[Senate Hearing 117-504]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]





                                                        S. Hrg. 117-504
 
     A LEGISLATIVE HEARING TO EXAMINE S. 2194, THE COASTAL HABITAT 
 CONSERVATION ACT OF 2021, S.__, THE STRENGTHENING COASTAL COMMUNITIES 
  ACT OF 2022, S. 3069, THE GREAT LAKES FISH AND WILDLIFE RESTORATION 
REAUTHORIZATION ACT, AND S. 3767, THE DELAWARE RIVER BASIN CONSERVATION 
                          REAUTHORIZATION ACT

=======================================================================

                                HEARING

                               before the

                              COMMITTEE ON
                      ENVIRONMENT AND PUBLIC WORKS

                          UNITED STATES SENATE

                    ONE HUNDRED SEVENTEENTH CONGRESS

                             SECOND SESSION

                               __________

                             JUNE 15, 2022

                               __________

  Printed for the use of the Committee on Environment and Public Works
  
  
  
  
[GRAPHIC(S) NOT AVAILABLE IN TIFF FORMAT]  

  


        Available via the World Wide Web: http://www.govinfo.gov
        
        
        
                         ______
 
              U.S. GOVERNMENT PUBLISHING OFFICE 
49-822PDF           WASHINGTON : 2023
        
        
        
               COMMITTEE ON ENVIRONMENT AND PUBLIC WORKS

                    ONE HUNDRED SEVENTEENTH CONGRESS

                             SECOND SESSION

                  THOMAS R. CARPER, Delaware, Chairman
BENJAMIN L. CARDIN, Maryland         SHELLEY MOORE CAPITO, West 
BERNARD SANDERS, Vermont                 Virginia, 
SHELDON WHITEHOUSE, Rhode Island         Ranking Member
JEFF MERKLEY, Oregon                 JAMES M. INHOFE, Oklahoma
EDWARD J. MARKEY, Massachusetts      KEVIN CRAMER, North Dakota
TAMMY DUCKWORTH, Illinois            CYNTHIA M. LUMMIS, Wyoming
DEBBIE STABENOW, Michigan            RICHARD SHELBY, Alabama
MARK KELLY, Arizona                  JOHN BOOZMAN, Arkansas
ALEX PADILLA, California             ROGER WICKER, Mississippi
                                     DAN SULLIVAN, Alaska
                                     JONI ERNST, Iowa
                                     LINDSEY O. GRAHAM, South Carolina

             Mary Frances Repko, Democratic Staff Director
               Adam Tomlinson, Republican Staff Director
               
                            C O N T E N T S

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                                                                   Page

                             JUNE 15, 2022
                           OPENING STATEMENTS

Carper, Hon. Thomas R., U.S. Senator from the State of Delaware..     1
Capito, Hon. Shelley Moore, U.S. Senator from the State of West 
  Virginia.......................................................     3
Cardin, Hon. Benjamin L., U.S. Senator from the State of Maryland     4

                               WITNESSES

Guertin, Stephen, Deputy Director, Program Management and Policy, 
  U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Department of the Interior.....     6
    Prepared statement...........................................     8
Cope, Emily, Deputy Director, Wildlife and Freshwater Fisheries, 
  South Carolina Department of Natural Resources.................    26
    Prepared statement...........................................    29
Gray, Elizabeth, Ph.D., Chief Executive Officer and Ex-Officio 
  Board Director, National Audubon Society.......................    44
    Prepared statement...........................................    47

                              LEGISLATION

S. 2194, To authorize the Secretary of the Interior, through the 
  Coastal Program of the United States Fish and Wildlife Service, 
  to work with willing partners and provide support to efforts to 
  assess, protect, restore, and enhance important coastal areas 
  that provide fish and wildlife habitat on which Federal trust 
  species depend, and for other purposes.........................    77
S. __, To amend the Coastal Barrier Resources Act to make 
  improvements to that Act, and for other purposes...............    89
S. 3069, To reauthorize the Great Lakes Fish and Wildlife 
  Restoration Act of 1990, and for other purposes................   124
S. 3767, To amend the Water Infrastructure Improvements for the 
  Nation Act to reauthorize Delaware River Basin conservation 
  programs, and for other purposes...............................   126

                          ADDITIONAL MATERIAL

Testimony of U.S. Senators Amy Klobuchar and Rob Portman, June 
  15, 2022.......................................................    69
Letter to the Committee on Environment and Public Works from the 
  National Audubon Society et al., June 13, 2022.................    70
Letter to Senators Carper and Capito from the Coalition for the 
  Delaware River Watershed, June 13, 2022........................    74


     A LEGISLATIVE HEARING TO EXAMINE S. 2194, THE COASTAL HABITAT 
CONSERVATION ACT OF 2021, S. __, THE STRENGTHENING COASTAL COMMUNITIES 
  ACT OF 2022, S. 3069, THE GREAT LAKES FISH AND WILDLIFE RESTORATION 
REAUTHORIZATION ACT, AND S. 3767, THE DELAWARE RIVER BASIN CONSERVATION 
                          REAUTHORIZATION ACT

                              ----------                              


                        WEDNESDAY, JUNE 15, 2022

                                       U.S. Senate,
                 Committee on Environment and Public Works,
                                                    Washington, DC.
    The Committee, met, pursuant to notice, at 10 a.m. in room 
406, Dirksen Senate Office Building, Hon. Thomas R. Carper 
(Chairman of the Committee) presiding.
    Present: Senators Carper, Capito, Cardin, Whitehouse, and 
Graham.

          OPENING STATEMENT OF HON. THOMAS R. CARPER, 
            U.S. SENATOR FROM THE STATE OF DELAWARE

    Senator Carper. Good morning, everyone. I am happy to call 
this hearing to order.
    We welcome our witnesses.
    We welcome the jury sitting back here, all these young 
people in the audience. It is nice to see you guys.
    Today, our Committee, the Environment and Public Works 
Committee, will examine four pieces of legislation. 
Collectively, they would enhance the ability of the U.S. Fish 
and Wildlife Service to restore but also conserve coastal 
habitats for the benefit of wildlife and people too.
    The critical work implicated in each of these bills could 
not be more timely. According to the United Nations, we are 
experiencing an unprecedented global biodiversity decline. And 
extreme weather events are causing accelerated loss of coastal 
habitat, imperiling vulnerable species.
    But that is not all. These coastal areas that many species 
call home also protect coastal communities, homes, businesses, 
and infrastructure alike. So by investing in coastal habitats, 
we are investing in local economies at the same time.
    One of the bills we are examining today, the Coastal 
Habitat Conservation Act, would codify the Fish and Wildlife 
Service Coastal Program. This voluntary program provides 
technical and financial assistance to States, to Tribes, to 
landowners, and to other partners to support habitat 
conservation in coastal watersheds.
    Since 2010, this program has enabled, just in Delaware 
alone, some 66 projects. For every Federal dollar invested, 
partners have contributed $7, an impressive leveraging ratio.
    I want to thank both Senator Cardin and Senator Graham, who 
will be joining us later, for their leadership on this 
legislation, and Senator Cardin in particular for encouraging 
us to hold today's hearing.
    We will also consider legislation today pertaining to two 
regional Fish and Wildlife Service programs. The Great Lakes 
Fish and Wildlife Restoration Authorization Act would 
reauthorize the Service's Great Lakes Program. This program has 
provided funding for research and restoration projects in the 
Great Lakes since 1998. That is before a number of our guests 
out here today were born.
    The Delaware River Basin Conservation Reauthorization Act 
would reauthorize the Service's Delaware River Basin Program. 
This program has successfully brought Federal along with State 
and local governments together with regional partners to 
identify, to prioritize, and to implement restoration 
activities within the Basin.
    I would like to note that the Fish and Wildlife Service has 
done an exceptional job of getting this program off the ground 
since Congress authorized it in 2016. Recent grants from the 
Service are already being put to work in Delaware enhancing 
pollinator habitats and improving fish passage and restoring 
our wetlands.
    Last but not least, today we will consider draft 
legislation that amends the Coastal Barrier Resources Act and 
codifies maps to add units to the Coastal Barrier Resources 
System. This program protects sensitive habitats, and in doing 
so saves taxpayers dollars by restricting the use of Federal 
funding in those areas.
    The bipartisan Coastal Barrier Resources Act became law in 
1982, the year I was elected to serve in the U.S. House of 
Representatives. It became law in 1982, in no small part due to 
the hard work of my predecessor, Congressman Tom Evans from 
Delaware. And I am glad to carry on his important work.
    As I mentioned earlier today, the benefits of coastal 
restoration are well documented. After Hurricane Sandy, the 
Fish and Wildlife Service received funding for large scale 
restoration activities to remediate habitat damage and to 
improve resiliency. The Service spent some of this much needed 
funding to restore Fowler Beach in Prime Hook National Wildlife 
Refuge, one of our two national wildlife refuges in Delaware.
    As a result of that project's completion more than 6 years 
ago, record numbers of piping plovers are nesting on our 
beaches. And he community resiliency benefits are just as 
impressive. The homes and infrastructure surrounding Fowler 
Beach which had flooded in nearly every major rain event in the 
years before the completion of this project no longer flood. 
That is what we call in our State a real win-win.
    In addition to advancing the legislation before our 
Committee today, I believe we should also undertake these types 
of large scale restoration activities ahead of the next storm, 
instead of in response to it. Doing so would make our coastal 
communities even more resilient and better able to withstand 
extreme weather events in the face of a changing climate.
    Just as our Committee has agreed that an ounce of 
prevention is worth a pound of cure when it comes to our goals 
for conserving species, the same is true of building resiliency 
in our Nation's coastal communities. The Fish and Wildlife 
Service has demonstrated that we can and we should tackle these 
important goals together. This is evident from their successful 
work not just in the First State but in many other States as 
well.
    While what we have experienced in Delaware is the rule, not 
the exception. When we restore and conserve habitat, we also 
protect communities and support local economies. I hope that 
our colleagues and our distinguished panel of witnesses will 
highlight their similar experiences. And we look forward to 
hearing from all of you.
    Before we do, though, let me turn to our Ranking Member, 
Senator Capito, for her opening remarks.
    Senator Capito.

