[Congressional Record Volume 154, Number 112 (Wednesday, July 9, 2008)]
[House]
[Pages H6261-H6266]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




    FEDERAL OCEAN ACIDIFICATION RESEARCH AND MONITORING ACT OF 2008

  Mr. BAIRD. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill 
(H.R. 4174) to establish an interagency committee to develop an ocean 
acidification research and monitoring plan and to establish an ocean 
acidification program within the National Oceanic and Atmospheric 
Administration, as amended.
  The Clerk read the title of the bill.
  The text of the bill is as follows:

                               H.R. 4174

       Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of 
     the United States of America in Congress assembled,

     SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE; TABLE OF CONTENTS.

       (a) Short Title.--This Act may be cited as the ``Federal 
     Ocean Acidification Research And Monitoring Act of 2008'' or 
     the ``FOARAM Act''.
       (b) Table of Contents.--The table of contents for this Act 
     is as follows:

Sec. 1. Short title; table of contents.
Sec. 2. Findings and purposes.
Sec. 3. Definitions.
Sec. 4. Interagency subcommittee.
Sec. 5. Strategic research plan.
Sec. 6. NOAA ocean acidification activities.
Sec. 7. NSF ocean acidification activities.
Sec. 8. NASA ocean acidification activities.
Sec. 9. Authorization of appropriations.

     SEC. 2. FINDINGS AND PURPOSES.

       (a) Findings.--The Congress finds the following:
       (1) The oceans help regulate atmospheric chemistry by 
     acting as the largest sink for carbon dioxide.
       (2) The rapid increase in atmospheric carbon dioxide is 
     overwhelming the natural ability of the oceans to absorb this 
     gas.
       (3) The influx of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere and 
     the subsequent absorption by the oceans is changing surface 
     ocean carbon chemistry and lowering the pH. These changes in 
     ocean chemistry are detrimental to organisms including 
     corals, which support one of the richest habitats on Earth, 
     marine shellfish, and many other organisms that form the base 
     of the food chain for many fish and marine mammals.
       (4) The rich biodiversity of marine organisms is an 
     important contribution to the national economy and the change 
     in ocean chemistry threatens tourism, our fisheries, and 
     marine environmental quality, and could result in significant 
     social and economic costs.
       (5) Existing Federal programs support research in related 
     ocean chemistry, but gaps in funding, coordination, and 
     outreach have impeded national progress in addressing ocean 
     acidification.
       (6) National investment in a coordinated program of 
     research and monitoring would improve the understanding of 
     ocean acidification effects on whole ecosystems, advance our 
     knowledge of the socioeconomic impacts of increased ocean 
     acidification, and strengthen the ability of marine resource 
     managers to assess and prepare for the harmful impacts of 
     ocean acidification on our marine resources.
       (b) Purposes.--The purposes of this Act are to provide 
     for--
       (1) development and coordination of a comprehensive 
     interagency plan to--
       (A) monitor and conduct research on the processes and 
     consequences of ocean acidification on marine organisms and 
     ecosystems; and
       (B) establish an interagency research and monitoring 
     program on ocean acidification;
       (2) assessment and consideration of regional and national 
     ecosystem and socioeconomic impacts of increased ocean 
     acidification; and
       (3) research on adaptation strategies and techniques for 
     effectively conserving marine ecosystems as they cope with 
     increased ocean acidification.

     SEC. 3. DEFINITIONS.

       In this Act:
       (1) Ocean acidification.--The term ``ocean acidification'' 
     means the decrease in pH of the Earth's oceans and changes in 
     ocean chemistry caused by chemical inputs from the 
     atmosphere, including carbon dioxide.
       (2) Secretary.--The term ``Secretary'' means the Secretary 
     of Commerce, acting through the Administrator of the National 
     Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
       (3) Subcommittee.--The term ``Subcommittee'' means the 
     Joint Subcommittee on Ocean Science and Technology of the 
     National Science and Technology Council.

     SEC. 4. INTERAGENCY SUBCOMMITTEE.

