Enhancing Science, Treatment, and Upkeep of America's Resilient and Important Estuarine Systems Act

Floor Speech

Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 3962, as amended, the Enhancing Science, Treatment, and Upkeep of America's Resilient and Important Estuarine Systems Act, more simply known as the ESTUARIES Act.

I am proud to be the lead on this bipartisan bill. I thank the co- chairs of the Estuary Caucus, Ranking Member Rick Larsen, as well as Representatives Bonamici, Haridopolos, and Mast, all of whom are original cosponsors of this bill.

The National Estuary Program, or NEP, is an important resource for supporting locally led efforts to restore and protect the health of our coastal estuaries nationwide. This bill reauthorizes the NEP for 5 years and adds the Mississippi Sound to the list of estuaries for priority consideration.

Reauthorization ensures continued Federal support for this critical program, which has protected vital habitats, improved water quality, and fostered regional resilience since its creation in 1987.

Protecting and restoring Mobile Bay, which is in the heart of my district, is essential to Alabama's environment, flood protection, and seafaring economy as well. Mobile Bay is now home to the deepest port in the Gulf, so protecting its surrounding estuaries is critical not just to our local economy but to our regional and national economy as well.

I will take a moment to recognize Roberta Swann, who has led the Mobile Bay National Estuary Program since 2009 and is calling it a career at the end of this year. Ranking Member Larsen and I had the privilege of meeting with her in Mobile this past August, and her dedication to building partnerships and advancing science-based solutions is a big reason the program has been so successful in Mobile.

It could not be more fitting that, in the same year in which she celebrates 16 years of leadership and her retirement, that her Congressman has the honor of leading this reauthorization and advancing it through the House of Representatives here today.

This year, the Association of National Estuary Programs' fall meeting was held in Mobile, which is my hometown, a powerful reminder of Mobile Bay's national significance and how this program brings people together to share solutions across the country.

This program funds partnerships between the EPA, States, local governments, and community stakeholders. It is very successful in leveraging not just Federal dollars, but on average the local NEPs raise an additional $17 for every $1 in Federal funding, as my colleague Representative Johnson also noted.

These non-Federal dollars come through in kind, local, State, and private sources, which are utilized by the local program leaders in accordance with their Comprehensive Conservation and Management Plans. The NEP allows the locals to lead and address the water quality issues because they know best.

Projects carried out using NEP funds cover a wide range of possibilities but always keep the locals in the driver's seat. They may include protecting shoreline habitats, increasing the ecological integrity of estuaries, or building coastal resilience. Projects may also aim to improve water quality or encourage community access to coastal ecosystems.

In other instances, funds may support estuaries in a broader scope, such as supporting adjacent land acquisitions or upgrading nearby wastewater or stormwater infrastructure.

Regardless, these decisions are made locally and based on the specific NEP program and its unique location and specific needs.

Currently, there are 28 active NEP initiatives nationwide. This includes all corners of the country, from the Puget Sound in Washington to Santa Monica Bay in California, my home in Mobile, Alabama, all the way up to Casco Bay in Maine.

I will always champion efforts like the National Estuary Program, which protect and restore our critical natural resources while utilizing local knowledge and ensuring the efficient use of Federal funds.

This is a program that is working. It is popular, and it deserves our support. I urge passage of the ESTUARIES Act, as amended, and ask all my colleagues to do the same.

Mr. JOHNSON of South Dakota. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

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Mr. FIGURES. Bonamici).

Mr. Speaker, to date, the National Estuary Program has restored more than 2\1/2\ million acres of coastal habitat nationwide. The 28 programs, soon to be 29 with the addition of the Mississippi Sound, and partnerships will work hard to address challenges we are all familiar with, like harmful algal blooms, coastal erosion, and runoff pollution.

Keeping our estuaries healthy means keeping our coastal communities strong. Estuaries protect these communities from flooding, store clean water, support commercial fish habitats, and provide recreational opportunities. Let's keep working together to restore and protect these essential ecosystems. Reauthorizing the national estuary program will allow us to do just that.

Mr. Speaker, I support H.R. 3962, as amended, the ESTUARIES Act, and I urge my colleagues to do the same. I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. JOHNSON of South Dakota.

I think, Mr. Speaker, the American people can be forgiven if they are watching cable news and assume the only thing we do around here is fight, but I think the last three bills on the floor are a good example that, indeed, is not the case.

Now, let's be honest. None of these bills have been silver bullets slaying the biggest policy challenges facing our Nation, but they are real attempts at governing. The Save Our Seas Act, FMC reauthorization, and this, the ESTUARIES Act, are attempts by serious legislators, people like Mr. Mast, Mr. Haridopolos, Ms. Bonamici, Mr. Larsen, and Mr. Figures, to address real problems facing our country.

Indeed, this bill is a bipartisan attempt to reauthorize the longstanding, nonregulatory EPA grant program that does empower locals to solve these problems far more powerfully than if we just had the experts in D.C. do it.

This is a good bill. It is a continuation of a theme on the floor today of serious legislators doing serious work.

Mr. Speaker, I urge support of this bill, and I yield back the balance of my time.

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