Grace Napolitano

Mrs. NAPOLITANO

Mrs. NAPOLITANO. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members have 5 legislative days within which to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on H.R. 2247, as amended.

Mrs. NAPOLITANO. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, H.R. 2247 would establish a new program office within EPA to enhance rehabilitation efforts for Puget Sound in Washington State. Introduced by the gentlemen from Washington, Mr. Heck and Mr. Kilmer, H.R. 2247 builds off an existing program for the Sound under EPA's National Estuary Program. The bill authorizes $50 million annually over 5 years to establish a Puget Sound Federal Leadership Task Force that will be responsible for coordinating the wide-ranging priorities for recovery of the region. We heard in our subcommittee hearing in June that human development has degraded the water quality and habitat of the Sound. We need to do more to protect our iconic waters, like Puget Sound, on which 4.5 million people rely for food, clean water, and other ecosystem services. We also know that the health of these waterways impacts critical species, such as salmon and the orca whales and a variety of other wildlife across the State. The Sound has been a member of the National Estuary Program since 1988, engaging in a wide range of habitat protection, water quality improvement and monitoring, but a recent GAO study found that the threat the Sound faces outpace efforts to combat them. In short, we must support a more directed approach to helping the entire Puget Sound recover. Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support H.R. 2247, and I include in the Record letters of support from Northwest Indian Fisheries Commission, Puget Sound Partnership, and the National Audubon Society. Northwest Indian Fisheries Commission, Olympia, Washington, August 22, 2019. Re NWIFC Support for H.R. 2247--Promoting United Government Efforts to Save Our Sound Act. Hon. Peter DeFazio, Chairman, Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure, Washington, DC. Hon. Sam Graves, Ranking Member, Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure, Washington, DC. Dear Chairman DeFazio, Ranking Member Graves, and Honorable Members of the Committee: The Northwest Indian Fisheries Commission wishes to express our support for H.R. 2247 and respectfully requests passage of this important bill referred to your committee. The Northwest Indian Fisheries Commission is comprised of the 20 treaty Indian tribes in western Washington, who have constitutionally protected, federally adjudicated, treaty-reserved rights to harvest, manage, and consume salmon and shellfish in their usual and accustomed areas. These treaty-reserved resources are inextricably linked to the health of Puget Sound. If we cannot recover Puget Sound, we will not recover salmon, we will not maintain our culturally and economically significant shellfish fishery, and we will not protect our treaty-reserved rights. We support H.R. 2247 because it recognizes the role of tribes as sovereign governments working collaboratively to restore our shared waters. The bill also provides a logical approach to Puget Sound recovery, by encouraging a more efficient use of government through improved federal agency coordination on Puget Sound actions. It is only logical that government agencies would align their related activities to compliment the significant contribution of federal funding directed toward restoration and not undermine those investments or our treaty-reserved rights. We also support H.R. 2247 because it authorizes much needed increases to Puget Sound funding. We greatly appreciate the Geographic Program-Puget Sound appropriations Congress continues to provide. However, funding for Puget Sound recovery needs to be significantly increased to address the numerous threats that the Sound and our reserved-rights face. For these reasons, we respectfully request you support passage of H.R. 2247 and thank you for taking the time to consider the bill and the important issues it addresses. We also extend our gratitude to Representative Heck for his leadership in introducing H.R. 2247, recognizing the important role of tribes and treaty rights in Puget Sound recovery, and taking the initiative to advance Puget Sound recovery as a national priority. Sincerely, Lorraine Loomis, Chairperson.

Mrs. NAPOLITANO. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mrs. NAPOLITANO. Mr. Speaker, I yield 7 minutes to the gentleman from Washington (Mr. Heck).

Mrs. NAPOLITANO. Mr. Speaker, I yield 4 minutes to gentleman from Washington (Mr. Kilmer).

Mrs. NAPOLITANO. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentlewoman from Washington (Ms. Schrier).

Mrs. NAPOLITANO. Mr. Speaker, with all of the support from the Washington delegation, I urge my colleagues to support the legislation, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mrs. NAPOLITANO

Mrs. NAPOLITANO. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 1620) to amend the Federal Water Pollution Control Act to reauthorize the Chesapeake Bay Program, as amended.

Mrs. NAPOLITANO. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members have 5 legislative days within which to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on H.R. 1620, as amended.