       (a) Designation.--The Joint Subcommittee on Ocean Science 
     and Technology of the National Science and Technology Council 
     shall coordinate Federal activities on ocean acidification.
       (b) Duties.--The Subcommittee shall--
       (1) develop the strategic research and monitoring plan to 
     guide Federal research on ocean acidification required under 
     section 5 of this Act and oversee the implementation of the 
     plan;
       (2) oversee the development of--
       (A) an assessment of the potential impacts of ocean 
     acidification on marine organisms and marine ecosystems; and
       (B) adaptation and mitigation strategies to conserve marine 
     organisms and ecosystems exposed to ocean acidification;
       (3) facilitate communication and outreach opportunities 
     with nongovernmental organizations and members of the 
     stakeholder community with interests in marine resources;
       (4) coordinate the United States Federal research and 
     monitoring program with research and monitoring programs and 
     scientists from other nations; and
       (5) establish or designate an Ocean Acidification 
     Information Exchange to make information on ocean 
     acidification developed through or utilized by the 
     interagency ocean acidification program accessible through 
     electronic means, including information which would be useful 
     to policymakers, researchers, and other stakeholders in 
     mitigating or adapting to the impacts of ocean acidification.
       (c) Reports to Congress.--
       (1) Initial report.--Not later than 1 year after the date 
     of enactment of this Act, the Subcommittee shall transmit a 
     report to the Committee on Commerce, Science, and 
     Transportation of the Senate and the Committee on Science and 
     Technology and the Committee on Natural Resources of the 
     House of Representatives that--
       (A) includes a summary of federally funded ocean 
     acidification research and monitoring activities, including 
     the budget for each of these activities; and
       (B) describes the progress in developing the plan required 
     under section 5 of this Act.
       (2) Biennial report.--Not later than 2 years after the 
     delivery of the initial report

[[Page H6262]]

     under paragraph (1) and every 2 years thereafter, the 
     Subcommittee shall transmit a report to the Committee on 
     Commerce, Science, and Transportation of the Senate and the 
     Committee on Science and Technology and the Committee on 
     Natural Resources of the House of Representatives that 
     includes--
       (A) a summary of federally funded ocean acidification 
     research and monitoring activities, including the budget for 
     each of these activities; and
       (B) an analysis of the progress made toward achieving the 
     goals and priorities for the interagency research plan 
     developed by the Subcommittee under section 5.
       (3) Strategic research plan.--Not later than 2 years after 
     the date of enactment of this Act, the Subcommittee shall 
     transmit the strategic research plan developed under section 
     5 to the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation 
     of the Senate and the Committee on Science and Technology and 
     the Committee on Natural Resources of the House of 
     Representatives. A revised plan shall be submitted at least 
     once every 5 years thereafter.

     SEC. 5. STRATEGIC RESEARCH PLAN.

       (a) In General.--Not later than 2 years after the date of 
     enactment of this Act, the Subcommittee shall develop a 
     strategic plan for Federal research and monitoring on ocean 
     acidification that will provide for an assessment of the 
     impacts of ocean acidification on marine organisms and marine 
     ecosystems and the development of adaptation and mitigation 
     strategies to conserve marine organisms and marine 
     ecosystems. In developing the plan, the Subcommittee shall 
     consider and use information, reports, and studies of ocean 
     acidification that have identified research and monitoring 
     needed to better understand ocean acidification and its 
     potential impacts, and recommendations made by the National 
     Academy of Sciences in the review of the plan required under 
     subsection (d).
       (b) Contents of the Plan.--The plan shall--
       (1) establish, for the 10-year period beginning in the year 
     the plan is submitted, the goals and priorities for Federal 
     research and monitoring which will--
       (A) advance understanding of ocean acidification and its 
     physical, chemical, and biological impacts on marine 
     organisms and marine ecosystems;
       (B) improve the ability to assess the socioeconomic impacts 
     of ocean acidification; and
       (C) provide information for the development of adaptation 
     and mitigation strategies to conserve marine organisms and 
     marine ecosystems;
       (2) describe specific activities, including--
       (A) efforts to determine user needs;
       (B) research activities;
       (C) monitoring activities;
       (D) technology and methods development;
       (E) data collection;
       (F) database development;
       (G) modeling activities;
       (H) assessment of ocean acidification impacts; and
       (I) participation in international research efforts;
       (3) identify relevant programs and activities of the 
     Federal agencies that contribute to the interagency program 
     directly and indirectly and set forth the role of each 
     Federal agency in implementing the plan;
       (4) consider and utilize, as appropriate, reports and 
     studies conducted by Federal agencies, the National Research 
     Council, or other entities;
       (5) make recommendations for the coordination of the ocean 
     acidification research and monitoring activities of the 
     United States with such activities of other nations and 
     international organizations;
       (6) outline budget requirements for Federal ocean 
     acidification research and monitoring and assessment 
     activities to be conducted by each agency under the plan;
       (7) identify the monitoring systems and sampling programs 
     currently employed in collecting data relevant to ocean 
     acidification and prioritize additional monitoring systems 
     that may be needed to ensure adequate data collection and 
     monitoring of ocean acidification and its impacts; and
       (8) describe specific activities designed to facilitate 
     outreach and data and information exchange with stakeholder 
     communities.
       (c) Program Elements.--The plan shall include at a minimum 
     the following program elements:
       (1) Monitoring of ocean chemistry and biological impacts 
     associated with ocean acidification at selected coastal and 
     open-ocean monitoring stations, including satellite-based 
     monitoring to characterize--
       (A) marine ecosystems;
       (B) changes in marine productivity; and
       (C) changes in surface ocean chemistry.
       (2) Research to understand the species specific 
     physiological response of marine organisms to ocean 
     acidification, impacts on marine food webs of ocean 
     acidification, and to develop environmental and ecological 
     indices that track marine ecosystem responses to ocean 
     acidification.
       (3) Modeling to predict changes in the ocean carbon cycle 
     as a function of carbon dioxide and atmosphere-induced 
     changes in temperature, ocean circulation, biogeochemistry, 
     ecosystem and terrestrial input, and modeling to determine 
     impacts on marine ecosystems and individual marine organisms.
       (4) Technology development and standardization of carbonate 
     chemistry measurements on moorings and autonomous floats.
       (5) Assessment of socioeconomic impacts of ocean 
     acidification and development of adaptation and mitigation 
     strategies to conserve marine organisms and marine 
     ecosystems.
       (d) National Academy of Sciences Evaluation.--The Secretary 
     shall enter into an agreement with the National Academy of 
     Sciences to review the plan.
       (e) Public Participation.--In developing the plan, the 
     Subcommittee shall consult with representatives of academic, 
     State, industry and environmental groups. Not later than 90 
     days before the plan, or any revision thereof, is submitted 
     to the Congress, the plan shall be published in the Federal 
     Register for a public comment period of not less than 60 
     days.

