[Congressional Record Volume 151, Number 76 (Thursday, June 9, 2005)]
[Senate]
[Page S6318]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

      By Mr. GREGG (for himself, Ms, Mikulski, Mr. Sarbanes, Mr. Biden, 
        Mr. Corzine, Ms. Snowe, Mr. Reed, Ms. Cantwell, Mrs. Murray, 
        Mr. Cochran, Mr. Kerry, Mr. Inouye, and Mrs. Feinstein):
  S. 1215. A bill to authorize the acquisition of interests in 
underdeveloped coastal areas in order better to ensure their protection 
from development; to the Committee on Commerce, Science, and 
Transportation.
  Mr. GREGG. Mr. President, I rise today along with Senator Mikulski to 
introduce the Coastal and Estuarine Land Protection Act. We are 
introducing this much needed coastal protection act along with Senators 
Sarbanes, Biden, Corzine, Snowe, Reed, Cantwell, Murray, Cochran, 
Kerry, Wyden, and Inouye. In addition, this legislation is supported by 
the Trust for Public Land, Coastal States Organization, International 
Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies, Association of National 
Estuary Programs, the Land Trust Alliance, Society for the Protection 
of New Hampshire Forests, The Conservation Fund, NH Audubon, Restore 
America's Estuaries, and National Estuarine Research Reserve 
Association.
  The Coastal and Estuarine Land Protection Act promotes coordinated 
land acquisition and protection efforts in coastal and estuarine areas 
by fostering partnerships between nongovernmental organizations and 
Federal, State, and local governments. As clearly outlined by the U.S. 
Commission of Ocean Policy, these efforts are urgently needed. With 
Americans rapidly moving to the coast, pressures to develop critical 
coastal ecosystems are increasing. There are fewer and fewer 
undeveloped and pristine areas left in the Nation's coastal and 
estuarine watersheds. These areas provide important nursery habitat for 
two-thirds of the Nation's commercial fish and shellfish, provide 
nesting and foraging habitat for coastal birds, harbor significant 
natural plant communities, and serve to facilitate coastal flood 
control and pollutant filtration.
  The Coastal and Estuarine Land Protection Act pairs willing sellers 
through community-based initiatives with sources of Federal funds to 
enhance environmental protection. Lands can be acquired in full or 
through easements, and none of the lands purchased through this program 
would be held by the Federal Government. This bill puts land 
conservation initiatives in the hands of State and local communities. 
This new program, authorized through the National Oceanic and 
Atmospheric Administration at $60,000,000 per year, would provide 
Federal matching funds to States with approved coastal management 
programs or to National Estuarine Research Reserves through a 
competitive grant process. Federal matching funds may not exceed 75 
percent of the cost of a project under this program, and non-Federal 
sources may count in-kind support toward their portion of the cost 
share.
  This coastal land protection program provides much need support for 
local coastal conservation initiatives throughout the country. For 
instance, I have worked hard to secure significant funds for the Great 
Bay estuary in New Hampshire. This estuary is the jewel of the seacoast 
region, and is home to a wide variety of plants and animal species that 
are particularly threatened by encroaching development and 
environmental pollutants. By working with local communities to purchase 
lands or easements on these valuable parcels of land, New Hampshire has 
been able to successfully conserve the natural and scenic heritage of 
this vital estuary.
  Programs such as the Coastal and Estuarine Land Protection program 
will further enable other States to participate in these community-
based conservation efforts in coastal areas. This program was modeled 
after the U.S. Department of Agriculture's successful Forest Legacy 
Program, which has conserved millions of acres of productive and 
ecologically significant forest land around the county.
  I welcome the opportunity to offer this important legislation, with 
my good friend from Maryland, Senator Mikulski. I am thankful for her 
leadership on this issue, and look forward to working with her to make 
the vision for this legislation a reality, and to successfully conserve 
our coastal lands for their ecological, historical, recreational, and 
aesthetic values.
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