        OPENING STATEMENT OF HON. SHELLEY MOORE CAPITO, 
          U.S. SENATOR FROM THE STATE OF WEST VIRGINIA

    Senator Capito. Thank you, Chairman Carper, and thank all 
of our witnesses for coming today. I look forward to hearing 
from each one of you.
    When considering our Nation's natural resources and all 
that our beautiful country has to offer, it is important to 
consider the importance of our coastal communities and foster 
programs that protect those resources while also supporting 
economic growth. We are lucky on this Committee to have much 
representation from our coastal States.
    We are here today to examine a number of bills that would 
affect our coastal communities and the programs established to 
conserve and protect those areas. The Coastal Habitat 
Conservation Act of 2021 introduced by my colleagues, Senators 
Cardin and Graham, provides statutory authority for the U.S. 
Fish and Wildlife Coastal Program, as the Chairman said, 
originated in appropriations language in 1985.
    The Coastal Program works through partnerships to protect, 
restore, and enhance important coastal areas that provide fish 
and wildlife habitat. I want to thank Senator Graham for 
inviting our witness Emily Cope, from the South Carolina 
Department of Natural Resources, for their support for 
partnership programs that encourage conservation of these 
areas.
    Next on the agenda is Chairman Carper's draft legislative 
text, the Strengthening Coastal Communities Act of 2022, which 
would amend the Coastal Barrier Resources Act, or CBRA, and 
codify changes to the John Chafee Coastal Barrier Resources, 
CBRS, maps. In the past, these maps have been codified in a 
bipartisan manner. In 2018, 35 revised maps were adopted with 
the bipartisan support of this Committee. That compilation of 
maps was the largest legislative update to the CBRS since 1990.
    In addition to codification of maps, the legislation we are 
looking at today would make programmatic changes to the CBRA 
program. As we learn more about the proposed amendments to the 
CBRA, it is important to me that we maintain the bipartisan 
approach to updating CBRA that the Committee has followed in 
the past.
    We will also consider the Great Lakes Fish and Wildlife 
Restoration and Reauthorization of 2021, which would 
reauthorize that underlying statute through fiscal year 2027 to 
fund projects to conserve Great Lakes fish and wildlife 
habitat.
    Finally, we will consider the Delaware River Basin 
Conservation Reauthorization Act of 2022 that the Chairman 
spoke about, which would reauthorize the Delaware River Basin 
Restoration Grant Program through 2030 and makes a number of 
changes to the program. I think the Chairman is aware, we have 
made him aware, that we have heard some concerns on this bill, 
specifically, that it fails to address some of the regulatory 
overreach of the Delaware River Basin Commission.
    The concerns are that commission has overstepped its 
intended role as coordinator and clearinghouse for State and 
Federal stakeholders in the Delaware Basin by taking actions to 
ban the development of natural gas in the commission's 
footprint, a troubling precedent. Indeed, the commission's 
claim to regulatory authority is rooted in a statute enacted 
before the passage of the Clean Water Act or even the creation 
of the EPA.
    At a time when we are seeking to increase our natural gas 
production to meet domestic and international demands, it is 
worth the Senate reviewing whether the commission has assumed 
for itself a regulatory role that is out of step with our 
current environmental statutes and policy needs. As we examine 
each of the four pieces of legislation before us today, I look 
forward to hearing more about the programs that you support and 
working toward bipartisan solutions.
    Again, I thank the Chairman for this hearing.
    Senator Carper. I have just spoken with Elizabeth Grace 
Mabry. She thinks we may be conflating two different items that 
have very similar names. But we will get to the bottom of that 
and try to straighten this out.
    Senator Capito. Sounds good.
    Senator Carper. Thanks so much.
    Before I introduce Mr. Guertin, our first witness on panel 
one, all by himself, I want to turn to our colleague without 
whom we probably wouldn't be here today.
    Senator Cardin, thank you for your leadership on these 
issues.

         OPENING STATEMENT OF HON. BENJAMIN L. CARDIN, 
            U.S. SENATOR FROM THE STATE OF MARYLAND

    Senator Cardin. To our Chairman and Ranking Member, thanks 
for scheduling the hearing on these four very important bills. 
I thank you.
    One of the things I really enjoy about this Committee is 
that we do work together, Democrats and Republicans, to advance 
the agenda of the Environment and Public Works Committee. And 
today is no exception.
    I am very proud to partner with Senator Graham on the 
Coastal Habitat Conservation Act. I can point to so many areas 
where this has been beneficial in the Chesapeake Bay Watershed.
    As the Chairman pointed out, this is a voluntary program 
that provides the services of Fish and Wildlife for the 
planning, protection, and restoration of public and private 
lands on our coastal habitat.
    Mr. Chairman, I can point to so many examples of where this 
program has been instrumental in helping us achieve our 
objectives in the Chesapeake Bay Watershed. I could point to 
the fact that we have been able to deal with habitat 
restoration for Federal trust species; the DelMarVa fox 
squirrel is doing very well, thanks to the help of this 
program.
    We can point to the fact that our nutria population on the 
Eastern Shore is just about zero, which is critically important 
to protecting our wetlands. We can point to wetlands 
restoration from Blackwater throughout our watershed. We can 
point to our coastal cities, including Annapolis, that have 
benefited from these programs. We can point to the oyster beds 
that are now coming back as a result of the help from these 
programs. There are so many examples that we could give.
    I take pride because the Fish and Wildlife Service started 
with the Chesapeake Bay but it is now a national program and a 
very effective national program. This legislation would codify 
and authorize at a level slightly higher than the President's 
fiscal year 2023 budget. The fiscal year 2023 budget is $16 
million. We are suggesting reauthorizing it at $20 million, 
growing to $25 million.
    I thank the Chairman and Ranking Member for their help in 
putting together this legislation, and I look forward to our 
witnesses.
    Senator Carper. Senator Cardin, thank you so much. Thank 
you so much.
    We have two panels today. The first panel is a one person 
panel. And I want to welcome Stephen Guertin, who is currently 
serving as the Deputy Director for Program Management and 
Policy at the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. Mr. Guertin has 
been a public servant for over 30 years, almost all of his 
life. He started to work at the Department of Interior in 1989, 
and later the Fish and Wildlife Service, where he has held 
several leadership positions.
    He also served in the United States Marine Corps for 8 
years, and we want to thank you for your service, and thank you 
for joining us today. I am a retired Navy captain, and we have 
Dan Sullivan, who is from Alaska, who is a Marine colonel. So 
Navy and Marine Corps welcome you here today.
    I like to say the Navy and Marine Corps have a friendly 
rivalry. I like to say different uniforms, same team. So we 
welcome you before this team here today.
    You may begin your testimony when you are ready. The 
Committee will then proceed with asking you some questions 
before we move on to our second panel. Please proceed.

    STATEMENT OF STEPHEN GUERTIN, DEPUTY DIRECTOR, PROGRAM 
    MANAGEMENT AND POLICY, U.S. FISH AND WILDLIFE SERVICE, 
                   DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

    Mr. Guertin. Thank you, Chairman Carper, Ranking Member 
Capito, and members of the Committee. I am Steve Guertin, 
Deputy Director at the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. We 
appreciate the opportunity to testify today on three bills, as 
well as the discussion draft regarding the conservation of 
coastal habitats.
    Our Nation's coastal habitats play a vital role in 
sustaining healthy populations of fish, wildlife, and plants. 
These habitats provide shelter and food to a diverse array of 
species. They serve as breeding grounds and nurseries for fish 
and shellfish and are important stopovers for migratory birds.
    Coastal habitats are equally important for people. They 
support commercial and recreational fisheries, buffer 
communities against storms and sea level rise, improve water 
quality, and provide other valuable ecosystem services. These 
coastal habitats are threatened by climate change, rising sea 
levels, increasingly frequent and intense storms, and habitat 
loss. With population growth and urbanization projected to 
increase along our coastline, the people, assets, and natural 
resources exposed to these risks will only increase.
    We at the Fish and Wildlife Service play a key role in 
protecting, conserving, and restoring these important habitats. 
We recognize the importance of amplifying our efforts to 
address these threats as well as the need for greater 
investment in coastal habitat conservation.
    These bills and the discussion draft before the Committee 
today would take steps to address these needs, and we support 
these legislations. We support S. 2194, the Coastal Habitat 
Conservation Act, which would codify and authorize funding for 
the Service's Coastal Program. The Coastal Program is a 
voluntary, partnership based program that provides beneficial 
and financial assistance to States, Tribes, coastal 
communities, and other partners for habitat conservation in 
coastal watersheds. It leverages partner funds at a ratio of 
five to one, increasing the positive impact of every taxpayer 
dollar.
    These projects result in many benefits for fish, wildlife, 
plants, and people. They help build resilience to the impacts 
of climate change, conserve Federal trust species, and improve 
habitat connectivity. They also provide lasting benefits to 
coastal communities and their economies by employing 
contractors, restoring coastal wetlands, supporting fisheries, 
improving water quality, and increasing opportunities for 
hunting and fishing.
    We support S. 3069, which would reauthorize the Great Lakes 
Fish and Wildlife Restoration Act. This partnerlike grant 
program under the act has a successful track record of 
restoring and managing fish and wildlife resources and their 
habitats in the Great Lakes Basin. The program has provided 
over $32 million in Federal funding to 193 projects. We have 
worked collaboratively with more than 100 organizations that 
have contributed about $15 million in matching, non-Federal 
support.
    We also support S. 3767, which would reauthorize our 
successful Delaware River Basin Restoration Program. This 
voluntary, non-regulatory program brings partners together 
across the Delaware River watershed in pursuit of a shared 
vision: Restoring and protecting the Nation's watersheds' 
natural resources for the benefit of wildlife and people.
    This program supports partner priorities of the watershed 
by awarding matching grants to on the ground conservation 
projects. Since 2018, we have awarded nearly $27 million to 123 
projects which have generated $46 million in matching funds. 
These projects have helped restore fish and wildlife habitat, 
improve water quality, reduce flooding, and enhance public 
access and recreational opportunities.
    Finally, we support the draft bill, the Strengthening 
Coastal Communities Act. The Coastal Barrier Resources Act, 
through its non-regulatory, free market approach, mitigates 
coastal hazards associated with climate change by removing 
Federal subsidies and incentives for development along our 
coastlines. This in turn reduces development pressures and 
conserves fish and wildlife and their habitats. The Coastal 
Barrier Resources Act has been highly successful in its 40 year 
history by reducing the intensity of development on these 
important coastal barriers, resulting in over $9.5 billion in 
savings.
    The draft bill would improve our administration of the 
Coastal Barrier Resources Act. For example, it would examine 
future application of the act to high hazard areas not included 
in the current CBRA system. The bill would also adopt our final 
recommended modernized maps for more than 450 coastal barrier 
resource system units, including those maps recently revised 
through our Hurricane Sandy remapping project. Adoption of 
these maps by Congress would be the single largest action to 
modernize the system since the law's enactment.
    We support the draft bill and look forward to working with 
the Committee on technical changes to ensure the successful 
implementation of the act and the long term protection of these 
important coastal barriers that help keep our communities safe. 
We appreciate the Committee's interest in advancing coastal 
habitat conservation and restoration, and I would be pleased to 
answer any questions that you may have.
    [The prepared statement of Mr. Guertin follows:]
    