     SEC. 6. NOAA OCEAN ACIDIFICATION ACTIVITIES.

       The Secretary shall conduct research and monitoring 
     activities and may establish a program on ocean acidification 
     within the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration 
     consistent with the strategic research plan developed by the 
     Subcommittee under section 5 that--
       (1) includes--
       (A) interdisciplinary research among the ocean and 
     atmospheric sciences, and coordinated research and activities 
     to improve understanding of ocean acidification;
       (B) the establishment of a long-term monitoring program of 
     ocean acidification utilizing existing global and national 
     ocean observing assets, and adding instrumentation and 
     sampling stations as appropriate to the aims of the research 
     program;
       (C) research to identify and develop adaptation strategies 
     and techniques for effectively conserving marine ecosystems 
     as they cope with increased ocean acidification;
       (D) as an integral part of the research programs described 
     in this Act, educational opportunities that encourage an 
     interdisciplinary and international approach to exploring the 
     impacts of ocean acidification;
       (E) as an integral part of the research programs described 
     in this Act, national public outreach activities to improve 
     the understanding of current scientific knowledge of ocean 
     acidification and its impacts on marine resources; and
       (F) coordination of ocean acidification monitoring and 
     impacts research with other appropriate international ocean 
     science bodies such as the International Oceanographic 
     Commission, the International Council for the Exploration of 
     the Sea, the North Pacific Marine Science Organization, and 
     others;
       (2) provides grants for critical research projects that 
     explore the effects of ocean acidification on ecosystems and 
     the socioeconomic impacts of increased ocean acidification 
     that are relevant to the goals and priorities of the 
     strategic research plan; and
       (3) incorporates a competitive merit-based process for 
     awarding grants that may be conducted jointly with other 
     participating agencies or under the National Oceanographic 
     Partnership Program under section 7901 of title 10, United 
     States Code.

     SEC. 7. NSF OCEAN ACIDIFICATION ACTIVITIES.

       (a) Research Activities.--The Director of the National 
     Science Foundation shall continue to carry out research 
     activities on ocean acidification which shall support 
     competitive, merit-based, peer-reviewed proposals for 
     research and monitoring of ocean acidification and its 
     impacts, including--
       (1) impacts on marine organisms and marine ecosystems;
       (2) impacts on ocean, coastal, and estuarine 
     biogeochemistry; and
       (3) the development of methodologies and technologies to 
     evaluate ocean acidification and its impacts.
       (b) Consistency.--The research activities shall be 
     consistent with the strategic research plan developed by the 
     Subcommittee under section 5.
       (c) Coordination.--The Director shall encourage 
     coordination of the Foundation's ocean acidification 
     activities with such activities of other nations and 
     international organizations.

     SEC. 8. NASA OCEAN ACIDIFICATION ACTIVITIES.

       (a) Ocean Acidification Activities.--The Administrator of 
     the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, in 
     coordination with other relevant agencies, shall ensure that 
     space-based monitoring assets are used in as productive a 
     manner as possible for monitoring of ocean acidification and 
     its impacts.
       (b) Program Consistency.--The Administrator shall ensure 
     that the Agency's research and monitoring activities on ocean 
     acidification are carried out in a manner consistent with the 
     strategic research plan developed by the Subcommittee under 
     section 5.
       (c) Coordination.--The Administrator shall encourage 
     coordination of the Agency's ocean acidification activities 
     with such activities of other nations and international 
     organizations.

     SEC. 9. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.