Mrs. NAPOLITANO. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 1620. Introduced by the gentlewoman from Virginia (Mrs. Luria), H.R. 1620 authorizes the funding for the program for the next five fiscal years, with increased funding levels to better advance Bay restoration protection efforts. This includes $90 million for the upcoming fiscal year, incrementally rising to $92 million for fiscal year 2025. Since its funding in 1983, EPA's Chesapeake Bay Program has been working toward improving the water quality and ecosystem health of the single largest estuary in the U.S. Reaching to six States, and the District of Columbia, I might add, the Bay is a cherished water and the number of people and local economies impacted by its health make a program like this very essential. However, as stakeholders noted in our June 2019 hearing, the ecosystem remains under major stress. The Bay is threatened by nutrient and sediment loads from sources like agricultural runoff, wastewater treatment facilities, land-use changes, urban stormwater runoff and atmospheric deposition. We must continue to prioritize programs like the Chesapeake Bay Program and the protection of our Nation's water. This bill will support the continued cooperative efforts of all involved to achieve the protection of the Chesapeake Bay. I would like to recognize several of the bipartisan committee members cosponsoring the bill, including the gentlewoman from the District of Columbia (Ms. Norton), the gentleman from Maryland (Mr. Brown), and the gentleman from Pennsylvania (Mr. Fitzpatrick), and also a former Member of Congress, God rest his soul, Mr. Cummings. Mr. Speaker, I include in the Record letters of support of H.R. 1620 from: Theodore Roosevelt Conservation Partnership, the National Audubon Society, Backcountry Hunters & Anglers, and the Chesapeake Bay Foundation. September 17, 2019. Hon. Grace F. Napolitano, Chairman, House Transportation and Infrastructure Subcommittee on Water Resources and Environment, Washington, DC. Hon. Bruce Westerman, Ranking Member, House Transportation and Infrastructure Subcommittee on Water Resources and Environment, Washington, DC. Dear Chairman Napolitano and Ranking Member Westerman: The Theodore Roosevelt Conservation Partnership (TRCP) is a national coalition of sportsmen, conservation, and outdoor industry organizations that seeks to ensure all Americans have access to quality places to hunt and fish. We partner with 60 hunting, fishing, and conservation organizations to unite and amplify the voices of America's more-than 40 million sportsmen and women whose activities help sustain the $887-billion outdoor recreation economy. Today, we write in support of the Chesapeake Bay Program Reauthorization Act (H.R. 1620). The legislation would reauthorize the Chesapeake Bay Program and increase its authorized funding level to $90,000,000 for fiscal year 2020 and then increase its authorized funding level by half a million dollars each year through fiscal year 2024. The Chesapeake Bay Program provides critical federal investment, which is then leveraged several-fold by state and local dollars, to improve the quality of water and wetlands habitat in the Bay watershed. The Chesapeake Bay Program is important to the continued conservation and restoration of the Chesapeake Bay. While the health of the Bay had been consistently improved over the last decade, the 2018 State of the Bay Report showed that the health of the Bay declined over the past year due to an incredible amount of rainfall that greatly increased the amount of nitrogen, phosphorous, sediment, and debris that flowed into the Bay. Without a significant increase in funding for federal programs that help to restore the Bay, such as the EPA's Chesapeake Bay Program, this iconic waterbody will not be able to recover. Thank you for your consideration and we look forward to working with your subcommittee to help increase funding in order to conserve and restore our iconic waterbodies. Respectfully, Theodore Roosevelt Conservation Partnership.

Mrs. NAPOLITANO. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mrs. NAPOLITANO. Mr. Speaker, I yield 5 minutes to the gentlewoman from Virginia (Mrs. Luria), the lead sponsor.

Mrs. NAPOLITANO. Mr. Speaker, I wish to inquire if my colleague is ready to close.

Mrs. NAPOLITANO. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mrs. NAPOLITANO. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself the balance of my time. I am glad that this bill gets bipartisan support from Members of Congress and I intend to support the bill. I urge all my colleagues to support it. I yield back the balance of my time.

Mrs. NAPOLITANO

Mrs. NAPOLITANO. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 4031) to amend the Federal Water Pollution Control Act to reauthorize the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative, and for other purposes.

Mrs. NAPOLITANO. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days within which to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on H.R. 4031.