[GRAPHIC(S) NOT AVAILABLE IN TIFF FORMAT]    
    
 
    Senator Carper. Good. Thanks for that testimony. Thanks 
again for your service in uniform and civilian life, and for 
your leadership today.
    I want to start with a question dealing with the 
relationship between the Fish and Wildlife Service and the 
National Fish and Wildlife Foundation. The Delaware River Basin 
Conservation Act receives appropriations, as you know, through 
the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, and the National Fish and 
Wildlife Foundation administers grants under that act through a 
cooperative agreement with the Service.
    My question is this. Would you elaborate on the importance 
of this relationship with National Fish and Wildlife 
Foundation? How does your partnership with that foundation help 
leverage additional investment in conservation?
    Mr. Guertin. Thank you for your question, Mr. Chairman.
    We have a very unique mission with the Fish and Wildlife 
Service. It tells us to work with others to conserve, protect, 
and enhance fish, wildlife, plants, and their habitats for the 
continuing benefit of the American people. And we take that 
model and that mission to heart. Our work with the National 
Fish and Wildlife Foundation is an example, a great example of 
collaborative, voluntary, non-regulatory conservation. And we 
use it to high advantage and great success in the Delaware 
Basin.
    As a matter of fact, Congress saw the effectiveness of this 
program and appropriated an additional $5 million a year for 
the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law for us also to use for this 
successful partnership. We both bring our expertise, our 
capacity, our networks, and our hard working employees, as well 
as those of our partners, to the mission, and collaborate 
effectively. The match that we are getting out of this 
partnership is very, very impressive. We have awarded about $27 
million and the matches come in at $48 million.
    Senator Carper. Say that again.
    Mr. Guertin. We at the Federal level have used about $27 
million of our appropriated dollars, and the match, led by the 
foundation, has brought in another $47 million. So total 
capacity out there is enormous, and it is all done on a 
voluntary, non-regulatory approach. And so we find the 
partnership highly effective and look to it to guide some of 
our conservation work in other regions of the country as well.
    Senator Carper. I like to say teamwork makes the dream 
work. It is certainly true in this case as well.
    Second question. The Fish and Wildlife Service is known as 
a regulatory agency to a lot of people. The legislation before 
us today supports non-regulatory, voluntary partnership based 
conservation. In my experience, the Fish and Wildlife Service 
embraces this approach whenever possible.
    My question is, would you elaborate on the effectiveness of 
this approach when it comes to habitat conservation?
    Mr. Guertin. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. We are all in when it 
come to non-regulatory, voluntary approach to habitat 
conservation. We have many authorities under the Fish and 
Wildlife Coordination Act, legislation that encourages us to 
work with partners across the landscape.
    In my experience, when we can help develop a shared vision 
amongst all partners, States, Tribes, private sector, military, 
private industry, and others, and we each bring our advocacy, 
our capacity, and our hard working folks to the table, we can 
accomplish great strides for conservation. Our administration, 
our leadership, Director Williams and others, are encouraging 
us to focus where we can make the most significant impacts with 
limited dollars.
    This collaborative approach is one way and one approach 
that helps us do that. And we can see these types of results in 
Delaware, in the Chesapeake Bay, in the Great Lakes, in the 
prairie pothole region and other parts of the country.
    Senator Carper. Thank you.
    One last question, then I will yield to Senator Capito. My 
staff knows two of my favorite words are ``for example.'' I 
love examples. I use a whole lot myself. But would you share 
with our Committee today some examples of how the legislation 
before us supports the conservation and recovery of threatened 
and endangered species?
    Mr. Guertin. Thank you for your question, Mr. Chairman. 
These legislative vehicles will give an enormous amount of 
support and capacity for the Fish and Wildlife Service to 
deliver our mission. These are the kinds of tools we can use in 
our joint quest to bring species recovery or to head off a 
potential listing.
    A great example is our work with States and others on the 
salt marsh sparrow in the Chesapeake Bay area. These small 
birds are threatened by sea level rise. And we have seen about 
an 85 percent decline in them. So we are in a race against the 
clock now using voluntary conservation to head off a potential 
listing. It is all about voluntary cooperation.
    In the Delaware River, we have done a lot of proactive work 
on the bog turtle. In the Great Lakes, we have done a lot of 
work on piping plover restoration. We have a lot of positive, 
cooperative conservation for grassland nesting birds, monarchs 
and other pollinators. Matter of fact, there will be a big 
summit or conference here on monarch conservation next week in 
the capital as well.
    Then Senator Cardin talked a little bit about some of our 
other success stories in conservation with the DelMarVa 
squirrel and nutria eradication in the Chesapeake Bay. We led 
an effort involving a lot of partners, and were able to 
eradicate this invasive species from the ecosystem. We have now 
turned our efforts to other parts of the country where 
unfortunately, they have started to show up.
    So these pieces of legislation will do an enormous amount 
of good to further give the Fish and Wildlife Service 
authorities and funding levels to go after this mission with 
our partners.
    Senator Carper. Those are good examples.
    Before I yield to Senator Capito, I just shared with her a 
note handed to me by a member of our staff. And the note says 
that Ranking Member Capito raised concerns regarding the 
Delaware River Basin Commission, which involves, as you know, 
the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and the EPA. My question is, 
could you confirm for us that this commission is separate and 
apart from the Delaware River Basin Conservation Act, which is 
a voluntary, non-regulatory Fish and Wildlife Service program?
    Mr. Guertin. To the best of my knowledge, yes, Mr. 
Chairman, they are two separate and distinct organizational 
entities.
    Senator Carper. I will ask you to respond to that in 
greater detail for the record.
    Then we will talk some more later.
    Senator Capito. OK.
    Senator Carper. Thank you.
    Senator Capito.
    Senator Capito. Thank you.
    Thank you, Mr. Guertin, for being here with us today, and 
your long years of service at the Federal level.
    When you are talking about the coastal program, and you 
have talked about partnerships, the Chairman was talking about 
the foundation, how do you weave that into private landowners 
and those kinds of other partners that could be involved or 
would be affected by what you might be moving forward with at 
the coastal program?
    Mr. Guertin. Thank you for your question, Senator. We are 
talking about non-regulatory, voluntary programs here. And that 
is an approach we try to employ whenever we can. We try to 
establish a vision for a landscape. We reach out and work very 
closely with our State counterparts, State fish and game 
agencies, the Tribes, and other jurisdictions.
    Then with private landowners, we have several effective 
programs, Partners for Fish and Wildlife, our private lands 
program, or the coastal program, where we build trust and 
confidence up over time, some of it at the kitchen table, some 
of it at local forums, some of it working with the Farm Service 
Agency and others to try and generate interest in conservation.
    In many cases, private landowners approach us. We can use 
these programs as a front porch for people to talk about a 
shared vision, and then work with them on fulfilling some of 
their conservation needs as well as some of ours.
    But we really use a model of trying to bring people to the 
table and look to convening authorities, many of which are 
already in existence. And we can just turn to those and bring 
some of the capacity, and bring capacity from other Federal 
agencies like Farm Service Agency and RCS, and others and some 
of the BIL funding is a great example as well, to bring it to 
the table and pursue a shared vision for conservation on the 
landscape.
    Senator Capito. Great, thank you. That is good.
    In considering the Coastal Habitat Conservation Act, are 
there changes to the program that you think would improve its 
implementation? In every program, not just this one, but any 
program, in any bailiwick, certainly we want to eliminate any 
kind of possibility of duplicative programming that might be 
coming out of one pocket but serving the same purpose. It sort 
of dilutes the purpose if you keep separating it out into 
different programs.
    Do you have any suggestions there?
    Mr. Guertin. We see the Coastal Program authorized under 
the Coastal Habitat Conservation Act as pretty effective right 
now. We have a lot of flexibilities. We believe getting it 
codified with its own authorities would be enormously helpful 
going forward. That will give us kind of a stronger mandate. 
Setting these new fund targets or authorized funding levels 
will help us internally with the Department, OMB, advocating 
for budget increases, and we think it will give Congress a lot 
more oversight, getting clearer reporting and chain of command 
from us into how we are executing the program on the ground.
    We work very closely with this program and our Partners for 
Fish and Wildlife Program, private lands program, to try and 
have a more consistent approach on the landscape. And our field 
employees are great. They take off the bowling shirt, and when 
landowners and others come up to talk to them, they are not 
representing the Coastal Program or the Partners Program. They 
are representing the Fish and Wildlife Service and the 
consortium of land managers on the landscape to try and hammer 
out that shared vision and try to forge common sense solutions 
going forward.
    Senator Capito. Thank you. Just for my own education here, 
you are talking about, we codified the maps, I said in 2018. 
You said this is 400 maps that would be codified, the most 
ever.
    How does that affect what you do?
    Mr. Guertin. Thanks for your question, Senator. This 
Hurricane Sandy remapping project, as well as the smaller units 
we updated in about six other States are an enormous 
undertaking. About a third of the acreage of the CBRA will be 
impacted as well. It is really going to provide a lot of 
certainty and answer a lot of questions to homeowners who have 
advocated for several years, they were erroneously included in 
the CBRA boundaries. Using new technology, we were able to 
clean up some of those.
    It is also going to give Congress a clean slate to start 
the program afresh with more consistent interpretation and 
application of where the delineation of the boundaries is. And 
it actually adds several hundred thousand acres as well to 
CBRA, which will further provide additional strong natural 
habitat to resist storms, absorb a lot of that energy, provide 
great habitat.
    So it is a revolutionary accomplishment and I think a game 
changer for coastal conservation if Congress were to move 
forward and enact this legislation and codify these map 
revisions into law.
    Senator Capito. OK. Final question. Would that be 
equivalent to, say, a FEMA flood map, or something of that 
nature? Inland, that is what we deal with.