       (a) NOAA.--There are authorized to be appropriated to the 
     National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration to carry out 
     the purposes of this Act--
       (1) $8,000,000 for fiscal year 2009;
       (2) $12,000,000 for fiscal year 2010;
       (3) $15,000,000 for fiscal year 2011; and
       (4) $20,000,000 for fiscal year 2012.
       (b) NSF.--There are authorized to be appropriated to the 
     National Science Foundation to carry out the purposes of this 
     Act--
       (1) $6,000,000 for fiscal year 2009;
       (2) $8,000,000 for fiscal year 2010;

[[Page H6263]]

       (3) $12,000,000 for fiscal year 2011; and
       (4) $15,000,000 for fiscal year 2012.

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from 
Washington (Mr. Baird) and the gentleman from Florida (Mr. Feeney) each 
will control 20 minutes.
  The Chair recognizes the gentleman from Washington.


                             General Leave

  Mr. BAIRD. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members have 
5 legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and include 
extraneous material on H.R. 4174, the bill now under consideration.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the 
gentleman from Washington?
  There was no objection.
  Mr. BAIRD. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
  Mr. Speaker, I would like to begin by complimenting my dear friend, 
Mr. Allen, and Mr. Gilchrest, as well as Mr. Inslee, and particularly 
Mr. Inglis, who worked so closely with me on the manager's amendment to 
this bill.
  We have an enormous problem facing this world, and it is often 
neglected. This bill addresses that.
  On Monday, I had the privilege of being in Fort Lauderdale at the 
International Society for Reef Studies, their coral reef symposium, 
which happens every 4 years. Based on reports there and recent studies 
published in Science and other leading journals, it is clear that 
although ocean acidification is not often talked about, it may well be 
a challenge as great or perhaps even greater as climate change.
  Approximately one-half of the carbon dioxide released by burning 
fossil fuels has been absorbed by the oceans. The good news is that 
this absorption has helped reduce and delay the impact of global 
warming. The bad news, however, is that the absorption of atmospheric 
carbon dioxide has caused and will continue to cause changes in ocean 
chemistry.
  The disruption in ocean chemistry causes the pH to decrease and 
results in a phenomenon identified as ocean acidification. According to 
the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, ocean hydrogen ion 
concentration, a measure of acidity, has increased 30 percent since 
industrialization. Studies have projected that by the end of the 
century, carbon dioxide emission scenarios could result in the lowest 
levels of ocean pH in 20 million years.
  The potential impacts of acidification are diverse and far-reaching. 
These impacts include adverse effects on marine ecosystems, food webs 
for many fish and marine mammals, and the economies of many coastal 
States that rely upon the seafood industry and coastal and ocean 
tourism.
  Increasing acidity and changes in ocean chemistry are also corrosive 
to corals and shell-forming plankton, a major food source for baleen 
whales and commercially important fish species such as salmon, 
mackerel, herring, cod and others.
  Some studies have also suggested that ocean acidification could be 
detrimental to shellfish, including scallops, clams, oysters and 
lobsters. Evidence shows that calcification rates will decrease and 
carbon dissolution rates will increase for these calcifying organisms 
leaving them unable to compete ecologically, perhaps even threatening 
them to the point of extinction.
  Shallow water corals face similar threats due to decreased ocean 
rates and increased shell corrosion. Corals comprise some of the 
richest habitats on Earth. According to NOAA, about 4,000 species of 
fish, including approximately half of all federally managed fisheries, 
depend on coral reefs and their related habitat for a portion of their 
life cycles.
  Juvenile fish may face physiological challenges, including 
respiratory stress and acidosis associated with increased 
acidification. Deep sea corals and other animals are also threatened by 
changes in chemistry, and may find parts of the deep ocean 
uninhabitable by the end of the century.
  We must do more to assess this grave problem. There is significant 
uncertainty as to the rate and magnitude of change that will occur, but 
national investment in a coordinated program of research and monitoring 
could improve the understanding of ecosystem responses, assess 
socioeconomic impacts due to increasing acidification, and provide 
resource managers the information they need to develop strategies and 
protect these critical species.
  That's why I have joined Representatives Allen, Inslee, and others, 
in introducing the Federal Ocean Acidification Research and Monitoring 
Act. This bill establishes an interagency program through the Joint 
Subcommittee on Ocean Science and Technology of the National Science 
and Technology Council to develop and coordinate a comprehensive plan 
to better understand and address the impacts of acidification, to 
provide for assessment of ecosystem and socioeconomic impact of ocean 
acidification, and to provide for research on adaptation strategies to 
conserve marine resources. It also directs NOAA, the National Science 
Foundation, and NASA to conduct research and monitoring activities on 
ocean acidification consistent with the strategic plan developed by the 
subcommittee.
  I want to thank the researchers who have led the way on this 
important topic, also my fellow sponsors for their important work, and 
particularly Chairman Gordon and the other members of the Science and 
Technology Committee for moving this bill and getting it to the floor.
  Finally, I want to thank the Science Committee staff, including Jean 
Fruci, Shimere Williams on the majority staff, and my own staff member, 
Hillary Cain.
  With that, Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. FEENEY. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
  Mr. Speaker, since the beginning of the industrial revolution, the 
oceans have been the largest sink of increased carbon dioxide in the 
atmosphere. This is a valuable natural function. When the oceans absorb 
carbon dioxide, it lowers the pH of the water. Although the increased 
acidity of the oceans to date has not been significant, many in the 
ocean science community are concerned about the rate of change that 
they have witnessed.
  H.R. 4174 organizes Federal activities on ocean acidification 
research. It is intended to provide a blueprint for research and 
monitoring efforts at the Federal level, and encourage international 
cooperation for a global problem.
  We have an obligation to ourselves and to future generations to make 
informed decisions on something as serious as the health and welfare of 
our oceans, but at this point, we do not know enough to make those 
decisions. We do not know how much the ocean's chemistry is going to 
change, how fast it will change, or what the impacts of this change 
will be on marine life or the health of marine ecosystems. We also do 
not know how all of this will affect mankind's reliance on the ocean 
for food, for industry, and for energy resources. How can we possibly 
engage in serious discussions about mitigation and adoption strategies 
if we do not know these important things?
  Passing the Federal Ocean Acidification Research and Monitoring Act 
is the first step we need to take to collect this vital information. 
The legislation directs the Joint Subcommittee on Ocean Science and 
Technology, or JSOST, to coordinate all Federal research and monitoring 
activities. The subcommittee is co-chaired by the National Oceanic and 
Atmospheric Administration, NOAA, the National Science Foundation, NSF, 
and the Office of Science and Technology Policy in the White House. 
These are the three agencies that should be most involved in ocean 
acidification research.
  This bill requires JSOST to develop a strategic research plan with an 
eye toward being able to produce useable products to the fishing 
industry, the energy industry, policy makers, and other shareholders at 
some point in the future. This strategic plan is not meant to reinvent 
the wheel. It should be based on several research road maps that have 
already been developed by other institutions.
  The legislation authorizes NOAA to continue its ocean acidification 
research and monitoring activities as long as such activities are 
consistent with the strategic research plan. It also authorizes funding 
for NSF to provide research grants for ocean acidification. And it 
directs NASA to focus resources on ocean acidification monitoring in 
future Earth observation missions.
  Most importantly, H.R. 4174 requires that JSOST and NOAA coordinate 
U.S.

