Letter to the Hon. Rodney Frelinghuysen, Chairman of the House Appropriations Committee, the Hon. Nita Lowey, Ranking Member of the House Appropriations Committee, the Hon. Ken Calvert, Chairman of the House Appropriations Subcommittee Interior, Environment, & Related Agencies, and the Hon. Betty McCollum, Ranking Member of the House Appropriations Subcommittee Interior, Environment, & Related Agencies - Pallone Helps Fund Beach Act Grant Program in Omnibus Package

Letter

Dear Chairman Frelinghuysen, Ranking Member Lowey, Chairman Calvert, and Ranking Member McCollum:

We write to express our strong support for Beaches Environmental Assessment and Coastal Health (BEACH) Act grants, and to ask that you maintain current funding levels in the omnibus appropriations package.

Our nation's beaches add tens of billions of dollars to our economy and provide recreational activity for millions of Americans each year. The Jersey Shore alone generates $44 billion a year and supports over half a million direct and indirect jobs. The quality of our water is of the utmost importance in ensuring that record of economic and recreational success continues, and BEACH Act grants are the best tool at our disposal to ensure that our coasts are safe for swimming, surfing, fishing, and other activities.

BEACH Act grants help states and localities pay for testing to ensure our waters are safe for swimming. When tests show unsafe levels of bacteria, local and state agencies notify the public or close the beaches completely until bacteria levels fall to acceptable levels. Without this critical federal support, beachgoers would be in serious jeopardy, with many states and localities unable to fill the resulting funding gap to keep communities safe.

A modest maintenance of funding would have an outsized impact on American beachgoers, the communities that welcome them, and the businesses that count on their support each year. Again, we ask that you maintain the current $9.531 million in funding for this critical program, and we thank you for your consideration of this request.

Sicerely,

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