[Congressional Record Volume 153, Number 27 (Tuesday, February 13, 2007)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E336]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




THE INTRODUCTION OF THE MARINE MAMMAL RESCUE ASSISTANCE ACT AMENDMENTS: 
                             FEBRUARY, 2007

                                 ______
                                 

                             HON. DON YOUNG

                               of alaska

                    in the house of representatives

                       Tuesday, February 13, 2007

  Mr. YOUNG of Alaska. Madam Speaker, Congressman Henry Brown (R-SC) 
and I are introducing legislation today that will extend the John H. 
Prescott Marine Mammal Rescue Assistance Grant Program. The program was 
first authorized in 2000 to address the funding needs of facilities 
assisting the National Marine Fisheries Service with the recovery and 
rehabilitation of stranded marine mammals. The Prescott Grant Program 
has been very successful in supporting facilities around the nation 
volunteering facility space and staff time to rehabilitate marine 
mammals and return many of them to the wild. For those animals that 
cannot be returned to the wild, due to illness or other factors, the 
facilities have taken on the responsibility of caring for those marine 
mammals.
  This legislation will increase the funding for the Department of 
Commerce from $4.0 million up to $6.0 million a year. The bill will cap 
administrative costs and roll over any unused funds into the grant 
program to be issued as grants in the following fiscal year. The 
Administration is authorized to enter into cooperative agreements to 
respond at-sea to marine mammals entangled in floating debris. It will 
create an emergency assistance process through which the agency will be 
able to enter into cooperative agreements with stranding facilities to 
facilitate the movement of funds to facilities responding to stranding 
events. In addition, the legislation will reauthorize funding for the 
Marine Mammal Unusual Mortality Event Fund, which allows the agency to 
respond to mass stranding events and reimburse facilities that have 
assisted in the response activity.
  I applaud the public display facilities and marine mammal research 
institutions that have dedicated resources and time toward recovering 
and rehabilitating marine mammals. This legislation will allow the 
National Marine Fisheries Service and the stranding facilities to 
continue their important efforts in the future. I urge support for this 
important conservation measure.

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