Promoting United Government Efforts to Save Our Sound Act

Floor Speech

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Mr. HECK. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentlewoman from California.

Mr. Speaker, I do indeed rise in strong support of H.R. 2247, the Promoting United Government Efforts to Save Our Sound, or the PUGET SOS Act.

As indicated, Puget Sound is, in fact, located in western Washington, but it is a national treasure. Indeed, to modify just slightly what my friend from Florida suggested, by water volume it is actually the largest estuary in the United States of America.

Puget Sound and its tributaries are one of the most ecologically diverse in all of North America, and it is, as has been indicated, the economic engine for the western part of our State, supporting maritime industry, commercial and recreational fishing, shellfish growers, tourism, and recreation.

But it is more than that. It is also absolutely critical to the Tribes that reside in Washington State who have stewarded it for literally millennia. And need I remind you; they have treaty-reserved rights to its natural resources.

Above and beyond that, it is central to the identity of anyone from western Washington. I ask you this: For those of you who have been to Seattle and have made the comment or a post from an August visit, it is beautiful. What is the image that comes to your mind? It is of Mount Rainier, above the shimmering waters of the Puget Sound. Or--and more about this later--it is of that magnificent black and white fish, the orca, breaching the surface of the water.

But here is the deal, Puget Sound is dying. Slowly but surely, it is under serious threat. Water and air pollution, sediment contamination, and water flow disruption continue to devastate the fish, marine, mammal, bird, and shellfish populations of Puget Sound.

Indeed, that orca, the Southern Resident orca, population is down to 72, arguably not sustainable because we need to save the Sound. And if these trends continue, we will lose much of what makes Puget Sound a national treasure so special. And that should concern us all.

Fortunately, there have been many people across the Puget Sound region that have been treating these deteriorating conditions as a call to action. Tribes, State governments, local groups and private sector people are investing in recovery efforts.

Back in 2013, I teamed up with my good friend, roommate and colleague, Congressman Kilmer, to establish the Puget Sound Recovery Caucus to promote Puget Sound preservation at the Federal level.

And in 2016, the Obama administration created the Puget Sound Federal Task Force, by executive action, to coordinate recovery efforts more efficiently among the Federal agencies. Still, we must bring more attention to bear on Puget Sound recovery, and that is why we introduced the PUGET SOS Act.

The bill will simply codify the Federal task force to ensure that coordination among Federal agencies continue--and we all want that-- into the future and it also creates the Puget Sound Recovery National Program office at the EPA, elevating Puget Sound recovery efforts and putting them on a par with those deservedly of the Great Lakes and Chesapeake Bay.

And for the first time, the bill authorizes funding for Federal Puget Sound recovery actions. This is a product of years of collaboration between Tribal, State, and local stakeholders, including private sector investors.

Specifically, I thank the members of the committee. I especially thank my friend, Congressman Kilmer. And I most especially thank my friends across the aisle, who joined in cosponsorship in support of this.

Mr. Speaker, I thank the Northwest Indian Fisheries Commission and the Puget Sound Partnership for their effort. The threats facing the Puget Sound are numerous and they are existential, but I believe that with a strong Federal partnership role and smart investments, we can act before it is too late. We can help recover the Puget Sound and preserve its ecological, economic, and cultural significance for generations to come.

The PUGET SOS Act is a strong first step towards recovery, and I encourage my colleagues to support the bill.

And again, I extend my gratitude to all of those who have put your shoulders to the wheel and gotten it this far in the process.

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Mr. HECK. Mr. Speaker, several important considerations underlie the purpose and intent of the Puget SOS Act. Puget Sound and its tributary waters are one of the most ecologically diverse ecosystems in North America with natural resources that have ecological, economic, and cultural importance to the United States and the many Tribal nations that have stewarded it for millennia. The health and productivity of Puget Sound is not only the cornerstone of the region's quality of life and vibrant economy, but its worldclass salmon fishery, commercial aquaculture, agriculture, and port activities ripple throughout the Nation.

