[Congressional Bills 111th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H. Res. 989 Introduced in House (IH)]

111th CONGRESS
  1st Session
H. RES. 989

 Expressing the sense of the House of Representatives that the United 
    States should adopt national policies and pursue international 
  agreements to prevent ocean acidification, to study the impacts of 
ocean acidification, and to address the effects of ocean acidification 
              on marine ecosystems and coastal economies.


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                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                           December 16, 2009

Mr. Inslee (for himself, Mr. Markey of Massachusetts, Ms. Bordallo, Mr. 
   Baird, Mr. Thompson of California, Mr. Langevin, Ms. Hirono, Mrs. 
 Capps, Mr. George Miller of California, Ms. Shea-Porter, Ms. Woolsey, 
 Mr. Honda, Mr. Wu, Ms. Speier, Mr. Delahunt, Mr. Smith of Washington, 
 Ms. McCollum, Mr. Farr, Mr. Dicks, Mrs. Christensen, Mr. Adler of New 
  Jersey, and Mr. Holt) submitted the following resolution; which was 
             referred to the Committee on Natural Resources

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                               RESOLUTION


 
 Expressing the sense of the House of Representatives that the United 
    States should adopt national policies and pursue international 
  agreements to prevent ocean acidification, to study the impacts of 
ocean acidification, and to address the effects of ocean acidification 
              on marine ecosystems and coastal economies.

Whereas the world's oceans have absorbed more than a quarter of the carbon 
        dioxide released into the atmosphere since the start of the Industrial 
        Revolution;
Whereas the increased absorption of carbon dioxide by the world's oceans alters 
        the form of nutrients and chemicals in the oceans and results in ocean 
        acidification;
Whereas ocean acidification threatens carbonate-forming species such as coral, 
        shellfish, and marine plankton, and may cause major ripple effects 
        throughout marine ecosystems and food webs, ultimately affecting the 
        largest marine organisms and many commercial fisheries;
Whereas ocean acidification will affect the growth, reproduction, disease 
        resistance, and other biological and physiological processes of many 
        marine organisms;
Whereas ocean acidification will be accelerated in Arctic waters because carbon 
        dioxide is more soluble in colder waters and lower salinity diminishes 
        the capacity of oceans to buffer against acidification;
Whereas over 60 percent of the United States population lives in coastal States 
        and could be affected by changes to marine ecosystems;
Whereas coastal communities depend on revenue from the fishing and tourism 
        industries, which rely on the health and stability of marine ecosystems;
Whereas commercial and recreational fisheries contribute more than 
        $73,000,000,000 annually to the United States economy and support more 
        than 2,000,000 jobs in the United States;
Whereas coastal tourism and recreation produce $70,000,000,000 in annual revenue 
        in the United States;
Whereas coral ecosystems are a source of food for millions; protect coastlines 
        from storms and erosion; provide habitat, spawning, and nursery grounds 
        for economically important fish species; provide jobs and income to 
        local economies from fishing, recreation, and tourism; are a source of 
        new medicines; and are hotspots of marine biodiversity;
Whereas 500,000,000 people worldwide rely on reefs for food, income, and 
        protection;
Whereas coral reefs support an estimated 25 percent of marine species globally 
        and produce a net global economic benefit of about $30,000,000,000 per 
        year;
Whereas if current trends in global emissions of carbon dioxide continue, corals 
        could be functionally extinct by the middle to the end of this century; 
        and
Whereas the Congress has recognized the need to address the impacts of ocean 
        acidification by enacting the Federal Ocean Acidification Research and 
        Monitoring Act of 2009 as part of Public Law 111-11: Now, therefore be 
        it
    Resolved, That it is the sense of the House of Representatives that 
the United States should adopt national policies and pursue 
international agreements to prevent ocean acidification, to study the 
impacts of ocean acidification, and to address the effects of ocean 
acidification on marine ecosystems and coastal economies.
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