Congress moves to invest in the nation’s estuaries
Reauthorizes the National Estuary Program to recover and grow coastal economic economies and ensure resilient coastal communities
Congress reaffirmed its support and strong commitment to the National Estuary Program, a time-tested, non-regulatory program that enables communities to restore and protect the estuaries and their watersheds that they call home. The Coastal & Heartland National Estuary Partnership (CHNEP) is one of 28 Congressionally-designated “estuaries of national significance” across the United States, which will all directly benefit from the Protect and Restore America’s Estuaries Act. This legislation recently passed with strong bipartisan support in the House and unanimous approval from the Senate, including by Senators Marco Rubio and Rick Scott and Congressmen Darren Soto, Francis Rooney, Vern Buchanan, Greg Steube, Ross Spano and Mario Diaz-Balart. It was signed into law on January 13, 2021.
The Act reaffirms support for the work of the National Estuary Program, and nearly doubles the annual funding limit to $50 million. Under the new law, each NEP could receive as much as $1 million each year. The Coastal & Heartland National Estuary Partnership, which encompasses 10 counties and 27 cities in Central and Southwest Florida, works with our communities at the regional level to protect the coastal resources essential for tourism, commerce, storm protection, clean water and marine-based food supply such as fisheries and aquaculture. Increasing threats from pollution, harmful algal blooms, accelerating land loss, and risks to biodiversity threaten the vitality of estuaries across the country, and are a growing concern.
“These actions demonstrate a clear recognition by Congress of the economic and environmental value of our nation’s estuaries and coasts,” said Jennifer Hecker, Executive Director of the Coastal & Heartland National Estuary Program. “In addition to funding research and providing grants, the National Estuary Program ensures that the management plans governing nationally significant estuaries consider the effects of increasing and recurring extreme weather events and develop and implement appropriate adaptation strategies” says Hecker, adding “We are greatly appreciative of the strong support from our Senators and Representatives for the important work being done in our estuaries through our program and in collaboration with so many partners across sectors.”
Rep. Tom Malinowski, D-N.J., a member of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, and the original sponsor of the bill introduced in July 2019 said, “Estuaries nurture a vast array of marine life, filter pollutants from rivers before they reach the sea, and are the natural infrastructure that protects human communities from floods and storms. As extreme weather events increasingly threaten these nurseries of the sea, I’m very proud this important legislation was signed into law, so these critical waterways will continue to be protected.”
Senators Whitehouse of Rhode Island, Cassidy of Louisiana, and Carper of Delaware were instrumental in securing passage of the bill, and are also long time champions of estuaries and coastal protection.
For more information, go to CHNEP.org and https://www.congress.gov/bill/116th-congress/house-bill/4044