Mrs. NAPOLITANO. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. H.R. 4031 would reauthorize Federal appropriations for EPA's Great Lakes Restoration Initiative. Introduced by the gentleman from Ohio (Mr. Joyce), H.R. 4031 authorizes total appropriations of approximately $2.5 billion over the next 5 years for restoration efforts under EPA's GLRI program. The wide support for this bipartisan program is evidenced by the diversity of cosponsors of the bill, including many of the committee members, such as Mr. Gibbs, Mr. Carson, Mr. Katko, Mr. Mitchell, Mr. Gallagher, and Mr. Stauber. The Great Lakes region encompasses eight different States and is home to more than 30 million people. These waters are a national treasure and contain 84 percent of the fresh water of all North America. As a Representative of a State where the availability of water is always, always an issue, I recognize why the Great Lakes Members are so devoted to protecting the water supply. So are we. Congress needs to renew its commitment to these types of programs which protect and restore our Nation's water. We all know the current challenges facing our States to protect our water resource, including harmful effects of algal blooms. Many of our States are dealing with these challenges as we speak, and the Great Lakes are no exception. One such bloom in 2014 forced a drinking water ban that affected half a million people. The Great Lakes Restoration Initiative has been a critical tool for EPA and Great Lakes States to address ongoing challenges on local water quality, including algal blooms. So H.R. 4031 is necessary to support these efforts. I urge all Members to support this very bipartisan bill to continue efforts for rehab on our precious Great Lakes. Mr. Speaker, I include in the Record letters of support from: Backcountry Hunters & Anglers, the National Audubon Society, and Healing Our Waters Great Lakes Coalition. Backcountry Hunters & Anglers, Missoula, MT, September 18, 2019. Hon. Peter DeFazio, Chairman, House Transportation & Infrastructure Committee, Washington, DC. Hon. Sam Graves, Ranking Member, House Transportation & Infrastructure Committee, Washington, DC. Dear Chairman DeFazio and Ranking Member Graves: On behalf of Backcountry Hunters & Anglers (BHA), the fastest growing organization that represents sportsmen and women in North America, I encourage you to support House Transportation & Infrastructure Committee and floor passage of Rep. Elaine Luria's (D-VA) Chesapeake Bay Program Reauthorization Act (H.R. 1620) and Rep. David Joyce's (R-OH) Great Lakes Restoration Initiative Act (H.R. 4031). Over the last decade the health of the Bay's ecosystem has improved. However, with increased rainfall in the region and the amount of sediment, phosphorous, debris and nitrogen eroding into the Chesapeake watershed, the water quality is on the decline. H.R. 1620 reauthorizes an important conservation and restoration program that safeguards the Chesapeake Bay watershed and increases the funding level to $90 million for fiscal year 2020 and grows by $500,000 each year until fiscal year 2024. Lawmakers funded the Chesapeake Bay Program at $73 million annually for the past few years. The additional funds will restore the health of the Bay and boost the regional economy that depends on it for agricultural and outdoor recreation opportunities. The second bill, H.R. 4031 reauthorizes funding to conserve and restore the Great Lakes, the largest bodies of fresh water in the world by incremental increases of $25 million annually until fiscal year 2026. The Great Lakes Restoration Initiative is a successful program that strategically targets critical areas through multiple action plans and public input. Increasing funds will furthermore expand fish and habitat rehabilitation and implement collaborative projects between federal, state and local stakeholders. The Chesapeake Bay and Great Lakes programs provide necessary federal investments that leverage state and local dollars to improve water quality and fish and wildlife habitat for Canada geese, speckled trout and other game species. BHA believes H.R. 1620 and H.R. 4031 are essential to the health of fish and wildlife and the general public who depend on clean water for agriculture and municipal needs at home. Thank you for the opportunity to express our support for the Chesapeake Bay Program Reauthorization Act and the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative Act. We look forward to working with you to advance the legislation through the House. Sincerely, John W. Gale, Conservation Director, Backcountry Hunters & Anglers.

Mrs. NAPOLITANO. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mrs. NAPOLITANO. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Illinois (Mr. Garcia).

Mrs. NAPOLITANO. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from New York (Mr. Higgins).

Mrs. NAPOLITANO. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentlewoman from Wisconsin (Ms. Moore).

Mrs. NAPOLITANO. Mr. Speaker, I yield an additional 1 minute to Ms. Moore.

Mrs. NAPOLITANO. Mr. Speaker, I inquire how much time I have remaining.

Mrs. NAPOLITANO. Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentlewoman from Ohio (Ms. Kaptur).