Threats to Puget Sound, such as water pollution, sediment contamination, environmental degradation, and habitat loss, jeopardize the economic productivity and natural resources that support the increasing population of the region. For nearly a decade, State, local, and Tribal governments, cooperative partnerships, and concerned citizens have worked together in a deliberate and coordinated way to direct and manage public resource allocation toward habitat restoration, improving water quality and shellfish farms, and developing a body of scientific knowledge, all of which have advanced the Puget Sound recovery efforts.

Tribal governments with treaty-reserved rights in the natural resources of Puget Sound have long served as co-managers of fishery resources, have engaged in Puget Sound Partnership processes and public forums to encourage a holistic and scientific approach to recovery efforts, and have continued in their role as stewards of Puget Sound, including by engaging with multi-faceted restoration and protection actions, and are thus an indispensable, equal partner in all Puget Sound recovery actions.

Despite significant and nationally recognized accomplishments, the rate of damage to Puget Sound still exceeds the rate of recovery. To outpace mounting pollutants and other cascading negative impacts, the next step in fortifying the recovery system is to align Federal recovery and protection efforts seamlessly with State, local, and Tribal investments, as the Puget SOS Act would do.

Water and air pollution, sediment contamination, habitat loss and decline, and water flow disruption continue to devastate the fish, marine mammal, bird, and shellfish populations of Puget Sound, threatening local economies, and Tribal treaty rights, and contributing to:

Significant declines in the populations of wild Chinook Salmon, Coho Salmon, Summer Chum Salmon, Steelhead, and Pacific Herring, which are essential food sources for humans, fish, seabirds, mammals, and other wildlife;

Risks to the sustainability of fish arid- shellfish populations, and their food chains, reproductive cycles, and habitats, which also threaten Federal obligations to protect Tribal resources, culture, traditions, and economies;

Marine species being listed as at-risk or vulnerable to extinction, according to State, Federal, and provincial lists that identify the species of Puget Sound and surrounding areas, including the iconic population of southern resident Orca whales;

Sediment contaminated with toxic substances--such as polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), heavy metals (mercury), and oil (grease)--polluting Puget Sound, threatening public health, and posing; significant dangers to humans, fish, and wildlife;

Rivers and beaches failing to meet water quality standards and becoming unsafe for salmon, as well as business and recreational activities, such as fishing and swimming;

The closing of shellfish beds from contaminated pollution caused by sources such as stormwater and agricultural runoff; and

Mortalities and morbidity in shellfish due to the acidification of Puget Sound.

Puget Sound is a national treasure and its recovery and protection will significantly contribute to the environmental, cultural, and economic well-being of the United States and the many Tribal nations that have stewarded it for millennia.

The PUGET SOS Act underscores the recognition that Federal Government should align its efforts and resources to fully implement and enforce the goals of the Federal Water Pollution Control Act, including State implementation of non-point source water quality standards for salmon, the Endangered Species Act of 1973, and all other Federal laws that contribute to the recovery and protection of Puget Sound. The Act also recognizes that the Federal Government should uphold Federal trust responsibilities to restore and protect resources crucial to Tribal treaty rights--including by carrying out government-to-government consultation--as well as support regional, local, and Tribal efforts to address environmental challenges.

The PUGET SOS Act is intended, among other things, to ensure that the recovery and protection programs, projects, and initiatives that the Federal Government undertakes in, or that otherwise impact, Puget Sound shall be actively coordinated and aligned with the protection of Tribal treaty rights and resources, the Treaty Rights at Risk Initiative, Salmon Recovery Plans, the Coastal Nonpoint Pollution Control Program, and the Puget Sound Action Agenda.

Mr. Speaker, I am grateful to all stakeholders who have come together to advocate for the recovery and protection of Puget Sound. The PUGET SOS Act is an important step towards those goals, and I urge my colleagues to support its passage.

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