Energy and Water Development and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 2019

Floor Speech

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Ms. PINGREE. Mr. Chairman, I rise in support of this amendment, and I thank my colleague from California for yielding me this time.

Now, every year, we have this battle. It is a battle to simply recognize the importance of our oceans and ocean planning. We have already learned about the fact that ocean planning works, and it is working already in New England and the mid-Atlantic; and instead of arguing hypotheticals about things that could happen, might happen, we should talk about the story of what actually happens in regions like mine where we live and work on the ocean.

The story of National Ocean Policy isn't national at all. It is about local control, local stakeholders, local input, and local decisionmaking.

In Maine, we have some great success stories of fishermen, lobstermen, Native American Tribes, local communities, and other stakeholders developing voluntary regional ocean plans. It is a great story of coordination among varied interests, all with the same goal of better understanding our oceans, protecting them, and working with them and in them.

By including those who work on and near the ocean, we are coordinating ocean activities for efficiency and coordination.

But the language in today's underlying bill would make it even more difficult for Federal agencies, for State agencies, and for local communities to work together on the future of our ocean resources.

Mr. Chairman, this rider has no place in this bill, and I urge my colleagues to strike it.

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