[Congressional Record Volume 155, Number 86 (Wednesday, June 10, 2009)]
[Senate]
[Pages S6454-S6456]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

      By Mr. WARNER (for himself, Ms. Mikulski, Mr. Cardin, and Mr. 
        Webb):
  S. 1224. A bill to reauthorize the Chesapeake Bay Office of the 
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, and for other 
purposes; to the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation.
  Mr. WARNER. Mr. President, today I am introducing legislation to 
reauthorize the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's 
important programs to restore the Chesapeake Bay and its aquatic 
resources. This measure is a companion to H.R. 1771, a bill recently 
introduced in the House by Representatives Sarbanes, Wittman and 
Kratovil. Joining me in sponsoring this legislation are my colleagues 
Senator Webb from Virginia and Senators Mikulski and Cardin from 
neighboring Maryland.
  Throughout my public career, I have been a strong advocate for 
protecting our natural resources. One of the most important efforts in 
Virginia's environmental history has been preservation of the 
Chesapeake Bay, the nation's most important estuary. I am proud that we 
brought record funding to efforts related to cleaning the Chesapeake 
Bay and the toughest regulations for water quality yet. The 
Commonwealth's 3,300 miles of coastal resources provide significant 
economic

[[Page S6455]]

contributions to tourism, recreation, commercial and sport fisheries, 
and wildlife enjoyment within our State. Yet the safety of the Bay is 
still in great jeopardy; pollution, habitat loss and other factors have 
taken their toll.
  NOAA has been a principal partner with the Bay region states and 
other Federal agencies in efforts to protect and restore the Chesapeake 
Bay ecosystem since 1984. Its mission is focusing NOAA capabilities in 
science, service, and stewardship to protect and restore the Chesapeake 
Bay. Congress formally authorized NOAA's participation in the Bay in 
Public Law 98-210 enacted in 1992 and reauthorized the program in 2002, 
Public Law 107-372. That authority expired 3 years ago, in 2006, and 
must be reauthorized.
  Over the years, NOAA's work in the Chesapeake Bay has focused on 
three critical and interrelated areas--ecosystem science, coastal and 
living resources management, and environmental education--all part of 
an ecosystem approach for Bay restoration and management. The agency's 
science and research programs, conducted in collaboration with major 
academic institutions, are helping decision-makers survey and assess 
trends in living resources, understand and evaluate the responses of 
these resources to changes in their environment, and establish 
management goals and progress indicators. Through the Chesapeake Bay 
Observing System and the next-generation Chesapeake Bay Integrated Buoy 
System, NOAA is providing monitoring data on environmental conditions 
and water quality in the Bay necessary to track Bay restoration 
progress. The NOAA Chesapeake Bay Office's fish, shellfish and habitat 
restoration programs are helping to restore native oysters, blue crabs, 
and bay grasses throughout the watershed. And NOAA's pioneering Bay 
Watershed Education and Training program, B-WET, is making hands-on 
watershed education and training available to students and teachers 
throughout the watershed, bringing marine and weather sciences into the 
classroom and helping to foster stewardship of the Bay.
  NOAA administers its work throughout the 64,000 square mile, 6 State 
watershed from offices in Maryland and Virginia, which collaborate with 
State and other Federal agencies, academic institutions, and 
nongovernmental organizations to support Bay protection and restoration 
goals. In Norfolk, Virginia, the NOAA Chesapeake Bay Office's science 
and education programs are incorporated into exhibits at Nauticus, our 
State's premier maritime center, which receives more than 350,000 
visitors annually, and helps inform the public about NOAA's programs 
and activities. At the College of William and Mary's Virginia Institute 
of Marine Science, VIMS, NOAA is collaborating with a major academic 
partner to improve understanding of Bay fisheries and support improved 
oyster restoration. At Stingray Point, Norfolk and Jamestown, NOAA has 
deployed first-of-its-kind CBIBS interpretive buoys that are not only 
providing critical real-time data streams for scientists, but 
multidisciplinary education tools to users of the Captain John Smith 
Chesapeake National Historic Water Trail. Throughout the Virginia and 
Maryland waters of the Chesapeake Bay, NOAA is assisting watermen 
impacted by reductions in blue-crab harvests.

