In Appreciation of the Puget Sound Partnership

Floor Speech

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Mr. HECK of Washington. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize and
thank the Puget Sound Partnership for its tireless efforts to protect
and restore America's largest estuary.

The Puget Sound Partnership is the agency of Washington state serving
as the backbone organization for Puget Sound recovery. The Partnership
coordinates the efforts of citizens, governments, tribes, scientists,
businesses and nonprofits to set priorities, implement a regional
recovery plan, and ensure accountability for results.

It is this kind of cooperative effort that can turn back the tide of
degrading habitats and changing ocean chemistry, and I commend the
Partnership for taking on the mantle of leadership in this vital
mission.

The Puget Sound is not only a national environmental treasure; it is
the centerpiece of our cultural identity and economic strength in the
Pacific Northwest. If habitats continue to degrade and our cool, clean
water is jeopardized by changing ocean conditions, we will lose much of
what makes the Puget Sound and Washington state so special.

That is why I have worked closely with the Puget Sound Partnership
and its Executive Director, Sheida Sahandy, to bring their model of
cooperative, coordinated recovery to federal agencies through the
Promoting Unified Government Efforts To Save Our Sound Act, or the
PUGET SOS Act. This bill is a significant first step to bring more
federal attention to bear on Puget Sound recovery, and I sincerely
thank the Partnership's staff for their assistance and advice in
crafting this important piece of legislation.

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