[Congressional Record Volume 161, Number 46 (Wednesday, March 18, 2015)]
[House]
[Pages H1732-H1733]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                          OCEAN ACIDIFICATION

  (Mr. BEYER asked and was given permission to address the House for 1

[[Page H1733]]

minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. BEYER. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to bring our attention to an 
increasingly urgent problem: ocean acidification.
  About 25 percent of manmade carbon dioxide emissions are absorbed by 
our oceans. This is the great carbon sink, which helps buffer the 
amount of CO2 in our atmosphere. This absorption is making 
our waters more acidic, which has a damaging effect on the ability of 
shellfish to build their shells.
  Ocean acidification has already cost the United States shellfish 
industry millions in lost profits and jobs. I am deeply concerned 
because the Chesapeake Bay has been identified as a main hotspot for 
rapid ocean acidification. Nitrogen pollution from agricultural and 
sewage runoff into the bay are key culprits exacerbating the effects of 
acidification.
  The clearest solution to address this problem is to reduce the amount 
of carbon dioxide emissions entering our waters. Therefore, I ask my 
colleagues to stand with the Safe Climate Caucus in supporting efforts 
to reduce carbon dioxide emissions.
  We need to support the EPA's proposed carbon rules for power plants, 
and we need to protect our ecosystems, and we need to protect the long-
term viability of our coastal economies.

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