Energy and Water Development and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 2017

Floor Speech

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Mr. LOWENTHAL. Mr. Chair, I, along with Representatives Cicilline, Farr, Langevin, Keating, Beyer, and Peters have introduced an amendment to clarify that the National Ocean Policy is a critical multiagency action that should be implemented.

Mr. Chair, my district is a poster child for the need for ocean coordination and information sharing between local, State, and Federal Governments, and the military, ports, shippers, energy developers, recreational users, and other stakeholders. I know firsthand that we can have a thriving ocean economy and at the same time protect and conserve our precious ocean resources.

For example, the Port of Long Beach is the second busiest port in the United States in my district, moving $140 billion in goods, supporting 1.4 million jobs in the United States.

Offshore oil platforms extract crude oil in San Pedro Bay less than a mile from my front door. San Clemente Island in my district has a Navy training ground and a ship-to-shore firing range. Nearby waters are home to seabirds, fisheries, and migrating whales. Sea level rise and extreme weather threaten neighborhoods and businesses all along my district and the entire coast of California.

With so much activity happening, it simply makes sense to have the Navy at the table when NOAA is working on siting of a new aquaculture installation. It makes sense to have the fishery management council weigh in when oil rigs are being decommissioned, and it is a no-brainer that NOAA, the Coast Guard, and the ports all work together to get these massive ships in and out of port safely.

We want these collaborations to happen because we want to have a sustainable ocean economy, and by developing regional plans and having a framework for multi-stakeholder involvement, we can streamline this process and promote a robust ocean economy that also conserves our precious ocean resources.

The country and my district need a comprehensive approach to our ocean resources, which the National Ocean Policy provides.

I urge my colleagues to vote ``yes'' on my amendment.

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Mr. LOWENTHAL. Mr. Chairman, there is an agreement among all of us that there needs to be more coordination among all of the stakeholders to make smart decisions about our ocean resources. However, many on the other side of the aisle oppose the National Ocean Policy on the grounds that, as we have just heard, it is overreach, which is authorized by an executive order of a President that they don't like.

To me, this seems petty. National Ocean Policy is not a failed policy like some suggest, nor is it an instance of executive overreach. It is merely a commonsense way to facilitate multistakeholder collaboration on complex ocean issues, and it promotes economic opportunity, national security, and environmental protection.

I yield back the balance of my time.

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