[Congressional Record Volume 165, Number 94 (Wednesday, June 5, 2019)]
[House]
[Pages H4329-H4331]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




       NATIONAL ESTUARIES AND ACIDIFICATION RESEARCH ACT OF 2019

  Ms. JOHNSON of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and 
pass the bill (H.R. 988) to provide for a study by the Ocean Studies 
Board of the National Academies of Science examining the impact of 
ocean acidification and other stressors in estuarine environments, as 
amended.
  The Clerk read the title of the bill.
  The text of the bill is as follows:

                                H.R. 988

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

     SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

       This Act may be cited as the ``National Estuaries and 
     Acidification Research Act of 2019'' or the ``NEAR Act of 
     2019''.

     SEC. 2. FINDINGS.

       Congress finds the following:
       (1) Ocean acidification impacts human health, natural 
     resources, and the environmental, economic, and recreational 
     uses of the coastline.
       (2) The current understanding of ocean acidification 
     impacts on estuarine ecosystems is inadequate to fully 
     prepare and manage for changing environmental conditions in 
     nearshore locations.
       (3) While pH can be measured with high precision and 
     accuracy in open ocean environments, more understanding of 
     the carbonate system in estuarine ecosystems is needed for 
     precise and accurate measurements and observations.
       (4) The interaction of multiple stressors, including 
     salinity, pH, temperature, sea level rise, and nutrient 
     input, within estuarine ecosystems is inadequately understood 
     for managing the health, economic, recreational, and 
     environmental impacts driven by these interactions.
       (5) A better understanding is needed of how anthropogenic 
     influences in coastal environments affect estuarine 
     ecosystems.
       (6) More integration and coordination is needed among 
     regional, national, and global environmental observations in 
     estuarine environments, supporting prior investments in 
     related topics such as nutrient loading, hypoxia, ocean 
     acidification, and harmful algae bloom research and 
     observational systems.

     SEC. 3. STUDY EXAMINING THE IMPACT OF OCEAN ACIDIFICATION AND 
                   OTHER ENVIRONMENTAL STRESSORS ON ESTUARINE 
                   ENVIRONMENTS.

       (a) In General.--Not later than 60 days after the date of 
     enactment of this Act, the Secretary of Commerce shall make 
     appropriate arrangements with the National Academies of 
     Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine (referred to in this Act 
     as the ``National Academies'') under which the National 
     Academies shall conduct a study that--
       (1) examines the existing science of ocean acidification in 
     estuarine environments;
       (2) examines the challenges to studying ocean acidification 
     and ocean acidification's interactions with other environment 
     stressors in estuarine environments;
       (3) provides recommendations for improving future research 
     with respect to ocean acidification in estuarine 
     environments; and

[[Page H4330]]

       (4) identifies pathways for applying science in management 
     and mitigation decisions relating to ocean acidification in 
     estuarine environments.
       (b) Contents of Study.--The study described under 
     subsection (a) shall include--
       (1) the behavior of the carbonate system within estuarine 
     environments;
       (2) the interactions of the carbonate system with other 
     biotic and abiotic characteristics of estuarine ecosystems;
       (3) how environmental and anthropogenic changes or 
     disturbances could affect abiotic and biotic processes within 
     estuaries;
       (4) how estuarine biotic and abiotic processes will be 
     affected under predicted environmental changes;
       (5) the current state of data collection, interpretation, 
     storage, and retrieval and observational infrastructure of 
     abiotic and biotic parameters in estuarine ecosystems;
       (6) the gaps that exist in understanding the socio-economic 
     and health impacts of ocean acidification in estuaries;
       (7) future directions for scientific research; and
       (8) pathways for applying science in management and 
     mitigation decisions.
       (c) Report.--In entering into an arrangement under 
     subsection (a), the Secretary shall request that the National 
     Academies transmit to Congress a report on the results of the 
     study not later than 24 months after the date of enactment of 
     this Act.
       (d) Authorization of Appropriations.--There are authorized 
     to be appropriated to carry out this section $1,000,000.

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentlewoman from 
Texas (Ms. Johnson) and the gentleman from Oklahoma (Mr. Lucas) each 
will control 20 minutes.
  The Chair recognizes the gentlewoman from Texas.


