Federal Legislation Proposed: Ocean Acidification
Shared on behalf of Tessa Getchis, Extension Educator of Connecticut Sea Grant.
EYES ON OCEAN ACIDIFICATION: Two House bills were introduced this week to promote research on ocean acidification, an issue biologists and the seafood industry are concerned about. Maine Democrat Chellie Pingree introduced a bill to require the NOAA study the impact of acidification on coastal communities; Washington state Democrat Derek Kilmer and Republican Jaime Herrera Beutler also introduced legislation that would direct federal agencies to create competitions to promote research and potentially open new ways of managing acidification.
Ocean acidification could be a real threat to the fisheries that are the lifeblood of coastal communities,” Pingree said. “The truth is, we don’t fully understand how it would impact a vital industry like the lobster fishery and what the effect would be on Maine. We know what’s causing ocean acidification but now we need to better understand how hard it is going to hit coastal economies.’ More on Pingree’s bill is here: https://pingree.house.gov/media-center/press-releases/pingree-introduces-bill-study-impact-ocean-acidification-coastal Kilmer and Herrera Beutler’s bill is here: http://1.usa.gov/1mbY1DF