Coastal and Estuarine Land Conservation Program Act
Floor Speech
COASTAL AND ESTUARINE LAND CONSERVATION PROGRAM ACT -- (House of Representatives - September 22, 2008)
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Mrs. CAPPS. Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of H.R. 1907, which formally codifies NOAA's Coastal and Estuarine Land Conservation Program, informally known as the CELCP program.
First, I want to thank the chairman of the Natural Resources Committee, Mr. Rahall, and the chairwoman of the subcommittee, Ms. Bordallo, for bringing H.R. 1907 before us today. I also want to join with the ranking member, Mr. Young, in recognizing the author of this legislation, Mr. Saxton, for his leadership in all of the areas that he has worked on, especially in this area. Those comments of my colleague from Alaska were very well said. For years, Mr. Saxton has been a champion for the marine environment, and his passion for our oceans will be missed.
Mr. Speaker, it's well-known that more and more people are moving to the coast to enjoy its beauty and its recreational opportunities. An estimated 60 percent of Americans will live along our coasts during the next 2 years. More than ever, the pressures of urbanization and of coastal pollution threaten to impair watersheds, to impact wildlife habitat and to cause irreparable damage to our fragile coastal ecology.
We see strong signals of what continuing down this path could bring us: beach closings, fish kills, human health impacts, and a lack of public access to beaches and to coastal waters. That's why we need initiatives like the Coastal and Estuarine Land Conservation Program, the CELCP program.
This existing program pairs willing sellers through community-based initiatives with sources of Federal funds in order to enhance environmental protection. Lands can be acquired in full or through easements, and none of the lands purchased through this program would be held by the Federal Government. It puts land conservation initiatives in the hands of State and local communities. That's why it's supported by the Coastal States Organization.
In my congressional district, we've worked collaboratively with coastal communities, with environmental groups, with willing sellers, and with the State to conserve lands around the Morro Bay National Estuary, on the nationally significant Gaviota Coast and near the Piedras Blancas Outstanding Natural Area.
These lands are home to a wide variety of plants and animal species that are particularly threatened by encroaching development and pollution. By working with local communities to purchase lands and easements, California has been able to successfully preserve the natural and scenic heritage of some of its last undeveloped stretches of coastline.
Mr. Speaker, programs like CELCP will help other coastal States to participate in these community-based conservation efforts. Given the importance of healthy, productive and accessible coastal areas, it's time to formally authorize CELCP. This legislation makes important improvements in the program. It provides a better framework for its administration, and it will ensure the consistent implementation throughout the country.
I know that we all would like to do something like this in honor and in the memory of our good friend in his days in Congress, Mr. Saxton. So I want to thank the chairwoman and Mr. Saxton for their leadership on this legislation. I look forward to working with them in the coming days to ensure its passage so that we can fill this vital need for coastal protection. I urge all of my colleagues to support H.R. 1907.
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