  But NOAA's work and responsibilities to the Chesapeake Bay 
restoration effort are far from complete. The partners in the Bay 
restoration need the agency's continued help and support. Throughout 
the Bay, ecologically important fish species are in decline or at risk 
due to disease, habitat loss, and other factors. Underwater grasses 
that once provided habitat to sustain these fisheries are at a fraction 
of their historic levels. As advanced as our science is, Chesapeake Bay 
managers still do not have adequate information about the estuary and 
its habitats to manage its living resources or mitigate diseases in 
fish and shellfish.
  The legislation I am introducing today builds upon previous 
authorizations of the NOAA Bay Program and addresses several urgent, 
continuing or unmet needs in the watershed. The bill seeks to achieve 
five main objectives.
  Increasing collaboration between the various programs and activities 
at NOAA to further NOAA's coastal resource stewardship mission.
  Improving Bay monitoring capabilities and the coordination and 
organization of the substantial amounts of data collected and compiled 
by Federal, State, and local government agencies and academic 
institutions through further development of an integrated observations 
system and the Chesapeake Bay Interpretative Buoy System.
  Strengthening the Chesapeake Bay Watershed Education and Training 
Program, B-WET, the competitively based program which provides students 
with meaningful Chesapeake Bay or stream outdoor experiences and 
teachers with professional development opportunities for Bay-related 
environmental education.
  Supporting and encouraging public-private partnerships to restore 
finfish and shellfish populations, submerged aquatic vegetation and 
other critical coastal habitat through aquaculture, stock enhancements, 
propagation and other programs.
  Ensuring that Federal funds are spent wisely and effectively on 
projects that have scientific and technical merit and are peer 
reviewed.
  This legislation enhances NOAA's commitment to further scientific 
data collection, develops fishery management practices and habitat 
restoration, and strengthens Chesapeake Bay environmental education 
programs. Mr. President, the Bay is a national treasure and its 
restoration should be a national priority.
  Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that letters of support be 
printed in the Record.
  There being no objection, the material was ordered to be printed in 
the Record, as follows:

                                    Chesapeake Bay Commission,

                                                   April 29, 2009.
     Hon. Mark R. Warner,
     U.S. Senate, Dirksen Senate Office Bldg.,
     Washington, DC.
       Dear Senator Warner: It has come to my attention that you 
     will be introducing legislation shortly to reauthorize the 
     National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's (NOAA's) 
     Chesapeake Bay Office, similar to H.R. 1771, which was 
     recently introduced in the House of Representatives. I am 
     writing to express our Commission's strong support for this 
     legislation and to commend you for introducing it.
       As you know, the Chesapeake Bay Commission is a tri-state 
     legislative assembly established in 1980 to assist the states 
     of Maryland, Virginia and Pennsylvania in cooperatively 
     managing the Chesapeake Bay. The Commission has been a 
     signatory to every Chesapeake Bay Agreement and continues to 
     play a leadership role on a full spectrum of Bay issues: from 
     managing living resources and conserving land, to protecting 
     water quality.
       We believe that reauthorizing and enhancing NOAA's 
     Chesapeake Bay Office and its major programs in fisheries, 
     habitat, integrated coastal observations and education are 
     critical to the joint Federal, State and local efforts to 
     restore Chesapeake Bay and its living resources. Our States 
     rely heavily on NOAA's ecosystem science, coastal and living 
     resources management, and environmental literacy capabilities 
     to meet the commitments of Chesapeake 2000. For example:
       NOAA-funded trawl surveys and stock assessment work provide 
     information each year to help the states of MD and VA and the 
     Potomac River Fisheries Commission decide how to manage the 
     next season's blue crab fishery.
       Since 2001 NCBO has provided over $28M to support native 
     oyster restoration and habitat characterization in MD and VA. 
     Current efforts are geared toward large scale ecological 
     restoration projects in rivers like the Wicomico and 
     Piankatank.
       NOAA provides satellite-based remote sensing data for 
     models that help state fisheries managers develop stock 
     assessments.
       Bay Watershed Education and Training (B-WET) grants 
     totaling $2M-3.5M annually help provide meaningful watershed 
     experiences for approximately 40,000 students throughout the 
     watershed.
       Chesapeake NEMO is providing direct assistance to local 
     communities in PA, MD and VA to incorporate natural resources 
     into local decision making.
       NOAA's Chesapeake Bay Interpretive Buoy System (CBIBS) is 
     providing critical real-time water quality, weather and 
     interpretive information for managers, boaters, students and 
     tourists alike.
       The legislation you are introducing would reauthorize and 
     strengthen NOAA's Chesapeake Bay Office. It would enhance 
     monitoring capabilities through the further development of an 
     integrated observations system and the Chesapeake Bay 
     Interpretative Buoy System. It would bolster the Chesapeake 
     Bay (B-WET) program which is helping to get students 
     throughout the watershed outdoors and learning about the Bay. 
     And it would help in our efforts to restore finfish and 
     shellfish populations, Bay-grasses and other habitats through 
     aquaculture and propagation programs.

