[Congressional Record Volume 160, Number 140 (Monday, November 17, 2014)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1599]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




               NATIONAL ESTUARY PROGRAMS REAUTHORIZATION

                                 ______
                                 

                               speech of

                          HON. HENRY A. WAXMAN

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                      Wednesday, November 12, 2014

  Mr. WAXMAN. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to express my support for H.R. 
5266, the reauthorization of the National Estuary Program (NEP).
  The 33rd Congressional District, which I represent, includes the 
Santa Monica Bay, an estuary that includes some of the most iconic 
coastline in the nation. In 1988, the State of California and the 
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) established the Santa Monica Bay 
Restoration Project as a National Estuary Program under the Clean Water 
Act. Estuaries, protected and restored by funding from the National 
Estuary Program, are some of the most productive habitats on earth. 
Unfortunately, due to population growth across the coastline, these 
estuaries are increasingly under threat from pollution and 
environmental degradation.
  Luckily, the Santa Monica Bay Restoration Commission (SMBRC) is 
working to protect its vital resources. Through an action plan called 
the Bay Restoration Plan, the Commission and its partners are working 
to improve the environmental health of the Santa Monica Bay and its 
surroundings by improving water quality, restoring damaged habitats and 
conserving natural and marine resources.
  The reauthorization of the National Estuaries Program under H.R. 5266 
is essential to helping safeguard the ecological and economic viability 
of our nation's estuaries. This legislation will direct more money to 
our nation's estuaries while reducing overall authorization levels by 
reducing administrative costs at EPA and designating money to National 
Estuary Programs.
  Since 1987, the establishment of the National Estuaries Program has 
allowed us to identify and help preserve 28 different watersheds. These 
watersheds are essential to the future of our nation's coastlines. I 
urge my colleagues to support H.R. 5266 to protect our coastal ecology 
for generations to come.

                          ____________________