    Mr. Guertin. What our maps do, Senator, if they are enacted 
into law, is they delineate the boundaries of the Coastal 
Barrier Resources Act. If any acreage or structures are 
included by those, they are not eligible for Federal flood 
insurance.
    Senator Capito. I see.
    Mr. Guertin. They can still go ahead and develop, but they 
have to use non-Federal funding or seek insurance elsewhere. So 
it is a marketplace disincentive----
    Senator Capito. There are interplays with that.
    Mr. Guertin. Yes. Interplays with both of those, yes.
    Senator Capito. Thank you.
    Senator Carper. Thank you.
    Thank you, Senator.
    We have been joined by someone who thinks and talks and 
works a lot on coastal issues. He has been one of our leaders 
on this issue.
    Sheldon, thank you for joining us. You are recognized.
    Senator Whitehouse. My pleasure, Chairman. Thank you, and 
thank you to the witness for joining us.
    With respect to the Strengthening Coastal Communities Act, 
the administration of it is by Interior with consult to the 
Army Corps, NOAA, and FEMA. And I would propose that the 
Coastal Zone Management Act agencies at the States be included 
in that consultation. The State agencies are effectuating the 
Federal CZMA policies on behalf of Congress.
    And at least in the case of Rhode Island, they do a far, 
far, far better job of mapping risk than FEMA flood maps have. 
FEMA flood maps have proven defective over and over again in a 
great variety of ways, the most flagrant of which is probably 
refusing to anticipate the realities of sea level rise and 
assuming static state with no scientific evidence to support 
that assumption.
    So I think it is really important that CZMA agencies be 
added, and would make that recommendation to the extent you 
have input into that process.
    More generally, I just wanted to flag the importance of 
funding for coastal resilience. We are, in Rhode Island and 
elsewhere, seeing really remarkable changes happening along our 
coasts. We are seeing sea level rise. Again, thanks to the CRMC 
mapping, we can understand what it means for Rhode Island in 
the future. We are going to have to redraw our map. Mainland 
areas will become islands; we turn into an archipelago in many 
respects. And that is an enormous, enormous change to burden a 
State with. We need resources to managing that coming hazard.
    We are seeing ocean heating. That is causing our fisheries 
to go into complete uproar. Invasives coming in, longstanding 
fisheries departing. That creates enormous upheaval in 
communities based around fisheries.
    We are seeing globally massive amounts of ocean 
acidification for reasons having to do with Pacific hydrology. 
It has been worse on the West Coast first. But we are seeing 
industries like shellfish aquaculture being crushed by the 
ocean water in which they try to grow the small oysters and 
clams becoming so acidic that it kills the small oysters and 
clams. So they have to buffer their entire intake in order to 
get around the acidification of the waters. We are seeing the 
terapod, which is a foundational species of the ocean 
ecosystem, experiencing massive shell damage when sampled 
offshore.
    Of course, ocean storms are dialed up by heavier, higher 
ocean surface temperatures. We are seeing higher ocean surface 
temperatures. So we are seeing far worse storms, which then 
rolls back into the problem of bad FEMA mapping when you look 
at what happened to Texas and some of these recent hurricanes 
that have come ashore there, where more than half of the 
flooding happened in areas that FEMA had failed to identify as 
flood prone.
    So we have a mess on our hands, and it is going to take 
real resources to coasts to get around that. I make that point 
often, but I wanted to make it again here. We see it, for 
instance, in the Land and Water Conservation Fund, which ought 
to be renamed the Upland and Freshwater Conservation Fund, 
because of where it directs its attention. Luckily, we are 
developing an Oceans and Coastal Fund to deal with coasts and 
saltwater. We are increasingly able to fund that. But it is a 
stepchild compared to the Upland and Freshwater Conservation 
Fund.
    We are still pursuing with the Army Corps of Engineers why 
it is that the Inland and Coastal Flooding Fund, depending on 
the year, spends 20 times as much on inland flooding as coastal 
flooding, or 100 times as much on inland than coastal flooding. 
So our coastal communities are facing really unprecedented 
risks and hazards. I encourage you to continue to bear down on 
these issues and particularly to the extent you deal with 
Interior and the Land and Water Conservation Fund and the Army 
Corps and its flooding fund, let's try to figure out why it is 
that coasts are disfavored so badly in those.
    Mr. Chairman, my time has pretty much expired. But if the 
witness would like to make a comment, I would be happy to 
entertain his comment, and I appreciate his service.
    Mr. Guertin. Thank you for your statement, Senator. I 
appreciate your support for these three bills and the draft 
legislation.
    Just for the record, I would note in addition to these 
coastal related programs, we have a lot of other programs that 
deal with oceans and coasts, 180 of our National Wildlife 
refuges that encompass about 750 million acres of submerged or 
terrestrial and underwater ecosystems are a part of that. We do 
a lot of work in our five National Marine monuments, 
interjurisdictional fisheries work, migratory birds, and 
others.
    So if you look at the whole portfolio of programs U.S. Fish 
and Wildlife is entrusted to manage, we have a lot of interest 
and support for oceans and coastal programs, and continue to 
keep them a priority. We will do our best going forward to make 
sure the Land and Water Conservation Fund takes into account 
some of your concerns about the allocations made to inland 
acquisition or easements as opposed to coastal packages as 
well. And the Migratory Bird Conservation Fund and others, 
because there are a lot of packages of funding that are 
deployed for conservation.
    Senator Whitehouse. I think if we can continue to support, 
Mr. Chairman, the Coastal Fund, which got, for instance, $492 
million, the biggest allocation it has ever received, in the 
Bipartisan Infrastructure Bill, and we have other plans for 
additional revenues, then we don't have to get into a fight 
between coastal and upland and saltwater and freshwater. We 
grow the pie in ways that support coastal communities without 
having to take back the enormous largesse that the Land and 
Water Conservation Fund sends to upland and freshwater 
resources.
    Thank you.
    Senator Carper. Thank you very much, Senator Whitehouse.
    I have at least one more question I would like to ask. It 
deals with proactive coastal conservation. In my opening 
statement, I talked about the successful restoration of Fowler 
Beach, which is a part of the Prime Hook National Wildlife 
Refuge. This was not a small project. This was a huge project. 
The cost was about $38 million, which is enormous. Considering 
the community flood protection and the habitat resiliency 
benefits, the return on investment is also substantial.
    The Fish and Wildlife Service undertook the Fowler Beach 
restoration project after Hurricane Sandy had caused such 
damage up and down the East Coast, but especially in New Jersey 
and Delaware and Maryland. The reality is that the project was 
long overdue.
    Do you think the Fish and Wildlife Service could and should 
do more projects like this one proactively instead of 
retroactively?
    Mr. Guertin. Thank you for your question, Mr. Chairman. To 
go back to one of my earlier statements, our leadership team 
wants us to focus our efforts where we can make the most 
significant impact. Sometimes that requires us to pull together 
or bundle several funding streams to go after a larger 
ecosystem or watershed based restoration or conservation 
action.
    So we are certainly taking a look at some of those. We can 
point to congressional leadership on passing the recent 
Bipartisan Infrastructure Law. A lot of the funding capacity 
that came to us was specifically for large scale ecosystem 
restoration on a geographic scale, Delaware River, Lake Tahoe, 
Klamath Basin, and the National Fish Habitat Passage Program as 
well.
    So yes, we are certainly taking a look at those. A lot of 
the lessons learned with Fowler Beach in Delaware can be taken 
and used in other geographies of the country as well. But these 
big, larger scale projects require bundling funding from 
elsewhere. And so we always have to balance that out with the 
needs of smaller scale projects or other needs as well.
    I look forward to working with you and the Committee as we 
move forward with your deliberations on our pending budget 
request for 2023. It includes a lot of funding to do this kind 
of work, including for the Coastal Program that is under 
congressional consideration right now. That would fund some 
more of that kind of work.
    Senator Carper. Good. As you know, we have a number of 
committees and subcommittees that are meeting simultaneously. 
So our members are engaged in other places; they will be coming 
and going throughout. I am not sure that during the time you 
are here we will be joined by another one of our Committee 
members.
    I am going to give you an opportunity, since we have a 
minute or two here, is there anything else you would like to 
mention in terms of a question maybe you weren't asked, that 
you would have liked to have been asked, or something else you 
would like to say just as a closing thought?
    Mr. Guertin. Thank you for that opportunity, Mr. Chairman. 
Just to reaffirm our continued interest and support for what 
you are doing here. We really appreciate the Committee 
evaluating these three bills as well as the draft bill. We 
stand ready to provide any kind of support on a technical or 
policy level that will help your deliberations.
    We think these four pieces of legislation will be force 
multipliers for us. They will give us needed authority and 
authorization for appropriations, flexibilities as well. They 
will allow us to do a better job working with our partners on 
coastal resiliency, address climate change, work on some of 
these big natural resource programs. We really appreciate your 
leadership and look forward to working with you going forward. 
Thank you.
    Senator Carper. We look forward to it as well. Thanks for 
your service, and we look forward to working with you and your 
team, the people you represent.
    Thank you so much. Semper fi.
    Mr. Guertin is going to be succeeded by a second panel. We 
have two witnesses on our second panel. One is Dr. Elizabeth 
Gray, and the other is Ms. Emily Cope.
    We thank both of you for joining us today. It is good to 
see you. Go ahead and take your seats if you would, please.
    I see a former Sea Grant fellow from our Committee, who is 
leaving. It is nice to see you, Katie, welcome. I could barely 
see your lips move when Mr. Guertin spoke.
    [Laughter.]
    Senator Carper. All right, Emily Cope. How are you today? 
Great to see you.
    Just a brief introduction if I could. We are delighted to 
welcome Emily Cope, recommended as a witness by a member of our 
Committee from South Carolina. Ms. Cope is currently serving as 
Deputy Director for Wildlife and Freshwater Fisheries for South 
Carolina Department of Natural Resources. She has served the 
department for over 22 years and has held numerous positions 
within the agency, most recently serving as Assistant Director.
    Ms. Cope, I think one of your two Senators may be able to 
drop in and join us at some point during your testimony. If he 
does, we will certainly recognize him to add whatever comments 
he would like to add. We are delighted that you are here. Thank 
you so much for joining us.

