[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 155 (2009), Part 15]
[Senate]
[Page 20981]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




 SENATE RESOLUTION 247--DESIGNATING SEPTEMBER 26, 2009, AS ``NATIONAL 
                            ESTUARIES DAY''

  Mr. WHITEHOUSE (for himself, Mrs. Boxer, Mr. Burr, Mr. Cardin, Mr. 
Carper, Mr. Cochran, Ms. Collins, Mrs. Feinstein, Mrs. Gillibrand, Mr. 
Gregg, Ms. Landrieu, Mr. Lautenberg, Ms. Mikulski, Mrs. Murray, Mrs. 
Shaheen, Mr. Warner, and Mr. Wyden) submitted the following resolution; 
which was referred to the Committee on the Judiciary:

                              S. Res. 247

       Whereas the estuary regions of the United States comprise a 
     significant share of the national economy, with 43 percent of 
     the population, 40 percent of employment, and 49 percent of 
     economic output located in such regions;
       Whereas coasts and estuaries contribute more than 
     $800,000,000,000 annually in trade and commerce to the 
     Nation's economy;
       Whereas more than 43 percent of all adults in the United 
     States visit a sea coast or estuary at least once a year to 
     participate in some form of recreation, generating 
     $8,000,000,000 to $12,000,000,000 in revenue annually;
       Whereas more than 28,000,000 jobs in the United States are 
     supported through commercial and recreational fishing, 
     boating, tourism, and other coastal industries that rely on 
     healthy estuaries;
       Whereas estuaries provide vital habitat for countless 
     species of fish and wildlife, including many that are listed 
     as threatened or endangered;
       Whereas estuaries provide critical ecosystem services that 
     protect human health and public safety, including water 
     filtration, flood control, shoreline stabilization and 
     erosion prevention, and protection of coastal communities 
     during extreme weather events;
       Whereas 55,000,000 acres of estuarine habitat have been 
     destroyed over the last 100 years;
       Whereas bays once filled with fish and oysters have become 
     dead zones filled with excess nutrients, chemical wastes, and 
     harmful algae;
       Whereas sea level rise is accelerating the degradation of 
     estuaries by submerging low-lying lands, eroding beaches, 
     converting wetlands to open water, exacerbating coastal 
     flooding, and increasing the salinity of estuaries and 
     freshwater aquifers;
       Whereas in the Coastal Zone Management Act of 1972 (16 
     U.S.C. 1451 et seq.), Congress found and declared that it is 
     national policy to preserve, protect, develop, and where 
     possible, to restore or enhance, the resources of the 
     Nation's coastal zone, including estuaries, for current and 
     future generations;
       Whereas estuary restoration efforts cost-effectively 
     restore natural infrastructure in local communities, helping 
     to create jobs and reestablish the natural functions of 
     estuaries that yield countless benefits; and
       Whereas September 26, 2009, has been designated ``National 
     Estuaries Day'' to increase awareness among all citizens, 
     including local, State, and Federal officials, about the 
     importance of healthy estuaries and the need to protect them: 
     Now, therefore, be it
       Resolved, That the Senate--
       (1) designates September 26, 2009, as ``National Estuaries 
     Day'';
       (2) supports the goals and ideals of ``National Estuaries 
     Day'';
       (3) acknowledges the importance of estuaries to the 
     Nation's economic well-being and productivity;
       (4) recognizes the persistent threats that undermine the 
     health of the Nation's estuaries;
       (5) applauds the work of national and community 
     organizations and public partners to promote public 
     awareness, protection, and restoration of estuaries; and
       (6) reaffirms its support for estuaries, including the 
     preservation, protection, and restoration thereof, and 
     expresses its intent to continue working to protect and 
     restore the estuaries of the United States.

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