National Estuary Programs Reauthorization

Floor Speech

Mr. WAXMAN. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to express my support for H.R. 5266, the reauthorization of the National Estuary Program (NEP).

The 33rd Congressional District, which I represent, includes the Santa Monica Bay, an estuary that includes some of the most iconic coastline in the nation. In 1988, the State of California and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) established the Santa Monica Bay Restoration Project as a National Estuary Program under the Clean Water Act. Estuaries, protected and restored by funding from the National Estuary Program, are some of the most productive habitats on earth. Unfortunately, due to population growth across the coastline, these estuaries are increasingly under threat from pollution and environmental degradation.

Luckily, the Santa Monica Bay Restoration Commission (SMBRC) is working to protect its vital resources. Through an action plan called the Bay Restoration Plan, the Commission and its partners are working to improve the environmental health of the Santa Monica Bay and its surroundings by improving water quality, restoring damaged habitats and conserving natural and marine resources.

The reauthorization of the National Estuaries Program under H.R. 5266 is essential to helping safeguard the ecological and economic viability of our nation's estuaries. This legislation will direct more money to our nation's estuaries while reducing overall authorization levels by reducing administrative costs at EPA and designating money to National Estuary Programs.

Since 1987, the establishment of the National Estuaries Program has allowed us to identify and help preserve 28 different watersheds. These watersheds are essential to the future of our nation's coastlines. I urge my colleagues to support H.R. 5266 to protect our coastal ecology for generations to come.

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