett, Paul was the embodiment of what a lifelong public servant is. Even after leaving the City Council, he continued his work in public service for my office, ensuring that local communities benefited from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law. His knowledge of local government and unwavering focus on delivering results helped Northwest Washington communities access critical resources to build a cleaner, greener, safer and more accessible transportation network.

Paul was one of the kindest, most dedicated and hardworking people I have ever known. He was an amazing mentor and inspiration for the members of my staff that were lucky enough to work with him. He had a real gift for bringing people together to seek common ground and solve tough problems.

Mr. Speaker, Paul Roberts' impact on Everett and Northwest Washington is immeasurable. I ask my colleagues to join me in honoring his remarkable service, celebrating his legacy, and extending our deepest condolences to his wife, Marianne, their family and all who were fortunate to know and work alongside him.

Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of my bill, H.R. 2860, the Northwest Straits Marine Conservation Initiative Reauthorization Act.

The Northwest Straits Marine Conservation Initiative started as a bipartisan, homegrown idea. Thanks to the foresight and hard work of Democratic Senator Patty Murray and my predecessor here in the U.S. House of Representatives, former Representative Jack Metcalf, and local stakeholders, Congress created the Northwest Straits Marine Conservation Commission in 1998.

The commission works with seven county-based marine resources committees, or MRCs, in northwest Puget Sound. Five of these seven MRCs are in the five counties I represent in northwest Washington State.

Over the past 20 years, the commission's bottom-up approach has ensured that local communities and Tribes have the resources and expertise that they need to keep marine habitats healthy and recover endangered and threatened species, including the southern resident killer whales and salmon.

My bill would reauthorize the Northwest Straits Marine Conservation Commission for 7 years, ensuring the commission can continue its work to restore the marine ecosystem of the Northwest Straits region, including by restoring shoreline in Skagit County, conserving Olympia oysters in Whatcom County, monitoring kelp beds in Island County, removing derelict vessels in San Juan County, and surveying forage fish eggs in Snohomish County.

Mr. Speaker, all of these projects work in tandem, or work together, throughout the Puget Sound in order to increase the whole health of the Puget Sound. Not only do these projects restore the environment, but they are also supporting local jobs.

According to the commission, the Northwest Straits region creates 16,000 jobs in Washington's commercial and recreational fishing industries and $150 million in economic input for the State's aquaculture industry.

The commission partners with ports, local authorities, State agencies, marine-based businesses, and Tribes on everything from trapping invasive European green crab that threaten local shellfish economies, to helping boaters identify and communicating eelgrass locations, which are poor anchorage sites but important for commercial and recreational marine species.

This is locally driven, job-creating work that Congress should continue to support.

I thank Representative Emily Randall for co-leading this bill; Senators Murray and Cantwell for their partnership in the Senate; and Representatives Marilyn Strickland, Suzan DelBene, Adam Smith, Pramila Jayapal, and Kim Schrier, all my colleagues here in the House, for cosponsoring this bill.

I thank the many partner organizations in our State, whose advocacy and hard work got the bill to this point, particularly the Northwest Straits Advisory Commission and the Puget Sound Partnership.

Finally, I thank Ranking Member Huffman, Chair Westerman, and the entire House Natural Resources Committee--the members of the committee and the staff--for working with my office to move this bill forward.

Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support this bill to keep the momentum going to restore marine habitat, protect Washington State's environment, and create more jobs in northwest Washington State.

Mr. Speaker, I missed votes on Friday, May 15, 2026, for an important family commitment. I will be present and voting when the House returns to session this week. Had I been present, I would have voted; NAY on Roll Call No. 174, and YEA on Roll Call No. 175.