[[Page H6264]]

ocean acidification research and monitoring efforts with those in the 
international community. Many countries are currently in the same place 
as we are, organizing their research efforts and laying out road maps 
for the future. Just last month, the European Union launched the 
European Ocean Acidification Project, an initiative to investigate 
ocean acidification and its consequences.
  The U.S. should not have to bear the full and sole burden for global 
environmental problems. International cooperation ensures that 
resources and funding are distributed among many nations so that all 
may benefit from the increase in understanding of ocean acidification.
  I urge all of my colleagues to support H.R. 4174.
  Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. BAIRD. Mr. Speaker, I want to particularly compliment the Chair 
of the Resources Committee, Chairman Rahall, for his collaboration on 
this. At this point I would like to place in the Record letters 
exchanged between the Resources Committee and the Science Committee.

         House of Representatives, Committee on Natural Resources,
                                      Washington, DC, July 7,2008.
     Hon. Bart Gordon,
     Chairman, Committee on Science and Technology, Washington, 
         DC.
       Dear Mr. Chairman: Thank you for the opportunity to work 
     with you on H.R. 4174, the Federal Ocean Acidification 
     Research and Monitoring Act of 2008, concerning provisions 
     regarding the establishment and maintenance of an ocean 
     acidification program which are within the jurisdiction of 
     the Committee on Natural Resources.
       Because of the continued cooperation and consideration that 
     you have afforded me and my staff in developing these 
     provisions, I will not seek a sequential referral of H.R. 
     4174. Of course, this waiver is not intended to prejudice any 
     future jurisdictional claims over these provisions or similar 
     language. I also reserve the right to seek to have conferees 
     named from the Committee on Natural Resources on these 
     provisions, and request your support if such a request is 
     made.
       Please place this letter into the committee report on H.R. 
     4174 and into the Congressional Record during consideration 
     of the measure on the House floor.
       With warm regards, I am,
           Sincerely,
                                                Nick J. Rahall II,
     Chairman, Committee on Natural Resources.
                                  ____

         House of Representatives, Committee on Science and 
           Technology,
                                     Washington, DC, July 8, 2008.
     Hon. Nick J. Rahall II,
     Chairman, Committee on Natural Resources, House of 
         Representatives, Washington, DC
       Dear Chairman Rahall: Thank you for working with me to 
     allow floor consideration of H.R. 4174, the Federal Ocean 
     Acidification Research and Monitoring Act of 2008, to 
     proceed.
       I appreciate your willingness to waive your Committee's 
     right to a referral of H.R. 4174, and acknowledge that this 
     waiver does not prejudice any further jurisdictional claims 
     by your Committee over this legislation or similar language. 
     Furthermore, I agree to support your request for appointment 
     of conferees from the Committee on Natural Resources if a 
     conference is held on this matter.
       A copy of this letter and your response will be placed in 
     the Committee report on H.R. 4174 and in the Congressional 
     Record during consideration of the bill on the House floor.
       I look forward to working with you as we prepare to pass 
     this important legislation.
           Sincerely,
                                                      Bart Gordon,
                                                         Chairman.