[[Page S6456]]

       In our special report to the Congress of February 2008, the 
     Commission recommended reauthorization of the NOAA Chesapeake 
     Bay Office and its major programs as a high priority. If the 
     Commission can be of assistance to you or the Senate Commerce 
     Committee as this legislation moves through the legislative 
     process, please do not hesitate to let us know.
           Sincerely,
                                 Delegate John. A. Cosgrove (Va.),
     Chairman.
                                  ____

                                         Friends of the John Smith


                                             Chesapeake Trail,

                                    Annapolis, MD, April 29, 2009.
     Hon. Mark Warner,
     U.S. Senate, Russell Senate Office Building,
     Washington, DC.
       Dear Senator Warner: On behalf of the Friends of the John 
     Smith Chesapeake Trail (``the Friends''), I want to commend 
     and thank you for your leadership in introducing the 
     Chesapeake Bay Science, Education, and Ecosystem Enhancement 
     Act of 2009. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric 
     Administration's (NOAA) Chesapeake Bay Office plays a vital 
     role in the management and restoration of the Chesapeake Bay. 
     We are pleased that your bill will re-authorize this 
     important program.
       Over the past three years, the Friends have worked closely 
     with the NOAA Chesapeake Bay Office to implement the 
     Chesapeake Bay Interpretive Buoy System (CBIBS). The system 
     provides real-time water quality data and interpretation to 
     further protect, restore, and manage the Chesapeake Bay and 
     marks the Captain John Smith Chesapeake National Historic 
     Trail. CBIBS is part of the multi-state Chesapeake Bay 
     Observing System (CBOS), and part of the U.S. Integrated 
     Ocean Observing System (IOOS)--systems designed to enhance 
     our ability to collect, deliver, and use estuarine and ocean 
     information. As you may be aware, there are currently three 
     CBIBS buoys in the Virginia waters of the Chesapeake Bay 
     (James River, Elizabeth River, Rappahannock River) and three 
     buoys in Maryland (Potomac River, Patapsco River and 
     Susquehanna River). NOAA has identified a further need for 
     expanded coverage throughout the Bay to include many of the 
     most important areas where water quality information is 
     needed, including Virginia's Eastern Shore and at the mouth 
     of the Bay.
       CBIBS buoys have been designed to accommodate almost any 
     sensor and transmit the data for real-time display. Presently 
     they measure and report a comprehensive suite of 
     observations, including parameters used by the Chesapeake Bay 
     Program for assessment of impaired waters: Air temperature 
     and relative humidity; barometric pressure; wind speed and 
     direction; near-surface water temperature; salinity; 
     dissolved oxygen; chlorophyll-a concentration; turbidity; and 
     wave height, direction, and period.
       The NOAA Chesapeake Bay Office has built a partnership with 
     the National Park Service, many non-government organizations 
     and businesses to launch this system that serves the 
     scientific community, John Smith Trail users and citizens 
     interested in the maritime history and culture of the Bay. 
     CBIBS and the Captain John Smith Chesapeake National Historic 
     Trail will function together to enhance public awareness of 
     the natural and cultural history of the Bay. Such awareness 
     creates tremendous motivation in restoration and conservation 
     efforts.
       The CBIBS program will (1) enhance our understanding of the 
     Bay's biological, physical and chemical processes serve as 
     key tool for Bay restoration; (2) promote water based tourism 
     along the John Smith trail; (3) create an invaluable real 
     time tool for environmental education; (4) provide advanced 
     information tools for coastal decision makers; (5) improve 
     weather and harmful algal bloom forecasts; and (6) support 
     safe maritime commerce. For these reasons, we are delighted 
     that your bill includes language to formally authorize CBIBS.
       The Chesapeake Bay is a wonderful national resource with a 
     storied history. Your legislation re-authorizing NOAA's work 
     will help ensure the vitality of our natural resources 
     throughout the Bay. Please let us know how we can help you 
     pass this important bill.
           With warm regards,
                                                    David O'Neill,
                                                        President.
                                 ______