    STATEMENT OF EMILY COPE, DEPUTY DIRECTOR, WILDLIFE AND 
  FRESHWATER FISHERIES, SOUTH CAROLINA DEPARTMENT OF NATURAL 
                           RESOURCES

    Ms. Cope. Thank you. It is my pleasure to be here.
    Chairman Carper, I appreciate you and Ranking Member Capito 
and members of the Committee allowing me the opportunity to 
come here today and address your Committee in support of S. 
2194, the Coastal Habitat Conservation Act. As you mentioned, 
my name is Emily Cope, and I serve as the Deputy Director for 
the South Carolina Department of Natural Resources.
    First, I would like to thank my Senator, Lindsey Graham, 
for co-sponsoring this legislation with Senator Cardin. The 
support and dedication that both of them have shown for our 
country's natural resources has resulted in wide sweeping 
impacts and is greatly appreciated.
    The South Carolina Department of Natural Resources is 
supportive of your efforts to authorize the Secretary of 
Interior and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to work with 
willing partners to further the purpose and implementation of 
the Coastal Program. Habitat loss due to development pressure, 
natural disasters, and climate change continues to threaten our 
coastal ecosystems and communities. This in turn jeopardizes 
our fish and wildlife species as well as our local economies.
    South Carolina, along with many other coastal States, has 
implemented numerous habitat enhancement, as well as research 
and survey projects utilizing Coastal Program funding. 
Specifically, in South Carolina, we focused on threatened and 
endangered species as well as species of concern including 
black rail, loggerhead sea turtles, shorebirds, and waterbirds. 
These projects simply would not have been possible without 
Coastal Program funding.
    In addition, because the Coastal Program implements the 
National Coastal Wetlands Conservation Program, I want to more 
specifically elaborate on these efforts. On the land 
acquisition side, the South Carolina Department of Natural 
Resources has secured over $9.5 million of funding through the 
Coastal Wetlands Conservation Program and protected 52,320 
acres on 11 different tracts of land.
    These areas are not only managed by SCDNR to enhance 
coastal resources but are also open for public recreation 
opportunities. This $9.5 million investment was leveraged by 
approximately $77.8 million of State, private, and Federal 
funds as well as in kind contributions. These projects involve 
numerous partners, including but not limited to Ducks 
Unlimited, Local Land Trust, the National Oceanic and 
Atmospheric Administration, the U.S. Forest Service, and other 
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service programs.
    Most recently, South Carolina has utilized an additional $2 
million from the National Coastal Wetlands Conservation Program 
to restore and enhance hydrological function of 3,578 acres of 
managed wetlands on two SCDNR properties. This funding was 
leveraged with approximately $1 million of State funding.
    Ducks Unlimited has been a significant partner in these two 
projects and has provided numerous hours of oversight, 
engineering, and design, as well as technical expertise. Key 
activities include the addition of water control structures and 
the restoration of canals, embankments, and berms on these 
historically and ecologically important wetlands.
    Through these acquisition and restoration efforts of the 
programs I have mentioned, we have protected and enhanced 
critical wetland habitat for not only migrating waterfowl but 
also other wetland dependent bird species, herpetofauna, and 
native plants, many of which are species of concern and are 
priorities for conservation efforts.
    In addition, these areas provide valuable ecological 
filtering services from landscape runoff, namely pollutants and 
silt which would have entered our rivers, estuaries, and ocean, 
thereby decreasing water quality. These impoundments also 
buffer the mainland from storm surges and exceptionally high 
tides, which are becoming more common each year.
    I hope these examples give you a clear picture of not only 
the direct impacts of the Coastal Program, but also the volume 
of leverage and partnerships generated by such. South Carolina 
is known for its beauty and the quality of its coastal 
resources. These resources provide our citizens with a sense of 
place, support our local communities, and enhance the quality 
of life for our residents. They are a key reason that people 
from across the United States come to visit our State.
    By solidifying the future of the Coastal Program, we can 
ensure South Carolina continues to set the bar high for coastal 
resource conservation.
    Again, on behalf of the South Carolina Department of 
Natural Resources, I sincerely want to thank you for your 
support of the program and your commitment to ensuring its 
future through this important legislation. And with that, I 
will be happy to answer any questions.
    [The prepared statement of Ms. Cope follows:]
    
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    Senator Carper. That is great. Thank you so much. Great to 
see you in person.
    I think we are joined by our second person who is going to 
be on this panel, Dr. Elizbeth Gray.
    Dr. Gray, are you out there?
    Ms. Gray. I am, I am on video feed. Can you see me?
    Senator Carper. Yes, we can see you, and hear you.
    Let me just take a moment to introduce you, Dr. Gray. 
Currently serving as CEO of the National Audubon Society. Prior 
to joining Audubon, Dr. Gray worked for the Nature Conservancy 
for more than 17 years, most recently serving as the Global 
Managing Director of the Nature Conservancy's Climate Change 
Program.
    We welcome you. There was once a Delawarean, actually a 
very senior member of the leadership team at DuPont Company, 
who became Governor of Delaware, Russell Peterson, who later 
became the Chairman of the Council on Environmental Quality in 
the Nixon and Ford administration. And then I think after that, 
he served as the CEO of the National Audubon Society. So we 
have a rich heritage from Delaware that has been part of the 
National Audubon Society's leadership.
    We welcome you especially today, with that history in mind. 
Please proceed. Your full testimony will be made part of the 
record, then we will get into some questions with both you and 
Ms. Cope.

STATEMENT OF ELIZABETH GRAY, PH.D., CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER AND 
      EX-OFFICIO BOARD DIRECTOR, NATIONAL AUDUBON SOCIETY