                             General Leave

  Ms. JOHNSON of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all 
Members have 5 legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and 
to include extraneous materials on H.R. 988, the bill now under 
consideration.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the 
gentlewoman from Texas?
  There was no objection.
  Ms. JOHNSON of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may 
consume.
  Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 988, the National Estuaries 
and Acidification Research Act of 2019, or the NEAR Act.
  Mr. Speaker, I would like to take a moment to thank the sponsor of 
the legislation, Mr. Posey, for his work on this bill and his general 
support and understanding in addressing the serious problem of ocean 
acidification.
  Mr. Posey's bill takes a focused look at a unique part of our coastal 
environment estuaries. Our estuaries are valuable and part of our 
marine community, both from an economic, as well as an ecological 
perspective. These environments are complex and the effects of ocean 
acidification on them is well understood.
  H.R. 988 would address the gaps in our knowledge by commissioning a 
review by the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine 
on the impacts of ocean acidification on estuaries.
  Mr. Speaker, I strongly support this good, bipartisan bill, and I 
reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. LUCAS. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
  Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 988, the National Estuaries 
and Acidification Research Act of 2019, a bipartisan bill sponsored by 
Congressman Bill Posey.
  This legislation directs the Secretary of Commerce to coordinate a 
study with the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and 
Medicine to examine the effects of ocean acidification on estuary 
environments, and to submit the report to Congress within 2 years. 
Specifically, this study would provide Congress a greater understanding 
of the biological and economic impacts of ocean acidification on inland 
marine environments beyond what is called for under current law.
  Estuaries are ecologically unique and economically important brackish 
water ecosystems that occur when inland rivers meet oceans. These areas 
possess unique biological characteristics and have not been the subject 
of studying the effects of ocean acidification to date.
  Mr. Speaker, we have heard about the need for additional study for 
ocean acidification during the debate on the previous bills. However, 
this legislation would further improve our knowledge of this topic by 
utilizing the expertise and resources of the National Academies of 
Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine Ocean Studies Board to gain a 
better understanding of the importance of this issue.
  I urge my colleagues to support this bill, and I reserve the balance 
of my time.
  Ms. JOHNSON of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the 
gentlewoman from Oregon (Ms. Bonamici).
  Ms. BONAMICI. Mr. Speaker, I want to thank the chairwoman for 
yielding me the time and for her support of this bill.
  Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of Congressman Posey's 
bipartisan National Estuaries and Acidification Research Act. I am 
proud to be an original cosponsor of this bill, which would direct the 
National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine Ocean Studies 
Board to conduct a study that examines the existing science of ocean 
acidification and estuaries and provide recommendations to improve 
future research and management to inform mitigation decisions.
  As co-chair of the House Oceans Caucus and the Congressional Estuary 
Caucus, I know that acidification is not only affecting open oceans. 
Estuaries and nearshore waters are also faced with environmental 
stressors. Ocean and coastal acidification often present itself in the 
context of other coastal processes like runoff, erosion, and upwelled 
water from the oceans making it difficult to measure its individual 
effects on estuaries.
  We know that estuaries and nearshore waters are also experiencing the 
consequences of our inaction to address ocean and coastal 
acidification, and research has not kept pace with the needs of coastal 
communities.
  The NEAR Act would address the significant research gaps and urgent 
need to improve our understanding of the effects of ocean and coastal 
acidification.
  I want to thank Congressman Posey for his leadership on this bill, 
and his efforts to preserve our Nation's estuaries. I urge all of my 
colleagues to support this bill.
  Mr. LUCAS. Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as he may consume to the 
gentleman from Florida (Mr. Posey), the author of this outstanding 
piece of legislation and someone who has a tremendous working knowledge 
of all of these issues.
  Mr. POSEY. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for yielding and his 
kind words.
  Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 988, the National Estuaries 
and Acidification Research Act.
  First, I want to thank Congresswoman Suzanne Bonamici and Congressman 
Brian Mast for working with me and our staff to advance this important 
bipartisan legislation. I also want to thank the National Academies of 
Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine for their valuable input.
  The NEAR Act is a national proposal with a very special connection. 
People in my district, the Eighth Congressional District of Florida, 
understand in a very deep way the economic and environmental importance 
of the ocean and our estuary.
  My district is bounded on the east by the Indian River Lagoon, which 
is North America's most diverse estuary. As the name implies, our 
estuary is a lagoon. It is an estuary separated from the ocean by 
barrier islands. The exchange of waters between the lagoon and the sea 
makes it an estuary.