  Mr. Speaker, I yield 4 minutes to the lead sponsor of this 
legislation and a tireless and effective advocate for all things 
related to the ocean's health, Representative Allen from Maine.
  Mr. ALLEN. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for yielding and for 
his outstanding leadership on this important issue.
  I also rise to urge passage of my bill, H.R. 4174, the Federal Ocean 
Acidification Research and Monitoring Act.
  I want to commend Chairman Gordon and Chairman Lampson of the Science 
and Technology Committee for their leadership and foresight in 
supporting this legislation to give us the tools we need to manage and 
protect our marine resources and coastal communities.
  I also want to thank Mr. Hall and Mr. Inglis for their support on 
this bipartisan legislation. And also, once again, I want to thank Mr. 
Inslee and Mr. Baird for their leadership.
  Finally, I guess I should say a special thank you to Ellen Bolen on 
my staff, my now Sea Grant fellow who has worked so hard on this 
particular bill.
  My legislation establishes a comprehensive, interagency program to 
conduct research on the processes and consequences of ocean 
acidification due to global climate change.
  Ocean acidification has the potential to profoundly change our ocean 
ecosystems and may seriously and negatively affect commercial and 
recreational fisheries, tourism, agriculture, and many other ocean-
related industries.
  The impact of global climate change is nowhere more apparent than in 
our oceans. Icecaps are melting and coral reefs are dying. 
Approximately one-third of the carbon dioxide released by the burning 
of fossil fuels ends up in the oceans, altering ocean surface carbon 
chemistry. Acidic conditions can impede shell formation in important 
marine shellfish species, and are harmful to many organisms, from 
corals to shellfish to plankton, that are essential to the food chain 
for many larger fish and marine mammals.
  Research by scientists at St. Joseph's College in Standish, Maine, 
has revealed that ocean acidification due to climate change may 
substantially increase the mortality of young clams, threatening a $16 
million industry and the livelihoods of 1,800 commercial clam diggers 
in Maine alone.

                              {time}  1300

  Three decades ago, when acid deposition threatened Maine's lakes, we 
documented the harm and devised a legislative response through 
monitoring and research. My legislation will provide similar tools to 
respond to ocean acidification. To protect future generations, we must 
understand the consequences that ocean acidification could have on our 
natural resources and coastal economies so that we can mitigate and 
adapt to those consequences.
  The Federal Ocean Acidification Research and Monitoring Act will 
direct and fund key research to examine the effects that climate change 
is having on our oceans and on our fisheries. I urge my colleagues to 
support this measure.
  Mr. FEENEY. Mr. Speaker, I am proud to yield 5 minutes to my friend 
the gentleman from South Carolina (Mr. Inglis).
  Mr. INGLIS of South Carolina. I thank the gentleman for yielding.
  Mr. Speaker, I'm not a scientist, but I play one occasionally at the 
Science Committee. And the good news is we have got some scientists at 
the Science Committee, great staff members and Members of Congress, 
like Dr. Baird, who is one of my tutors on this issue of ocean 
acidification.
  Recently in a trip to the Galapagos, we had an opportunity to hear 
from Dr. Julian Sachs, who, along with Dr. Baird's tutelage, was able 
to explain to me finally why it is that the carbon sink of the oceans 
is going to create a problem for life in the oceans. And it has to do 
with that science experiment we did in high school with putting the egg 
in the vinegar, and a couple of days later, you come back and there's 
no shell on the egg. Well, that's the challenge. As carbon is absorbed 
into the ocean by higher CO2 levels in the atmosphere 
entering in the ocean, driving down the pH, making the ocean more 
acidic, you end up with that scenario where the calcium-based shells of 
the organisms begin to dissolve.
  The big challenge is the phytoplankton part of the food chain. That 
dissolves. It's a terrible thing to open up a hole at the bottom of the 
food chain. Not so bad if you're at the top of the food chain, but if 
you're at the bottom of the food chain, it's a terrible thing to open a 
hole, especially when a billion people around the world depend upon the 
ocean for sustenance.
  So what all that means is this is a serious matter and something 
worth our spending time and effort and money on to research. So I am 
very happy to support this bill.
  I am also very excited about an aspect of the bill that has been 
mentioned by several speakers already. That is the international 
cooperation that's called for in the bill. On another trip with Dr. 
Baird to Antarctica and then Australia, we saw a wonderful example of 
this with the NOAA's Coral Reef Watch Project, where we actually have 
NOAA employing two Australians who are doing work for NOAA in 
Australia, coordinating with the Great