    Ms. Gray. Thank you, Chairman Carper.
    Good morning. My name is Dr. Elizabeth Gray, and I am the 
Chief Executive Officer of the National Audubon Society.
    Audubon represents 1.8 million members nationwide 
protecting birds and the places they need through our 23 State 
programs, 41 centers, and 450 chapters. I appreciate the 
opportunity to testify today on behalf of Audubon regarding 
coastal habitats and the need to protect and restore these 
vital areas.
    Over the past year, I have identified three pillars that 
are guiding the National Audubon Society's work: Hemispheric 
conservation, equity diversity inclusion and belonging, and 
climate change. Audubon's work around protecting and restoring 
coastal resources, such as wetlands, beaches, and barrier 
islands, touches upon all three of these pillars. These 
resources serve as recreational spaces, enhance our resilience 
to climate threats like floods and hurricanes, and provide 
habitat for birds and other wildlife.
    Yet climate change and development have diminished bird 
habitats. The U.S. has lost 3 billion birds since the 1970s, 
with a 70 percent decline in sea and shorebird populations over 
the last 50 years.
    Increasing storms and hurricanes also threaten coastal 
communities. Hurricanes have killed nearly 6,700 people and 
caused more than $1.1 trillion in damages from 1980 to 2021.
    However, the burdens of climate change do not affect all 
communities equally. Those on the frontlines of climate change, 
primarily lower income communities, communities of color, and 
tribal nations and indigenous communities, are being the first 
and the worst hit by its impacts.
    The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service plays a crucial role in 
climate resiliency and adaptation through its administration of 
programs throughout the United States that focus on habitat 
conservation and protection. Audubon supports these four bills 
which would codify, reauthorize, and expand critical U.S. Fish 
and Wildlife Service programs in vulnerable coastal areas, 
increase coastal resiliency and safeguard important habitat.
    The Coastal Habitat Conservation Act of 2021 would improve 
coastal community protection through the authorization of 
technical assistance for grant programs targeted to coastal 
habitat conservation. The Great Lakes Fish and Wildlife 
Restoration Reauthorization Act reauthorizes the U.S. Fish and 
Wildlife Service to continue to work with States and other 
agencies to develop and execute proposals to conserve, restore, 
and manage fish and wildlife populations and other habitats.
    The Delaware River Basin Conservation Reauthorization Act 
reauthorizes critical conservation programs throughout the 
Delaware River Watershed and improves the equitability of 
Federal funding provided through the Act. The Strengthening 
Coastal Communities Act of 2022 expands the bipartisan Coastal 
Barrier Resources Act and its system of protected areas, 
protecting vital coastal ecosystems while saving Federal tax 
dollars.
    The Coastal Habitat Conservation Act of 2021 would 
authorize imperative technical assistance to sustain the U.S. 
Fish and Wildlife Service's Coastal Grant Program. To clarify 
from my written testimony, this bill authorizes that technical 
and financial assistance, not the grant program itself. With 
the support granted by this authorization, the Coastal Program 
focuses on habitat conservation along the Nation's coastlines, 
which provide resiliency for coastal communities prone to 
storms and flooding as well as critical habitat for birds, 
fish, and other wildlife.
    Both the Great Lakes Fish and Wildlife Restoration 
Reauthorization Act and the Delaware River Basin Conservation 
Reauthorization Act reauthorize vital Fish and Wildlife Service 
programs that support coastal habitat conservation protecting 
critical areas for migratory birds in these regions. And the 
Strengthening Costal Communities Act of 2022 would expand the 
successful and bipartisan Coastal Barrier Resources Act which 
currently protects 3.5 million acres along undeveloped beaches, 
islands, and wetlands along the Gulf of Mexico, Atlantic, Great 
Lakes, U.S. Virgin Islands, and Puerto Rico. CBRA does not 
prohibit development. It simply removes the taxpayer from 
funding in important designated areas.
    CBRA supports coastal resiliency by protecting undeveloped 
areas that buffer nearby communities from storms and flood. It 
has saved the Federal taxpayer $9.5 billion and is projected to 
save billions more. It protects wetlands that provide important 
habitat and support the Nation's $244 billion a year 
recreational and commercial fishing industry.
    This legislation would strengthen and expand CBRA by adding 
278,000 acres, expanding the definition of an undeveloped 
coastal barrier, and directing the Service to carry out a 
Coastal Hazard pilot project to identify areas that are and 
will be vulnerable to coastal hazards at sea level areas.
    Thank you for the opportunity to testify. I am happy to 
answer any questions you may have.
    [The prepared statement of Ms. Gray follows:]
    
