National Estuaries and Acidification Research Act of 2021

Floor Speech

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Ms. BONAMICI. 2533, the bill now under consideration.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of Congressman Posey's National Estuaries and Acidification Research Act. I am an original cosponsor of this bipartisan bill, which would direct the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine to conduct a study that examines the science of ocean and coastal acidification in estuaries and provide recommendations to improve future research and management to inform mitigation decisions.

As co-chair of both the House Oceans Caucus and Congressional Estuary Caucus, I know that acidification is not only affecting the open ocean, estuaries and nearshore waters are also absorbing tremendous amounts of carbon pollution and becoming more acidic.

Our understanding of ocean acidification and its interactions with other environmental stressors, such as hypoxia, harmful algal blooms, and warming waters, is rapidly evolving, but is still limited in scope.

Ocean and coastal acidification are often present in the context of other coastal processes, like runoff, erosion, and upwelled water from the oceans, making it difficult to measure its individual effects on estuaries.

Our estuaries and nearshore waters are also experiencing the consequences of our inaction to address the climate crisis, and research has not kept pace with the needs of coastal communities. The NEAR Act will help address significant research gaps and the urgent need to improve our understanding of the ecological and socioeconomic effects of ocean and coastal acidification.

I thank Congressman Posey for his leadership on this bipartisan bill and his efforts to preserve our Nation's estuaries. I also thank Chairwoman Johnson and Ranking Member Lucas for making this bill a priority.

Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support it, and I reserve the balance of my time. House of Representatives, Committee on Science, Space, and Technology, Washington, DC, April 16, 2021. Chairman Raul M. Grijalva, Committee on Natural Resources, Washington, DC.

Dear Chairman Grijalva: I am writing to you concerning H.R. 2533, the ``National Estuaries and Acidification Research Act of 2021,'' which was referred to the Committee on Science, Space, and Technology as lead committee and sequentially referred to the Committee on Natural Resources on April 14, 2021.

I appreciate your willingness to work cooperatively on this bill. I recognize that the bill contains provisions that fall within the jurisdiction of the Committee on Natural Resources. I acknowledge that your Committee will waive further consideration of H.R. 2533 and that this action is not a waiver of future jurisdictional claims by the Committee on Natural Resources over this subject matter.

I will make sure to include our exchange of letters in the Congressional Record and will support the appointment of the Committee on Natural Resources conferees during any House- Senate conference. Thank you for your cooperation on this legislation. Sincerely, Eddie Bernice Johnson,

Chairwoman. ____ House of Representatives, Committee on Natural Resources, Washington, DC, April 20, 2021. Hon. Eddie Bernice Johnson, Chairwoman, Committee on Science, Space, and Technology, Washington, DC.

Dear Chairwoman Johnson: In recognition of the goal of expediting consideration of H.R. 2533, a bill to provide for a study by the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine examining the impact of ocean acidification and other stressors in estuarine environments, the Committee on Natural Resources agrees to waive formal consideration of the bill as to provisions that fall within the Rule X jurisdiction of the Committee on Natural Resources.

The Committee on Natural Resources takes this action with the mutual understanding that, in doing so, we do not waive any jurisdiction over the subject matter contained in this or similar legislation, and that the Committee will be appropriately consulted and involved as the bill or similar legislation moves forward so that we may address any remaining issues within our jurisdiction. Our Committee also reserves the right to seek appointment of conferees to any House-Senate conference involving this or similar legislation.

Thank you for agreeing to include our exchange of letters in the Congressional Record. I appreciate your cooperation regarding this legislation and look forward to continuing to work with you as this measure moves through the legislative process. Sincerely, Raul M. Grijalva, Chair, House Natural Resources Committee.

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Ms. BONAMICI. Mr. Speaker, this is a commonsense bill to address the urgent need for research on ocean and coastal acidification in estuaries.

I appreciate the partnership and leadership from Chairwoman Johnson, Ranking Member Lucas, and Congressman Posey to protect the health of our oceans and estuaries.

Mr. Speaker, I once again urge my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to support this bipartisan bill, and I yield back the balance of my time.

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