[Congressional Record Volume 152, Number 9 (Tuesday, January 31, 2006)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E34]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                     TRIBUTE TO CLEAN OCEAN ACTION

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                        HON. FRANK PALLONE, JR.

                             of new jersey

                    in the house of representatives

                       Tuesday, January 31, 2006

  Mr. PALLONE. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize the work of the 
volunteers for Clean Ocean Action, an organization that has made 
tremendous efforts to clean up the Jersey Shore over the past 22 years.
  Clean Ocean Action, COA, was established in 1984 by individuals with 
a deep-rooted concern for the environment and a strong desire to help 
clean up our oceans and beaches. Today we can say with certainty that 
the waters of the New York/New Jersey Bight have benefited greatly from 
the efforts of COA, its volunteers, and the many citizens who have 
participated in COA activities.
  In the late 1980s, medical waste and other trash washing up on the 
Jersey Shore closed our beaches for an entire summer. Off our coast, 
eight separate ocean dumpsites collected all kinds of foul waste. COA 
and its volunteers helped lead the charge, in conjunction with Federal 
and State efforts, to keep trash off our beaches and close the 
dumpsites, and we can see the results every day.
  More than 30,000 Clean Ocean Action volunteers gather for biannual 
beach cleanups that have removed millions of pieces of trash and debris 
that typically wash up on our shores. COA compiles statistics on the 
trash collected during their sweeps, providing a very valuable tool to 
determine the leading source of debris pollution on our beaches and in 
our coastal waters.
  Having spent much of my career in elected office working on policies 
to protect our oceans and our coastline, I am keenly aware of the 
contributions that this organization have made to the Jersey Shore. The 
efforts of groups like the COA, and their unpaid volunteers often pass 
with little notice, but we all benefit from their work and we should 
support their efforts.
  Mr. Speaker, Clean Ocean Action is holding a brunch to thank its 
volunteers for their hard work. I urge my colleagues to join me in also 
thanking these volunteers as well as the hard-working staff that has 
done so much to clean up the Jersey Shore and protect the New York/New 
Jersey Bight.

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