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    Senator Carper. Thanks so much for joining us remotely, and 
for those comments.
    We are going to be joined by a couple other members of our 
Committee.
    I understand Senator Graham is trying to get here, Ms. 
Cope, if he can.
    Senator Capito is going to lead off the questioning, and I 
will follow. Thank you.
    Senator Capito. Thank you both for your testimony, and 
thank you for what you are doing for the country and your State 
to preserve our natural resources.
    I am going to start with you, Ms. Cope. You mentioned in 
your statements the coordination that you do with Ducks 
Unlimited and U.S. Fish and Wildlife. Can you give me some 
other examples of partnerships that you have that have been 
particularly successful, and are those partnerships growing, 
and how that impacts your ability to move forward with these 
programs?
    Ms. Cope. Absolutely. Thank you for your question.
    In utilizing Coastal Program funding, one of the projects 
we did was enhancing black rail habitat on private lands. So 
the Coastal Program was able to provide funding for us to go in 
and treat some vegetation that was deteriorating the quality of 
wood stork habitat as well as increasing predation on wood 
storks.
    So without the Coastal Program funding and the 
participation of private landowners, we would not have been 
able to do that project, and we would not have been able to 
increase the wood stork nesting that is in South Carolina. So 
private landowners provide a critical partner in some of the 
things we do.
    In addition, when we utilized one of our national coastal 
wetlands conservation projects, one of our properties was 
Samworth Wildlife Management Area. We went in and did some 
major renovations. We had tremendous storm damage as well as 
just dealing with effects of higher tides impacting the berms 
and impoundments. In that Ducks Unlimited was a partner, but we 
also partnered with Audubon South Carolina as well as the Open 
Space Institute, who brought resources and technical expertise 
to the table. They donated those as in kind contributions.
    Through that, we were able to re-top 7,780 linear feet of 
dike as well as 13,425 linear feet of interior canal 
restoration, 1,460 linear feet of interior setback dike, 
thereby enhancing also 2,560 linear feet of berm along those 
eroded dikes, as well as installing four trunks and water 
control structures.
    Because these other partners were willing to come to the 
table, share their resources and their technical expertise, we 
were able to develop a project that would enhance these wetland 
areas for not only wintering waterfowl, but many other non-game 
species and many species of concern.
    Senator Capito. Great. I know South Carolina, having been 
to the South Carolina coast myself, it has beautiful and very 
great beaches. I know that because of that, there is a lot of 
infrastructure, hotels, people, and recreationists who want to 
enjoy those areas.
    How do you balance that when you are looking at the 
conservation aspects with the infrastructure needs and just the 
human love of your coasts?
    Ms. Cope. Thank you. That is a great question, and a huge 
challenge for us. Our natural resources and our coastal 
ecosystems are a tremendous draw to our State. And oftentimes 
when people come to visit, they determine that it is a 
wonderful place to live.
    So we do have just under a 200 mile coastline. And there 
are significant development pressures along that coastline. 
What we have tried to do is utilizing funding of our partners 
as well as our own internal agency funding and programs to 
identify those areas that are most significant, and to try to 
protect those areas in perpetuity.
    Our goal is not only to manage them to enhance natural 
resources, but to open them up for public use and enjoyment. We 
believe that people will conserve what they appreciate and what 
they love. And so by providing them these public areas, by 
protecting the resources on these areas and managing them for 
not only water quality but numerous fish and wildlife species, 
we can instill a conservation ethic and a passion for 
conservation in not only our citizens but also our visitors, so 
in hopes that when they go back home, even if they don't move 
to South Carolina, they will support conservation back in their 
own States.
    Senator Capito. Right. So you have a 200 mile coastline. If 
you were to put a percentage, or let's say a 1 to 10 scale of 
repairs that have been made, what else needs to be done, are 
you at a 7? Are you at a 10 but constantly redoing? Or are you 
at a 1, which I know you are not at a 1, so we can eliminate 
that.
    But if you understand the point of my question, it is how 
much more work is there to be done? I know it is a constant 
reassessment of where you are. But there certainly have to be 
places that still are in great need.
    Ms. Cope. Absolutely. And this is really an off the cuff 
estimate. I would say we are probably at a 6 or a 7. We have 
been incredibly successful at moving the needle on restoration 
projects as well as habitat protection projects. But there is 
still a lot to be done, especially on private lands.
    But one of the biggest challenges we have is dealing with 
climate change and just the effects of Mother Nature. So it is 
a continuous effort. The dikes on our impoundments continue to 
settle and wear away, as well as managing invasive species. So 
we are never finished, but we are committed to the task and 
will continue to move the needle and do all that we can.
    Senator Capito. Good. Let me ask one other question. This 
came up when we were considering the transportation bill that 
we very successfully put together for the big infrastructure 
bill, which were, and I think, Senator Graham, this was an area 
of concern for him, the exit routes in the Myrtle Beach area 
for hurricane evacuation.
    Do you work with the DOT or State DOT, are you a part of 
that strategy that the State has tried to put together to make 
sure people can be safe?
    Ms. Cope. Yes, ma'am. I have not worked with those 
individuals directly, but as an agency we do have staff who 
work with them. A couple of key things we look at. One would be 
the routes of the proposed interstate, making sure that we 
minimize impacts to natural resources, but also identifying 
proper mitigation alternatives.
    So while we work very hard to protect our natural 
resources, we understand needs of public safety and 
transportation. And we are known for working with our partners 
and our sister State agencies to try to find a balance and 
minimize impacts but meet the needs of our citizens.
    So one of our primary focuses has been assuming funding for 
I-73 or other roads go into effect, how can we protect land in 
other areas and mitigate the impacts of those.
    Senator Capito. Thank you.
    Ms. Cope. My pleasure.
    Senator Carper. Thanks, Senator Capito. I am going to give 
you a break for a minute, Ms. Cope, and ask a couple questions 
of Dr. Gray, then come back to you.
    Dr. Gray, are you still with us?
    Ms. Gray. I am still here.
    Senator Carper. That is good.
    Dr. Gray, your testimony focused on Audubon's support for 
four specific Fish and Wildlife Service coastal programs. But 
the National Audubon Society actually has, as I understand it, 
a broader national coast strategy.
    My question would be, would you elaborate on the importance 
of this broader coastal restoration strategy, and share with 
the Committee more about why Audubon invests time and resources 
into our Nation's coasts?
    Ms. Gray. Absolutely. Our coastal areas are of course 
important to our seabirds and shorebirds that rely on them. 
Many areas along both the Pacific and Atlantic flyways are 
critical stopover sites for our precious natural resources, of 
which birds are one huge piece.
    We also invest in coastal restoration and protection and 
conservation efforts because not only do they provide important 
habitat for critical nesting birds, but they also provide 
buffers for coastal communities, which are our constituents, 
with several million members that support us and advocate on 
our behalf.
    So we have critical habitat needs that are involved. We 
have important resiliency needs that play into protecting 
coastal communities. Also, we know that many of these coastal 
habitats also serve as carbon sinks. They are important sources 
of carbon sequestration as our temperature continues to rise, 
and we need to take action. These can serve as natural 
infrastructure, not only for helping us adapt to the effects of 
climate change that Senator Whitehouse spoke so eloquently 
about, but also help us mitigate greenhouse gas emissions by 
storing and capturing carbon out of the atmosphere.
    So for all those reasons, habitat protection to people who 
live in these coastal communities, and carbon sequestration and 
storage. That is the underlying reason for our broader coastal 
community program.
    Senator Carper. Good. Thanks for that explanation.
    A question on landowner equities if I could. The National 
Audubon Society advocates for sound policies to protect coastal 
habitats. But I understand you also have some skin in the game 
as a coastal landowner. Would you just take a minute and share 
with the Committee more about Audubon's equities as a landowner 
and how as a landowner Audubon has benefited from the Fish and 
Wildlife Service coastal programs that we are discussing today?
    Ms. Gray. Of course. I would like to highlight a specific 
project, which is the Blackwater Salt Marsh rehabilitation 
project that we have been doing in Maryland. We definitely have 
a number of projects with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service on 
coastal work throughout the U.S. But the Blackwater Salt Marsh 
rehab program in Maryland is one of the more important ones, 
specifically because it allows us to both better serve the 
communities that are there and also the wildlife that depends 
on that region.
    So we do rely on vital funding from the U.S. Fish and 
Wildlife Service. Frankly, we wouldn't be able, without that 
funding, to spend the time and energy needed to have an 
impactful presence in the places that we work. So as climate 
change increases in its impact, as it threatens not only the 
wildlife and the communities that are frontline, frankly, in 
the fight against sea level rise and flooding, including sunny 
day flooding that we see.
    It is really critical, our partnerships with agencies like 
the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, it helps us build 
resiliency; it helps us protect both wildlife and people from 
the impacts of storm and flooding. As you all know, these are 
just becoming more and more intense over the last few years. We 
anticipate that trend will continue into the future.
    Senator Carper. All right. Thanks for explaining that.
    Last question I am going to ask of you, Dr. Gray, then I am 
going to yield to Senator Graham, welcome.
    I will turn to you next, Lindsey.
    Last question for Dr. Gray from me, at least. Reinvesting 
savings that are generated from CBRA, Coastal Barrier Resources 
Act, your testimony mentions billions of dollars, billions of 
dollars in taxpayer savings generated by the Coastal Barrier 
Resources Act. That would be music to the ears of former 
Delaware Congressman Tom Evans, who was very much involved in 
its creation.
    My question is, do you think Congress should consider 
reinvesting a portion of those savings into proactive habitat 
conservation and community resilience?
    Ms. Gray. The quick answer to your question, and thank you 
for that question, Chairman Carper, is yes. There are a number 
of scientific studies that show it is actually less expensive 
to be proactive and invest in this type of habitat restoration 
and conservation up front rather than waiting for hurricanes 
and other natural disasters to strike. In addition, it is 
definitely less expensive to try to keep populations of our 
birds and wildlife healthy rather than continually trying to 
fight against extinction, when species are already threatened 
and endangered.
    So I would absolutely advocate for reinvesting in a 
proactive approach, in addition to a reactive approach, which 
we know we also will do. But yes, I think National Audubon 
Society would be highly supportive of that.
    Senator Carper. All right, great. Thank you so much.
    Senator Graham, we are glad to see you. Ms. Cope has been 
holding forth quite ably and awaiting your arrival. Thank you 
so much for recommending that we invite her to testify today. 
She is doing a great job.
    Senator Graham. Thank you very much, Mr. Chairman. I really 
appreciate the Committee. You do a good job, and your Ranking 
Member. It is a pleasant place to work, and good causes.
    Ms. Cope, thank you so much. I appreciate your coming up 
here and sharing your testimony with us. I really am not going 
to ask any questions; I just want to make a statement.
    It seems that we have a hard time getting anything done in 
Washington. This is an area where we are getting things done. 
This is a Committee where we are getting things done. So the 
Coastal Habitat Conservation Act that I am sponsoring with 
Senator Cardin from Maryland codifies an existing program that 
has been around since the 1990s that allows the Department of 
Natural Resources in South Carolina to partner with Ducks 
Unlimited, all kinds of different groups, to put land in 
conservation. It is voluntary; the money comes from fees 
collected from the tourism and fishing industry. Now putting it 
into law, codifying it, having it authorized, I think will take 
it to the next level.
    So, Mr. Chairman, I just want to thank you for inviting Ms. 
Cope.
    We are very proud of you, Emily, at home. You do a great 
job.
    God has blessed South Carolina with an incredible coastline 
and a beautiful State. We are going to try to keep it that way. 
We are going to make it business friendly but partner with the 
private sector to put land in conservation. That is a win-win 
for sportsmen, for just the beauty of South Carolina. And this 
is a voluntary program, collected, the money comes from fees 
from the boating and sporting community.
    I want to say on behalf of our entire delegation, thank you 
for what you do. We are very proud of the work being done by 
the Department of Natural Resources.
    Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
    Senator Carper. Thank you so much again for recommending 
Ms. Cope. I am going to grill her now further. Thank you so 
much for bringing her to our attention.
    Ms. Cope, I want to ask you a question with respect to 
Coastal Program support for endangered species. Your testimony 
acknowledges that the State of South Carolina uses some of the 
funding it receives from the Fish and Wildlife Service program 
to support the recovery of endangered and threatened species, 
such as the black rail bird and loggerhead sea turtle, species 
I am sure you are familiar with.
    Would you take a minute and elaborate on that work for us, 
please?
    Ms. Cope. Yes, sir, I appreciate it. The black rail is a 
very secretive marsh bird. And it was listed as federally 
threatened. In South Carolina, we really did not know much 
about how many of these were in our areas, and specifically 
where we would find them.
    So through the Coastal Program funding we were able to 
conduct additional surveys and locate them on some of our 
properties. We were able to learn more about the types of 
habitat that they utilize. This in turn led us to be able to 
manage our impoundment slightly differently, so that we could 
provide additional habitat for the species in hopes of 
increasing its reproduction and helping to recover the species.
    Some additional ones on the sea turtles is, sea turtles are 
