[Congressional Record Volume 170, Number 29 (Wednesday, February 14, 2024)]
[House]
[Page H622]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                              STORM DAMAGE

  (Ms. PINGREE asked and was given permission to address the House for 
1 minute and to revise and extend her remarks.)
  Ms. PINGREE. Mr. Speaker, since December 18, 2023, my home State of 
Maine has endured a barrage of devastating storms causing severe 
flooding, power outages, and millions of dollars in damages.
  The sheer destruction that these storms have done to our working 
waterfronts is astonishing.
  More frequent, intense storms, floods, and rising sea levels mean our 
communities will continue to be faced with the kind of devastation we 
have seen in Maine over the past few weeks.
  At the same time, our working waterfronts are rapidly disappearing 
nationwide due to heavy development pressure.
  When fishermen must grapple with the loss of wharves, processing 
facilities, and other essential infrastructure, in addition to 
navigating the challenge of climate change, it threatens the very 
survival of our communities.
  My and Congressman Wittman's bipartisan Keep America's Waterfronts 
Working Act will help reverse a worrying trend of shrinking waterfronts 
while simultaneously protecting jobs and preserving the character of 
our coastal communities.
  Congress must act to protect our working waterfronts and the more 
than 30,000 Mainers and 2.3 million Americans who rely on marine-
related industries for their livelihoods. This is bigger than any of 
us.

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