[Congressional Record Volume 164, Number 155 (Tuesday, September 18, 2018)]
[Senate]
[Page S6236]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




  SENATE RESOLUTION 642--DESIGNATING THE WEEK OF SEPTEMBER 15 THROUGH 
           SEPTEMBER 22, 2018, AS ``NATIONAL ESTUARIES WEEK''

  Mr. WHITEHOUSE (for himself, Ms. Collins, Ms. Cantwell, Mr. Reed, 
Mrs. Shaheen, Mr. Carper, Ms. Harris, Mr. Murphy, Ms. Hassan, Mrs. 
Feinstein, Mr. Portman, Mr. Nelson, Mr. Wyden, Mr. Markey, Mr. Booker, 
Mr. Blumenthal, Mr. Warner, Mr. Coons, Mr. Van Hollen, Mr. Cassidy, Mr. 
Menendez, Mr. Merkley, Mr. King, Ms. Hirono, Mr. Cardin, Mr. Peters, 
and Ms. Baldwin) submitted the following resolution; which was referred 
to the Committee on the Judiciary:

                              S. Res. 642

       Whereas estuary regions cover only 13 percent of land area 
     in the continental United States but contain nearly 43 
     percent of the population, 40 percent of jobs, and nearly 50 
     percent of the economic output of the United States;
       Whereas the commercial and recreational fishing industries 
     support over 1,600,000 jobs in the United States;
       Whereas in 2016--
       (1) commercial fish landings in the United States were 
     valued at $5,300,000,000;
       (2) 9,600,000 recreational anglers took nearly 63,000,000 
     saltwater fishing trips; and
       (3) consumers in the United States spent $93,200,000,000 on 
     fishery products;
       Whereas estuaries provide vital habitats for--
       (1) countless species of fish and wildlife, including more 
     than 68 percent of the commercial fish catch in the United 
     States by value and 80 percent of the recreational fish catch 
     in the United States by weight; and
       (2) many species that are listed as threatened or 
     endangered species;
       Whereas estuaries provide critical ecosystem services that 
     protect human health and public safety, including through 
     water filtration, flood control, shoreline stabilization, 
     erosion prevention, and the protection of coastal communities 
     during hurricanes, storms, and other extreme weather events;
       Whereas by the 1980s the United States had already lost 
     more than 50 percent of the wetlands that existed in the 
     original 13 colonies;
       Whereas some bays in the United States that were once 
     filled with fish and oysters have become dead zones filled 
     with excess nutrients, chemical waste, and marine debris;
       Whereas harmful algal blooms are hurting fish, wildlife, 
     and human health, and are causing serious ecological and 
     economic harm to estuaries along every coast and the Great 
     Lakes;
       Whereas changes in sea level can affect estuarine water 
     quality and estuarine habitats;
       Whereas the Federal Water Pollution Control Act (33 U.S.C. 
     1251 et seq.) (commonly known as the ``Clean Water Act'') 
     authorizes the development of comprehensive conservation and 
     management plans to ensure that the designated uses of 
     estuaries are protected and to restore and maintain--
       (1) the chemical, physical, and biological integrity of 
     estuaries;
       (2) water quality;
       (3) a balanced indigenous population of shellfish, fish, 
     and wildlife; and
       (4) recreational activities in estuaries;
       Whereas the Coastal Zone Management Act of 1972 (16 U.S.C. 
     1451 et seq.) provides that the policy of the United States 
     is to preserve, protect, develop, and, if possible, restore 
     or enhance the resources of the coastal zone of the United 
     States, including estuaries, for current and future 
     generations;
       Whereas 27 coastal and Great Lakes States and territories 
     of the United States operate or contain a National Estuary 
     Program or a National Estuarine Research Reserve;
       Whereas scientific study leads to a better understanding of 
     the benefits of estuaries to human and ecological 
     communities;
       Whereas the Federal Government, State, local, and Tribal 
     governments, national and community organizations, and 
     individuals work together to effectively manage the estuaries 
     of the United States;
       Whereas estuary restoration efforts restore natural 
     infrastructure in local communities in a cost-effective 
     manner, helping to create jobs and reestablish the natural 
     functions of estuaries that yield countless benefits; and
       Whereas the week of September 15 through September 22, 
     2018, is recognized as ``National Estuaries Week'' to 
     increase awareness among all people of the United States, 
     including Federal Government and State, local, and Tribal 
     government officials, about the importance of healthy 
     estuaries and the need to protect and restore estuaries: Now, 
     therefore, be it
       Resolved, That the Senate--
       (1) designates the week of September 15 through September 
     22, 2018, as ``National Estuaries Week'';
       (2) supports the goals and ideals of National Estuaries 
     Week;
       (3) acknowledges the importance of estuaries to sustaining 
     employment in the United States and the economic well-being 
     and prosperity of the United States;
       (4) recognizes that persistent threats undermine the health 
     of estuaries;
       (5) applauds the work of national and community 
     organizations and public partners that promote public 
     awareness, understanding, protection, and restoration of 
     estuaries;
       (6) supports the scientific study, preservation, 
     protection, and restoration of estuaries; and
       (7) expresses the intent of the Senate to continue working 
     to understand, protect, and restore the estuaries of the 
     United States.

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