Madeleine Bordallo: “Today I rise to reintroduce the Coral Reef Conservation Reauthorization Act. This bipartisan, comprehensive bill builds…”

“Today I rise to reintroduce the Coral Reef Conservation Reauthorization Act. This bipartisan, comprehensive bill builds on legislation that I have sponsored in the House since 2009 to reauthorize the Coral Reef Conservation Act of 2000. I want to thank each of my 13 original cosponsors for their support: Representatives Soto, Wasserman Schultz, Hastings, Crist, Castor, Hanabusa, Gabbard, Radewagen, Gonzalez-Colon, Rutherford, Sablan, Plaskett, and Mast. Our bill for this 115th Congress makes amendments to update and strengthen the 2000 law and reflects coral reef conservation work governmentwide. Coral reefs are God-given natural infrastructure that provide real, tangible benefits to our coastal and island communities, as well as the Nation at large. Healthy, resilient coral reefs safeguard against extreme weather, shoreline erosion, and coastal flooding and serve as natural breakwaters for maritime ports and harbors of refuge. Without the reefs to absorb the blunt force of wave action, many island and coastal communities would simply wash away. Coral reefs also support countless American tourism jobs and valuable fisheries across the United States. According to the National Oceanic Atmospheric Administration, NOAA, coral reefs support upwards of 12 percent of global fisheries and an estimated 25 percent of all known fish species.…”