Political Quotes

“Mr. Chairman, I rise to offer an amendment to H.R. 729, the Coastal and Great Lakes Communities Enhancement Act. As we have heard today, this bill helps communities like mine on the central coast of California prepare for and respond to climate change, and it does this with scientific data to address coastal and ocean management. More importantly, this bill establishes the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's Digital Coast program, a web-based collection of tools, training resources, and data that informs coastal managers on their climate-related decisions. Now, my amendment will expand that data set, and it will do that by encouraging collaborations and partnerships between higher educational institutions and Federal agencies. Now, in my district, there are coastal colleges and universities that are pursuing cutting-edge research focused on coastal resilience. At the same time, there are Federal agencies like NOAA that are doing innovative work on this very same topic. My amendment will ensure that there is communication, coordination, and collaboration between academic scholars and the policymakers when it comes to digital data focused on coastal management issues. This will not only improve the relevance and applicability of our Nation's efforts to protect coastal communities, but it will help our Nation gather the evidence it needs and continue being the leader it needs to be when it comes to mitigation and adaptation in dealing with climate change. Mr.…”