Bonamici Announces González-Colón as New House Oceans Caucus Co-Chair

Press Release

Today Congresswoman Suzanne Bonamici (D-OR) announced that Congresswoman Jenniffer González-Colón (R-Puerto Rico) will join her as the new Co-Chair of the bipartisan House Oceans Caucus.

González-Colón is filling the position formerly held by the late Congressman Don Young (R-AK). Bonamici has served as a Co-Chair of the House Oceans Caucus since 2017.

"Protecting our ocean must be a bipartisan effort," said Congresswoman Suzanne Bonamici. "Throughout her time in Congress, Congresswoman Jenniffer González-Colón has shown her commitment to improving the health of our ocean for generations to come. I am pleased to welcome her as my Co-Chair of the House Oceans Caucus. For several years I worked closely with the late Congressman Don Young to pass legislation that is making a positive difference for the ocean, and I look forward to building on that legacy with Congresswoman González-Colón."

"In Puerto Rico, we know firsthand the importance of protecting our oceans. Marine resources support our economy, enhance our resilience to natural disasters, and provide critical habitat for fish and wildlife. This is why I've long supported efforts to safeguard the health of our oceans and marine ecosystems, including legislation to restore our coral reefs and tackle erosion along our coasts; improve ocean data, monitoring, and research capabilities; combat marine debris; and strengthen ocean and coastal conservation programs," said Congresswoman Jenniffer González-Colón. "I'm thrilled to join Congresswoman Bonamici as Co-Chair of the House Oceans Caucus to continue working on these and other initiatives to help address the most pressing issues facing our coastal communities. I'm also honored to be following in the footsteps of my friend and mentor, the late Congressman Don Young of Alaska, and look forward to continuing his bipartisan work to protect our oceans for future generations."

The House Oceans Caucus is a bipartisan group of House members committed to protecting the health of the ocean. The Caucus is focused on environmental stressors (including ocean acidification, harmful algal blooms, and hypoxia); marine debris; ocean data and monitoring; coastal resiliency; and illegal, unreported, and unregulated fishing.

"As Puerto Rico's Representative, Representative González-Colón understands the magnitude and urgency of the challenges facing our oceans and coasts. She has long been a champion for our ocean and the communities that rely on it. We are pleased to see her stepping into the role of Co-Chair of the House Oceans Caucus, and look forward to working closely with her to protect our oceans and coasts." --Kathy Tsantiris, Associate Director of Government Relations at Ocean Conservancy

"The Oceans Caucus Foundation is excited to welcome Representative Jenniffer González-Colón as the new House Oceans Caucus Co-Chair. Her leadership in support of critical oceans issues like coral reef conservation, marine debris, and prioritizing ocean data collection and technology make her well-suited for this role. We very much look forward to working with her and her staff as we continue to uplift key oceans issues and work to educate Congress on oceans conservation and management." -- Oceans Caucus Foundation

"We are thrilled to have Representative González-Colón join the leadership of the House Oceans Caucus. Reserves rely on the Caucus to ensure that the need for the work we do is understood and supported by all members of Congress. We are confident that she will work with her Co-Chair, Representative Bonamici, to elevate coastal and ocean issues and make certain that our communities receive the full benefit of coastal programs." -- Rebecca Roth, executive director for the National Estuarine Research Reserve Association.

"We thank Rep. Bonamici for her vision, passion, and deep understanding of the importance of coastal science and observations, as well as her leadership focusing attention on coastal issues by co-chairing the House Ocean Caucus. The Caucus has been effective in addressing coastal issues affecting communities and ecosystems, including highlighting the need for sustained, reliable, and accessible coastal observing data, forecasts, and information. We look forward to working with Rep Gonzalez-Colon in this new position to ensure coastal communities have the information they need to plan, adapt, and respond to a changing coastal ocean." -- Jan Newton, Director, Northwest Association of Networked Ocean Observing Systems, and Julio Morell, Director, Caribbean Coastal Ocean Observing System.

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