Keating, Madden Host Ocean Acidification Roundtable

Press Release

Yesterday, Congressman Bill Keating and State Rep. Tim Madden hosted an "Ocean Acidification Roundtable" at Woods Hole Research Center. Joined by legislators, government officials, scientists, business leaders, and economic stakeholders from throughout Southeastern Massachusetts, Keating and Madden felt it imperative to facilitate an open discussion into the challenges this escalating problem poses.

"Ocean acidification is a direct threat to communities up and down the East Coast," said Congressman Keating. "Yesterday's forum brought scientists, regulators, and economic stakeholders to the table together. These are the people who are already seeing the impacts of ocean acidification. According to numerous reports, our region -- and Massachusetts specifically -- is going to be ground zero for this problem on the East Coast, putting at risk not only coastal habitats and ecosystems, but also the thousands of jobs and millions in regional revenue that depend on them."

"I was very pleased by the turnout and participation at yesterday's event and thank the Woods Hole Research Center for their role in hosting the fruitful discussion and for their research specific to OA," said State Representative Madden. "In addition to highlighting the need for enhanced research and monitoring, we addressed the impact of this consequence of climate change on the very livelihood of local residents and visitors. Recreational activities native to Cape Cod and the Islands, such as shellfishing and clamming, will suffer. I look forward to working with my local and federal counterparts to ensure we provide the needed resources to both combat ocean acidification and allow our communities to adapt."

Dr. Philip Duffy, President of Woods Hole Research Center, opened the meeting by welcoming Congressman Keating and praising his "record of sustained leadership on environmental and energy issues." Dr. Duffy said that in order to alleviate ocean acidification (OA), support must be given to "local, national, and international measures to reduce emissions of CO2, the primary driver of OA. Solving climate change would also solve OA," he added, "so calling attention to OA helps WHRC in our quest to address climate change." Dr. Duffy reiterated that the work of WHRC on increasing storage of carbon in land reservoirs helps to address OA. And he said, "OA affects our community and our region, and, as part of the community, we want to do what we can to address this issue of local concern."

Congressman Keating has been working with a bicoastal coalition of Members in Congress to protect federal funding for ocean acidification research and technical assistance for states to improve water quality.

Representative Madden has introduced legislation, H.716, that would create a state commission to study ocean acidification with an eye toward implementing sustainable solutions to this problem.

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