Coastal Habitat Conservation Act of 2023
Floor Speech
I rise in support of H.R. 2950, the Coastal Habitat Conservation Act, introduced by the gentleman from California (Mr. Huffman), the Water, Wildlife and Fisheries Subcommittee ranking member.
This bill would provide statutory authority for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service's Coastal Program, including authorizing nearly $17 million each year from fiscal year 2024 through 2028.
The Coastal Program is one of the Fish and Wildlife Service's most effective voluntary programs for restoring and protecting the habitat. It has helped coastal communities and their partners conserve and restore coastal ecosystems since 1985. These partnerships have benefited people, habitats, and wildlife in 24 priority coastal areas, including the Gulf of Mexico, Great Lakes, Caribbean, Atlantic Ocean, and the Pacific Ocean.
The program works to create resilient coastal ecosystems, support habitat connectivity, recover Federal trust in priority species, and promote community stewardship of fish and wildlife resources. It does so by providing both technical and financial assistance to States, Tribes, coastal communities, and conservation organizations for public and private lands.
This successful program has completed nearly 5,000 projects and collaborated with over 6,400 partners, with the outcome of protecting more than 2.3 million acres of habitat and improving land and water for the people and wildlife that live there.
Our country and our planet are facing a climate crisis and a biodiversity crisis, so efforts like these are essential.
Authorizing the Coastal Program through H.R. 2950 will enable the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to continue identifying threats to coastal landscapes, providing coastal habitat planning and assessments, ensuring restoration and protection for resilient coastlines, and developing capacity building between private and public partnerships.
I strongly support the Coastal Habitat Conservation Act and urge my colleagues to pass this bill.
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Ms. OCASIO-CORTEZ. Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support the legislation, and I yield back the balance of my time.
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