[[Page H6265]]

Barrier Reef folks. And the result is America is there lending a hand 
and cooperating, improving not only the science that we generate but 
also my other committee, Foreign Affairs, better foreign policy 
outcomes; that we are showing ourselves to be a friend to the 
Australians, trying to preserve the Great Barrier Reef, which is 
obviously very important to people on the eastern shore of Australia.
  So the international aspects of this may be reason enough to support 
the bill. But for all of the above reasons, I am very happy to support 
the bill and urge my colleagues to support it, and hopefully we will 
have this cooperation, find some breakthroughs in the science, and then 
figure out ways to apply those solutions to begin solving the problem.
  Mr. BAIRD. Mr. Speaker, I want to thank the gentleman from South 
Carolina for his input and involvement and for his genuine interest in 
this. It has been a privilege to travel with him, and we actually had 
the opportunity to meet with some of the world's leading scientists on 
this, and I know Mr. Inglis has maintained that dialogue ever since 
those journeys, and those scientists send their regards. I met with 
them just 2 days ago, in fact.
  Mr. Speaker, I want to now acknowledge a dear friend from Washington 
who has been a leader not only in the Congress but in the world on the 
issue of renewable energy and climate change. This issue of 
acidification took particular relevance off our own Pacific Northwest 
coast about 2 months ago when NOAA published studies suggesting that 
the rate of acidification is much more rapid and much closer to our 
shores than they had ever anticipated, and it is deeply concerning. Jay 
Inslee has been a champion of responsible energy policies.
  Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Washington (Mr. 
Inslee).
  (Mr. INSLEE asked and was given permission to revise and extend his 
remarks.)
  Mr. INSLEE. Mr. Speaker, ocean acidification is both the most 
disturbing and potentially the most unifying issue involving carbon 
dioxide and climate change. It is the most disturbing because nothing 
that I have heard in the last couple of years about this phenomenon 
disproves the point of that old saying from the 1960s that was in an 
old commercial ``It's not nice to fool with Mother Nature.'' And we 
have found that when we put one-third of all the carbon dioxide coming 
out of our tailpipes and our coal plants, that that has made the 
oceans, just since the industrial revolution, 30 percent more acidic, 
and all the time the world has been around, it is 30 percent more 
acidic just during the time we've been burning coal and oil.
  The results of that are not hypothetical. We had testimony in Seattle 
from biologists and oceanographers a couple months ago that said they 
actually put a shell into water that was as acidic as it could be in 
the next century and a half and you could see it literally melt. You 
are looking at literally melting of any living stuff in the oceans that 
form a calcium carbonate material, including the phytoplankton that is 
40 percent of the bottom of the food chain, in the next century or two 
if we don't change course. That's why it's disturbing.
  But here is why it's unifying: It's unifying because while we have 
had some debates about the climatic effects about global warming and 
CO2, there is no debate about ocean acidification. We could 
spent the next century arguing about the precise climatic effects of 
CO2, but there is no debate that we are making the oceans 
unfit for life that God himself or herself designed on the planet 
Earth. And that is what we are doing. And I am hopeful that that can be 
a unifying idea in this Congress so that we can start to develop a 
clean energy future for the country and the world that can preserve the 
oceans for living species that we depend on as well as the rest of the 
world.
  So it is disturbing now. Hopefully, it will be unifying when we get 
together and really do an Apollo new energy project and save the oceans 
for what they were designed for, which is life on this planet.
  Mr. FEENEY. I want to thank the gentleman from Washington and the 
others that worked on this bill.
  Our oceans are the property of all humanity, and we want to do 
everything we can to understand them and preserve them.
  With that I would urge the passage of this bill.
  Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
  Mr. BAIRD. I thank the gentleman from Florida for his support. I also 
want to acknowledge the leadership of Mr. Lampson from Texas and Mr. 
Hall and their support of this as well.
  Let me close with this, and it takes off from something that Mr. 
Inslee said a moment ago. We can debate the temperature changes. I 
think the evidence is compelling from the IPCC report. But ocean 
acidification is something you can demonstrate in a lab. You can 
introduce CO2 into the air, above water. The water will take 
up the CO2. That will make the water more acidic. The more 
acidic water will reduce the availability of calcium carbonate and 
other minerals. And then, as Mr. Inslee described, and as laboratory 
scientists are doing throughout the world in Australia and Israel and 
Jordan and off our own Florida coast, you can take these organisms, put 
them in this more acidic water, and you will see their growth be 
retarded. You will see their mortality rates increase. And, 
importantly, when you combine higher acidification levels with 
increased temperature, the mortality grows dramatically up. We are 
effectively killing the oceans and then possibly killing ourselves.
  I am speaking on behalf of two little boys, William and Walter, my 
own sons, whom some of you know. They stop by here from time to time. 
They're 3\1/2\. I would like them to enjoy the oceans the way we have. 
I would like them to see the magnificent species that we now enjoy. I 
do not want to bequeath to those young boys or to anyone's children or 
grandchildren a world bereft of the coral reefs and the many species 
they depend on.
  So with that I urge passage of this legislation and would urge that 
we vigorously endeavor to reduce the factors that are contributing to 
this dangerous problem. I urge a ``yes'' vote.
  Mr. FARR. Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 4174, the Federal 
Ocean Acidification Research and Monitoring Act of 2007 authored by my 
friend and fellow co-chair of the House Oceans Caucus Representative 
Allen.
  Since the industrial revolution, the human species has begun a 
dangerous experiment with our planet. Humans have become, according to 
Alan Weisman, a volcano that has been erupting continuously for 150 
years. We have taken tons of carbon from the earth and put it up in the 
atmosphere. It is now clear that the increase in atmospheric 
CO2 is causing drastic and rapid changes in ocean chemistry.
  The ocean has no choice but to absorb the increase in CO2, 
in fact, the ocean will continue to absorb CO2 long after we 
reduce our output. Recent research from a study led by Dr. Feeley, a 
NOAA scientist, has found that ocean waters from the 1950s were much 
more acidic than expected. We do not know the outcome of our global 
experiment, but we know that it will change the chemistry of the ocean.
  Many fisheries off of our coasts are already collapsing. We do not 
know how this increase in acidity will affect these collapsing 
populations or the fisheries that are currently healthy. An increase in 
ocean acidity will dissolve the shell of the endangered black abalone 
of the California coast. We know that corals, already under stress from 
the increased ocean temperature will have their skeleton dissolved by a 
more acidic ocean.
  We must have more research to discover how this unprecedented change 
will affect shellfish, corals, and the food chain that fish, and 
mammals, including humans, that depend on the ocean. We must create 
collaboration between the federal agencies who manage and study the 
ocean to address this problem. This bill will provide funding for 
research and collaboration between researcH and management agencies 
necessary to address this serious problem.
  Mr. Speaker, I cannot emphasize enough the need to show our ocean 
stewardship now, so we can turn the tide on the dire consequences 
facing our oceans and Great Lakes. The oceans and the Great Lakes 
belong to all the people of the United States and it is our duty to 
understand the implications of our actions on them. I strongly support 
the Federal Ocean Acidification Research and Monitoring Act and I urge 
my colleagues to help understand and protect our shared ocean.
  Ms. BORDALLO. Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 4174, the 
Federal Ocean Acidification Research and Monitoring Act. I commend our 
colleagues on the Science Committee for bringing forward this important 
legislation to enhance our understanding of this

