Federal Ocean Acidification Research and Monitoring Act of 2008

Mr. FEENEY. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

Mr. Speaker, since the beginning of the industrial revolution, the oceans have been the largest sink of increased carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. This is a valuable natural function. When the oceans absorb carbon dioxide, it lowers the pH of the water. Although the increased acidity of the oceans to date has not been significant, many in the ocean science community are concerned about the rate of change that they have witnessed.

H.R. 4174 organizes Federal activities on ocean acidification research. It is intended to provide a blueprint for research and monitoring efforts at the Federal level, and encourage international cooperation for a global problem.

We have an obligation to ourselves and to future generations to make informed decisions on something as serious as the health and welfare of our oceans, but at this point, we do not know enough to make those decisions. We do not know how much the ocean's chemistry is going to change, how fast it will change, or what the impacts of this change will be on marine life or the health of marine ecosystems. We also do not know how all of this will affect mankind's reliance on the ocean for food, for industry, and for energy resources. How can we possibly engage in serious discussions about mitigation and adoption strategies if we do not know these important things?

Passing the Federal Ocean Acidification Research and Monitoring Act is the first step we need to take to collect this vital information. The legislation directs the Joint Subcommittee on Ocean Science and Technology, or JSOST, to coordinate all Federal research and monitoring activities. The subcommittee is co-chaired by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, NOAA, the National Science Foundation, NSF, and the Office of Science and Technology Policy in the White House. These are the three agencies that should be most involved in ocean acidification research.

This bill requires JSOST to develop a strategic research plan with an eye toward being able to produce useable products to the fishing industry, the energy industry, policy makers, and other shareholders at some point in the future. This strategic plan is not meant to reinvent the wheel. It should be based on several research road maps that have already been developed by other institutions.

The legislation authorizes NOAA to continue its ocean acidification research and monitoring activities as long as such activities are consistent with the strategic research plan. It also authorizes funding for NSF to provide research grants for ocean acidification. And it directs NASA to focus resources on ocean acidification monitoring in future Earth observation missions.

Most importantly, H.R. 4174 requires that JSOST and NOAA coordinate U.S. ocean acidification research and monitoring efforts with those in the international community. Many countries are currently in the same place as we are, organizing their research efforts and laying out road maps for the future. Just last month, the European Union launched the European Ocean Acidification Project, an initiative to investigate ocean acidification and its consequences.

The U.S. should not have to bear the full and sole burden for global environmental problems. International cooperation ensures that resources and funding are distributed among many nations so that all may benefit from the increase in understanding of ocean acidification.

I urge all of my colleagues to support H.R. 4174.

Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

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