Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 2015

Floor Speech

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Madam Chair, I rise in support of increasing funding to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, NOAA, to support its Integrated Ocean Acidification research line and fulfill the administration's requested funding level of $15 million in fiscal year 2015.

The administration's requested increase of funds for ocean acidification research reflects a growing consensus in both the scientific community and the coastal and fishing communities that I and so many of our colleagues represent that ocean acidification is already affecting marine organisms and could irreversibly alter the marine environment and harm our coastal ecosystems and economies.

On the west coast alone, a $270 million shellfish industry has experienced disastrous oyster production failures and near collapse in recent years because of changes in water conditions that have been attributed to ocean acidification. This change in chemistry is caused by carbon dioxide in the atmosphere dissolving into the ocean, and the increased acidity of the ocean is harming the basic building blocks for life in the ocean, making it more difficult for marine organisms to build their skeletons and shells, and slowing the formation of important ecosystem features such as coral reefs.

In the Pacific Northwest, for example, the combination of seasonal upwelling of acidic waters, low alkalinity, and increased anthropogenic CO2 create some of the most corrosive ocean conditions in the world.

In just the last few years, the scientific community has been increasingly raising concerns about ocean acidification with policymakers. Researchers at Oregon State University have been working with the fishing community in Oregon to determine the impacts of acidification. They have been helping the shellfish industry, especially the hatcheries, assess the causes of oyster die-off and how to mitigate the harmful upwelling events through monitoring the water entering their facility. This exemplifies the kind of academic and industry partnerships that become possible when the Federal Government supports the academic research enterprise.

Funds provided by NOAA's Integrated Ocean Acidification research program will support extramural research awards that will fund studies on the impact of acidification in coastal, estuarine, coral reef, and shell environments. Not only will NOAA support studies on the impact of acidification, the agency runs the observing system that helps monitor areas experiencing increased acidity, and it also helps coastal communities and impacted industries develop adaptation strategies.

Now, my examples thus far have focused on the impact in Oregon and on the west coast, but, colleagues, this is important to everyone because it affects the whole shellfish industry. I know from working with my colleagues in the Pacific coast States that this is a problem that their constituents raise with them more frequently, and they point to it as an immediate threat to coastal economies. In conversations I've had with many constituents, the threat is made more immediate by how little is known about how these changes could impact the marine organisms and the people who depend on ocean resources for their livelihoods. This is why we need more information, and this is why we need NOAA's Integrated Ocean Acidification research program and why it needs more robust funding. The science community at large is still grappling with the extent and impact of changing ocean conditions.

The bill before us today is full of important priorities and accounts that could use more funding if we in Congress were able to provide it. Researchers at NOAA have indicated that even increasing the funding to $15 million does not provide them with enough resources to fully address a problem of this magnitude. But even a modest increase will go a long way to supporting our hard-hit coastal communities and industries and would better prepare communities to address the creeping threat of changing ocean chemistry.

Now, Madam Chair, at the appropriate time, I plan to withdraw my amendment, but I do hope that the chairman, the ranking member, and the committee will work with me on this important issue going forward, and I know there is at least one additional Member who wishes to speak on this issue.

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