Political Quotes

“Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for yielding and his kind remarks. Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 1237, the COAST Research Act, of which I am an original cosponsor. Those of us who live on the coast understand that the coast is an essential part of our lives. In my own State of Florida, approximately 80 percent of the population lives along the coast. About 6 million people work in our coastal communities and produce nearly $280 billion a year in wages and contribute over $700 billion in gross domestic product. Today, we face uncertainty about the sustainability and the resilience of our coasts. Parts of our coast have come under assault from the ocean itself, even before anyone imagined anything about sea level rise. Acidification presents uncertainties in the ocean and could pose severe effects to the biodiversity of our marine wildlife. Along the Space Coast, we have seen a recent plague of algal blooms that foul our estuaries and threaten our economy. It is serious and it is heartbreaking. The message is clear: We need to take care of our precious coast so that we can continue to enjoy the lifestyle and the economic well-being that we all cherish. We must work with the Federal Government in the interest of improving our coastal resilience. That is why I have joined Congresswoman Suzanne Bonamici in directing NOAA to pick up the role of leading research for coastal acidification. Mr.…”