Letter to the Hon. Ken Calvert, Chairman of the Subcommittee on Interior Environment, and the Hon. Betty McCollum, Ranking Member of the Subcommittee on Interior Environment - Preserve Sarasota Bay and National Estuaries
Letter
Dear Chairman Calvert and Ranking Member McCollum:
We are writing to thank you for your past support of the National Estuary Program (NEP), and ask you to continue to invest directly in the stewardship of our nation's coasts by ensuring that each of the 28 NEPs in the field receives full funding in FY2018.
Each National Estuary Program:
Demonstrates real environmental results through on-the-ground habitat restoration and protection.
Reflects local environmental and economic priorities
Involves the community as equal partners and engages the public throughout the decision --making process
Demonstrates the ability to secure and leverage funds from multiple sources
Ensures decisions are based on the best science available
Builds on water quality control measures and tailors them to specific places and communities
Is non-regulatory
In recent years, NEPs have been on the front lines of issues that demand a scientifically informed, community-based approach. As you know, NEP reforms were made during the 114th Congress through S.1523, which created a competitive grant program to address urgent challenges. We are asking for an additional $5 million of funding to support competitive grants for qualifying NEPs.
As the health of our coastal ecosystems decline, NEPs work to ensure that federal agencies work together with state, regional, NGO and private partners to better manage ocean and coastal resources for the benefit of the nation and to reduce conflicts, redundancies, and inefficiencies that waste time and money. The people who live and work near and on our estuaries have the greatest stake in sound coastal management, best understand the unique challenges and opportunities in those places, and know the right stakeholders to engage in crafting durable and effective solutions. NEPs play a key role in implementing national policies that result in better, more cost-effective coastal management that benefits states and local communities. Thank you for your strong support of these programs, and for considering our request.
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