Promoting United Government Efforts to Save Our Sound Act

Floor Speech

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Ms. SCHRIER. Mr. Speaker, I am so proud to be standing on the floor today speaking in support of the PUGET SOS Act. The passage of the bill in this House is something that our State has been collectively working toward for years.

I thank Representative Heck and Representative Kilmer and the other Members of the Puget Sound Recovery Caucus for their leadership.

The challenges facing our Sound are great and are compounded by our State's growth and climate change. Chinook populations remain far below recovery goals, despite having been listed as threatened since 1999 under the Endangered Species Act.

As the only member from Washington State on the House Agricultural Committee, I plan to use my position to highlight the importance of responsible farming practices, ecosystem recovery, and riparian habitats.

Mr. Speaker, the narrative that we can have farms or fish is false-- we can have both. State- and county-level agencies are also doing their part to help both fish and farmers.

The Washington State conservation Commission is doing some amazing work in the agricultural world. Our conservation districts work statewide to implement natural resource improvement projects and build landowner engagement and commitment.

Just one example is the work that the Pierce County conservation District did when they partnered with local farmers to address management practices and were able to have a substantial impact on the health of 278 acres for shellfish harvesting.

The Puget Sound needs protecting. Other bodies of water like the Chesapeake Bay and the Great Lakes have formal program status under the Clean Water Act, which helps ensure their consistent Federal funding. The Puget Sound and all of the wildlife in it deserve the same status under the Clean Water Act.

It is shortsighted and irresponsible to not fight for the Sound and its future. We owe it to the species whose futures are imperiled because of human activity. We owe it to our children and generations we will never know. We absolutely must protect Puget Sound.

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