[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 160 (2014), Part 8]
[HO]
[Page 11083]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                          OCEAN ACIDIFICATION

  (Mr. McNERNEY asked and was given permission to address the House for 
1 minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. McNERNEY. Mr. Speaker, our future is clouded by ocean 
acidification. Since the beginning of the industrial revolution, ocean 
waters have seen a 30 percent increase in acidity. According to the 
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, by the end of this 
century, the waters of the ocean could be nearly 150 percent more 
acidic, resulting in a pH that the oceans haven't seen for more than 20 
million years.
  This will have a dramatic and devastating effect on many marine 
creatures. It disrupts the calcification process of many species, 
including oysters, clams, corals, and plankton, putting the entire food 
chain at risk.
  This will damage California's $24 billion fishing industry, which 
supports 145,000 jobs; and California's $25 million-a-year shellfish 
industry could also disappear.
  We need to take action to prevent the effects of climate change from 
getting worse. We cannot stand by as we see our environment continue to 
deteriorate. The cost of inaction is too great. I call on this Congress 
to act to protect our planet for our children and our grandchildren.

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