[[Page H6266]]

phenomena, which is changing the very chemistry of the world's oceans.
  Ocean acidification, which is caused by increased atmospheric carbon 
dioxide, can negatively affect a range of organisms, from corals, to 
shellfish and plankton. These organisms and their habitats form the 
base of the food chain for many marine fish and mammal species. If not 
mitigated, ocean acidification could, therefore, have a cascading 
negative effect on important commercial fisheries, tourism and 
recreation, and other ocean-related industries.
  The damage that ocean acidification could cause to our coastal 
economic and cultural livelihoods is alarming. Those who rely on 
oceanic resources for their food or their livelihood, as many of my 
constituents on Guam do, are already contending with the negative 
after-affects caused by coastal habitat degradation; overfishing; 
illegal, unregulated, and unreported fishing; and the worldwide decline 
of healthy coral reefs. We need to learn now everything we can about 
the dynamics, extent and implications of ocean acidification if we hope 
to be able to develop successful strategies to cope with this global 
threat.
  I strongly support this legislation that would establish a 
comprehensive, interagency committee to coordinate and expand federal 
research on ocean acidification and marine ecosystems.
  Mr. Speaker, I commend our colleague from Maine, Mr. Allen, for 
introducing this legislation and for his leadership on ocean issues. I 
also commend the gentleman from Texas, Mr. Lampson, the Chairman of the 
Subcommittee on Energy and Environment, and the Ranking Member, Mr. 
Inglis, for advancing H.R. 41-74 through the Committee on Science and 
Technology. I thank them and Chairman Gordon for working with Chairman 
Rahall of the Committee on Natural Resources to address matters of 
mutual interest and shared jurisdiction with regard to the bill. I urge 
my colleagues to support passage of H.R. 4174.
  Mr. BAIRD. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by the 
gentleman from Washington (Mr. Baird) that the House suspend the rules 
and pass the bill, H.R. 4174, as amended.
  The question was taken; and (two-thirds being in the affirmative) the 
rules were suspended and the bill, as amended, was passed.
  A motion to reconsider was laid on the table.

                          ____________________