very prone to predation from coyotes and feral hogs on their 
sea turtle nests on the beach. So we utilized Coastal Program 
funding to go in and initiate trapping efforts on one of our 
properties, the Yawkey wildlife area in Georgetown County, to 
protect these sea turtle nests.
    In looking at it as we did the trapping, depredation of 
these nests decreased significantly, thereby increasing 
reproduction of our sea turtles and helping to further restore 
the population. Our goal through all of these efforts is to 
recover these species so that we can eventually work toward 
delisting and down listing the species that are listed through 
the Endangered Species Act.
    Senator Carper. All right. Thank you for that.
    I understand, I think you said in your testimony that South 
Carolina's coastal resources support your local communities. 
That is our experience in Delaware as well. People travel from 
all over the world to visit our five star beaches and view our 
wildlife. And when they do, they drive what is already a 
thriving tourism economy.
    Would you take a minute for us and just elaborate on how 
South Carolina's coastal resources support local communities 
and economic growth?
    Ms. Cope. Absolutely. So historically speaking, hunting and 
fishing are key recreational activities in South Carolina. They 
are part of our culture and who we are. As times have changed, 
we have seen an increase in more of the non-traditional outdoor 
recreation opportunities.
    So our coastal resources are very diverse. We have people 
who run commercial hunting and fishing operations. We have 
people who travel simply to hunt and fish on their own. But we 
have an even larger number of constituents who visit South 
Carolina just simply to enjoy the scenic views of our coastal 
areas, to go boating and kayaking, to go birdwatching and do 
nature photography.
    So all of those combined together not only provide 
opportunities for local people to spend money in these areas 
and support the local economies, but it also brings people in 
from all across the United States to see these coastal areas. 
So they support the local economies just simply through their 
normal tourism dollars.
    Senator Carper. OK. One more question. We have some people, 
I mentioned to Senator Capito, there are some young people 
sitting out in the audience here, behind you over your left 
shoulder, Ms. Cope. I think some of them, at least one of them, 
might be an intern who is working with Senator Cardin's office. 
Several others are interns in Senator Shelby's office.
    I am going to telegraph my pitch. When we have finished the 
questioning, I will ask if you might like to share a message 
while these young people are here that you would like for them 
to take with them once their internship on Capitol Hill is over 
this summer.
    My last question of you, Ms. Cope, deals with the 
collaborative nature of coastal projects in South Carolina. 
Your testimony explains really well how different Federal 
agencies and partners have come together to support coastal 
projects in South Carolina.
    My question would be, would you say that these partnerships 
are enabling more landscape scale restoration than if each of 
these entities were working independently?
    Ms. Cope. Absolutely. By working together and having these 
partnerships, we are moving the needle on conservation so much 
more significantly than if we were doing it alone. And what we 
have found is that by creating the local partnerships, working 
with other State and Federal entities and especially our 
private landowners and private organizations, we all have 
different resources to bring to the table. We all have 
different contacts.
    So it really is finding the right tool for the job and 
getting the right people to the table. We share a commitment 
and a passion for conservation. So by working together and 
creating a team, then we are incredibly successful. We leverage 
each other's resources, and we get things done much more 
effectively and efficiently than any of us could alone.
    Senator Carper. All right. A follow up if I could. I said 
earlier two of my favorite words are ``for example.'' With that 
in mind, are there any examples of larger scale projects that 
your State of South Carolina is supporting that you might share 
with us today?
    Ms. Cope. As far as new projects?
    Senator Carper. Yes.
    Ms. Cope. So we are working on multiple land acquisition 
projects in our State, on our coast, which will protect, one 
will protect about another 7,000 acres of land along one of our 
coastal river systems. That not only protects water quality as 
it is flowing out to the estuary but also protects habitat for 
gopher tortoises as well as many wading birds that are species 
of concern.
    So we have a long list of habitat acquisition projects that 
are going on. We are currently working on some more restoration 
projects on our waterfowl areas to continue to get a handle on 
better management of these areas.
    I would offer up, I am sure Senator Graham would agree, if 
any of you would like to come to South Carolina and see what we 
are doing on the ground and visit our great State, we would be 
more than delighted to host you.
    Senator Carper. I love that. I always like to put in plugs 
for inviting people to come to Delaware. It is only fair that 
you do that for South Carolina, or West Virginia.
    Senator Capito, is there anything else you would like to do 
before we recognize some of these young people in the audience?
    Senator Capito. No, I just appreciate everybody's 
testimony. It has been very interesting. Thank you very much.
    Senator Carper. Thank you.
    I am going to ask, if there is in our audience today at 
least one intern here representing Senator Cardin's office, 
would you raise your hand?
    Hello, are you from Maryland? Good. Welcome.
    Do we have any interns from Senator Shelby's office?
    That is good.
    Dr. Gray, you couldn't see this, but we have a number of 
folks from Senator Shelby's office. Do any of you live in 
Alabama? If you live in Alabama, raise your hand.
    If you live in Delaware or West Virginia, raise your hand.
    All right. If you would like to live in Delaware or West 
Virginia, raise your hand.
    [Laughter.]
    Senator Carper. Dr. Gray, I am going to ask you and Ms. 
Cope if you would like to share some words of wisdom. Thinking 
back, these people look like they are probably in their early 
20s. Maybe some thoughts you would like to share with them.
    Senator Capito. Could I add, I have Baylor behind me, and 
she is my intern here. So direct it to her as well.
    Senator Carper. Baylor, like the university?
    [Remark off microphone.]
    Senator Carper. That is great.
    Senator Capito. She goes to Alabama, though. There is a 
conspiracy here.
    [Laughter.]
    Senator Carper. Ms. Cope, any thoughts?
    Ms. Cope. Absolutely, my pleasure, and thank you for the 
opportunity.
    It is so refreshing to see young people who have an 
interest in our political system and especially conservation 
and the environment. So I would just encourage each and every 
one of you to continue to learn, continue to get involved in 
conservation as well as the political arena. Because we can do 
a lot on the ground as far as direct management.
    But in terms of really moving the needle for conservation, 
it happens through the political arena. Because if we didn't 
have the support of our congressional delegations to support 
funding, and work on critical legislation to help protect and 
manage our resources, then we would not be able to move things 
forward.
    So whatever path you take down the road, always remember 
the importance of it. As I told some friends of mine yesterday, 
please remember the importance of voting. Because every vote 
matters. It is worth taking the time to do your research and 
select candidates that are truly going to represent you and 
your State well.
    Senator Carper. Very well said.
    Dr. Gray, are you still with us?
    Ms. Gray. I am. Thank you for the opportunity to say a few 
words to the interns. I am happy to share that I have actually 
worked with each of the States represented today. And so it is 
a real pleasure to participate today in the hearing.
    The words I would leave you all with is, we are in a 
climate and a biodiversity crisis. I doubt this is news to 
anyone who is sitting here today. But I do believe, while this 
planet is in crisis, we inherited this planet from past 
generations, we are deeding it to future generations. I think 
we have about a decade to get this right and set the planet on 
a course that will continue to serve us moving forward as human 
beings and all the other species that share it.
    I love what Emily Cope said; I think what you are doing is 
extremely important. If the planet doesn't continue to survive, 
none of us will. It is absolutely essential to our well being, 
to our food security, to our energy security, to our 
livelihoods, and to our health and well being and happiness.
    Continue to do what you are doing. National Audubon Society 
focuses on education, on advocacy, and on the ground projects. 
Every organization that has been mentioned today, whether it is 
a political organization, an agency, a non-profit organization, 
needs talented young people to come and work with it and to 
continue to make this world a better place.
    So I would echo what Emily said; vote, make sure you 
support people who support the environment, and be active. 
Continue to speak up, continue to intern, and remember that 
this precious planet is, at the end of the day, all that we 
have.
    Senator Carper. That is great. Thank you.
    I have a thought I want to share on a personal note also 
with the students who are here, the interns who are here.
    Any comment you would like to offer?
    Senator Capito. I think it is a great way to be here on 
Capitol Hill to see not only Government working, but to meet so 
many other bright young people around the country who are 
motivated to learn about being public servants.
    I would say to my interns, which I always do, dig in, and 
have a good time, and talk to all your friends about the 
importance of what Ms. Cope said, voting and being a 
participant. If you are on the sidelines and don't participate, 
you don't have the right to complain. So get in the game. It is 
a very exhilarating process.
    Senator Carper. Thank you very much.
    This is a Committee that has been around for quite a while. 
We have 20 members, 10 Democrats, 10 Republicans. Senator 
Capito and I are privileged to lead the Committee at this point 
in time. And we work across the aisle very well. We were both 
born in West Virginia. People ask me, if I couldn't be 
Governor, I used to be Governor of Delaware, they would say, 
after you are Governor of Delaware, what would you like to do? 
I would say, I would like to be Governor of West Virginia. 
Well, you can't do that.
    [Laughter.]
    Senator Carper. But we have the opportunity to work 
together on a whole range of issues. Much of the legislation 
that we pass here is passed unanimously. The large 
infrastructure bill was transformational, signed by the 
President last November or December, was adopted in this 
Committee unanimously, for all the roads, highways, bridges, 
pieces of surface transportation, all the water pieces, water 
infrastructure legislation, all was adopted unanimously here 
and later made part of the infrastructure bill.
    When I was the age of these young people here, Senator 
Capito, I actually had a chance to visit Washington, DC, for 
the first time. I was a naval ROTC midshipman. I ended up being 
stationed later in Corpus Christi at a naval air station.
    My roommate was from Baltimore. We had the opportunity to 
visit Washington, DC, at one time. It was 1965, a million years 
ago. I had some time on Capitol Hill, and I didn't know what 
was going on. I looked around, and wandered into the Rayburn 
Building over on the House side. I asked one of the security 
people, I said, is there anything going on here? I would like 
to find a hearing and sit in on a hearing if I could.
    Lo and behold, there was a hearing going on. It was the 
Civil Rights Act of 1965. And I wandered into the Judiciary 
Committee hearing room chaired by Emmanuel Celler. I had the 
opportunity to see and hear one of the most transformational 
bills regarding voting rights in this country ever debated and 
adopted at a very young age, really at your age.
    That was part of what inspired me to become involved 
publicly. I did a lot of years in the Navy after that, but 
ultimately ended up here with Senator Capito.
    Senator Capito. My father was on that committee.
    Senator Carper. Wow. Small world.
    Senator Capito. He was in the room.
    Senator Carper. In the room, wow.
    I would close with this. Actually I have two closes. I love 
to give commencement speeches. We get to do high school 
commencement speeches and college commencement addresses. I got 
to do one last month, with the President of the United States 
who spoke at the University of Delaware. I got to speak as 
well.
    I gave a 10 word commencement address, 10 words. Then I had 
the graduates stand up, and I had them repeat the 10 words. I 
am not going to do that with you guys today. But the 10 words 
are, the first two are, aim high. Aim high is first. The next 
two are work hard. The next four are embrace the Golden Rule, 
treat other people the way we want to be treated. The last two 
are don't quit. Aim high, work hard, embrace the Golden Rule, 
and don't quit.
    I would urge you to keep those in mind as you go forward. 
They might help guide you. They have certainly helped to guide 
me in the years I have been privileged to live and to be 
involved here.
    Again, to our witnesses here and all of our panelists, but 
especially the last two, thank you so much for joining us. I 
want to thank our first panel of witnesses as well, and those 
of our Committee who were able to join us.
    I want to thank our staffs for the work that led up to this 
hearing today. We are grateful to our witnesses especially for 
your work at a time when we face a lot of challenges. But there 
is also a lot of opportunity. I like to say in adversity lies 
opportunity. But there are opportunities when it comes to 
conserving our coastal ecosystems.
    Now I want to ask unanimous consent to submit for the 
record materials that relate to today's hearing. That includes 
testimony from Senators Klobuchar and Portman in support of the 
Great Lakes Fish and Wildlife Restoration Reauthorization Act. 
I also have a letter from some 33 advocacy groups, including 
conservationists, hunters, anglers, and advocates in support of 
the Coastal Barrier Resources Act.
    Finally, last but not least, I am including a letter from 
the Coalition for the Delaware River Watershed in support of 
the Delaware River Basin Conservation Reauthorization Act.
    Hearing no objection, so ordered.
    [The referenced information follows:]
    
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       Senator Carper. Senators will be allowed to submit written 
questions for the record through the close of business on 
Wednesday, June 29th, 2022. We will compile those questions and 
send them to our witnesses and ask our witnesses to reply by 
Wednesday, July 13th, 2022.
    With that, before we adjourn, I want to say to the interns 
who are here, I am going to ask you to come up and join us at 
the front of the room. We will take a quick picture, if Senator 
Capito wouldn't mind, and maybe Baylor will join us as well. We 
will take a quick picture for posterity.
    With that, this hearing is adjourned. Thank you all.
    [Whereupon, at 11:30 a.m., the hearing was adjourned.]
    [The legislation related to this hearing follows:]
    
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