Chesapeake Bay Science, Education, And Ecosystem Enhancement Act Of 2009

Floor Speech

BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT

Mr. KRATOVIL. Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 1771, the Chesapeake Bay Science, Education and Ecosystem Enhancement Act, and also, with your permission, Mr. Speaker, H.R. 1053, the Chesapeake Bay Accountability and Recovery Act of 2009, which I believe is next up on the calendar.

Both bills will protect the beauty and utility of the Chesapeake Bay for future generations while building the economic base of districts like Maryland's First District, my district, whose local economies are dependent on the health of the Chesapeake Bay.

By reauthorizing much-needed funding, the Chesapeake Bay Science, Education and Ecosystem Enhancement Act will allow NOAA's Chesapeake Bay office to continue to play a vital role in the management and restoration of the bay.

Additionally, H.R. 1771 will formally authorize NOAA's Bay Watershed Education and Training, B-WET, program that you heard Congressman Sarbanes discuss. Since first being established in 2002, this program has provided critical assistance for hands-on watershed education for thousands of students and teachers.

When educators are given the necessary tools to engage their students, the curriculum can foster a lifelong understanding about the importance of the bay and create future generations of stewards committed to its health and beauty.

In the short term, the bill will expand the technical assistance that NOAA can offer watermen who practice emerging aquaculture techniques. Many watermen have found success with aquaculture that has led to an increase in both the clam and oyster populations. This bill will build on these successes, keeping the seafood industry viable and protecting the overall ecosystem of the Chesapeake Bay.

Support of the legislation will help ensure the vitality of our natural resources throughout the bay in the long term, and I thank again my colleague from Maryland, Congressman Sarbanes, for introducing this bill.

Similarly, H.R. 1053, the Chesapeake Bay Accountability and Recovery Act, is legislation that will protect one of our national treasures and North America's largest estuary while applying financial responsibility and accountability practices to the funds that we appropriate to do so, and I want to thank Congressman Wittman for his leadership on this. As Congressman Sarbanes said, he's been a leader on a number of issues related to the bay, and I congratulate him on it.

This legislation institutes performance-based measures to ensure that dollars spent on restoration activities are producing results. Every dollar we spend on the bay is money well spent, but not if we fail to track these dollars in order to determine best practices and eliminate waste and duplicity.

The bill would require the adoption of two methods: crosscut budgeting by the Office of Management and Budget; and adaptive management by the Environmental Protection Agency. These initiatives will provide a comprehensive accounting of all bay restoration activities and would be available to everyone, including Congress. By sharing this information, stakeholders can make better-informed funding decisions.

Adaptive management will provide a means to evaluate the success and efficiency of bay restoration programs. It will increase coordination, reduce overlap, and improve decisionmaking. Financial responsibility is a theme we should apply to every dollar we spend, and that includes protection of the bay. We aren't doing future generations any favors if we protect the health of the Chesapeake Bay but, at the same time, neglect to protect the health of our economy as a whole.

And again, I want to congratulate and thank Congressman Wittman from Virginia for introducing the bill.

BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT

Source