                              {time}  1000

  The lagoon is 156 miles long, but it is only a half mile to 5 miles 
wide and averages just 3 feet in depth. Our lagoon is a wondrous 
nursery for sea life, but its physical features make it especially 
vulnerable to environmental threats. Unfortunately, the Indian River 
Lagoon and other valuable estuaries throughout our country are being 
threatened by ocean acidification, along with other stressors.
  EPA tells us that, when carbon dioxide is released into the 
atmosphere, about one-third of that carbon dioxide is absorbed by 
seawater, creating carbonic acid. We have seen this happen in the 
ocean, but this process is now seeming to occur in estuaries and 
coastal zones.
  Ten years of Federal investments in ocean acidification research show 
that acidification hurts tourism, recreational fishing, and coastal 
communities that depend on healthy marine ecosystems. Shellfish are 
especially at peril.
  The threats of coastal acidification to our environment and our 
economy

[[Page H4331]]

are significant. The story of my district and the Indian River Lagoon 
plays out along our entire national coastline. More than half of the 
U.S. population lives in coastal areas.
  Coastal watershed counties provide an estimated 69 million U.S. jobs 
and contribute an estimated $7.9 trillion to the GDP, annually. That is 
why I joined with Congresswoman Bonamici to cofound the bipartisan 
Congressional Estuary Caucus to work for policies that preserve and 
restore our estuaries and to help support other efforts like research 
and development to contribute to healthy estuaries.
  Regrettably, we don't know a lot about how increasing ocean 
acidification affects a nearshore water body like the Indian River 
Lagoon. That is because acidification often acts, alongside other 
coastal processes, like runoff, erosion, and upwelled water from the 
ocean.
  These estuary conditions aren't present in the same way in the open 
ocean, and they make it difficult to measure acidification's impact 
from what we know about the open ocean. As a result, we don't yet have 
a great way to measure how acidification plays out in estuaries. We 
need more research to support efforts to prevent and mitigate coastal 
acidification.
  The NEAR Act is a great step toward increasing our knowledge of how 
acidification affects our estuaries. The study proposed in this bill 
can give us invaluable information to bolster our efforts to preserve 
and restore healthy estuaries.
  Mr. Speaker, when we take care of our environment, we take care of 
ourselves; and, therefore, I ask my colleagues to join me in taking 
this important step toward understanding how ocean acidification 
affects our precious estuaries and support this bill today.
  Mr. LUCAS. Mr. Speaker, I have no additional speakers, and I yield 
back the balance of my time.
  Ms. JOHNSON of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I urge support of the bill, and I 
yield back the balance of my time.
  Ms. JACKSON LEE. Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of H.R. 988, 
the ``National Estuaries and Acidification Research Act of 2019.''
  H.R. 988 provides a study by the Ocean Studies Board of the National 
Academies of Science examining the impact of ocean acidification and 
other stressors in estuarine environments.
  The bill would authorize the appropriation of $1 million for a 
report, to be completed in two years, that examines the challenges to 
studying ocean acidification, provides recommendations for improving 
future research, and identifies ways to apply science while mitigating 
and managing ocean acidification in estuarine environments.
  Ocean acidification occurs when there are changes in ocean water 
chemistry from the absorption of excess carbon dioxide, but the current 
understanding of ocean acidification impacts on estuarine ecosystems is 
inadequate to fully prepare and manage for changing environmental 
conditions in nearshore locations.
  It is critical that we better understand the interaction of multiple 
stressors, including salinity, pH, temperature, sea level rise, and 
nutrient input, within estuarine ecosystems so that the health, 
economic, recreational, and environmental impacts driven by these 
interactions can be effectively managed.
  This bill will allow the Ocean Studies Board of the National 
Academies to conduct a study that--examines the existing science of 
ocean acidification in estuarine environments; examines the challenges 
to studying ocean acidification and ocean acidification's interactions 
with other environment stressors in estuarine environments; provides 
recommendations for improving future research with respect to ocean 
acidification in estuarine environments; and identifies pathways for 
applying science in management and mitigation decisions relating to 
ocean acidification in estuarine environments.
  Through transportation, recreation, tourism, and other port 
activities, healthy estuaries are critical to the economy of coastal 
communities and contribute $320 billion to our nation's GDP.
  In addition, estuaries filter sediments and pollutants out before 
river water reaches the ocean and provide habitat for more than 75 
percent of commercially caught fish in the United States.
  When enacted, H.R. 988 will create a better understanding of coastal 
acidification, so we can better manage and mitigate its effects on our 
nation's estuaries and other natural treasures.
  Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to join me in supporting H.R. 988 
to confront ocean acidification, which poses a strong threat to the 
estuaries that America's coastal residents depend on for nutrition, 
employment, and recreation.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by the 
gentlewoman from Texas (Ms. Johnson) that the House suspend the rules 
and pass the bill, H.R. 988, as amended.
  The question was taken; and (two-thirds being in the affirmative) the 
rules were suspended and the bill, as amended, was passed.
  The title of the bill was amended so as to read: ``A bill to provide 
for a study by the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and 
Medicine examining the impact of ocean acidification and other 
stressors in estuarine environments.''.
  A motion to reconsider was laid on the table.

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