Wayne Gilchrest: “I want to stand and thank Mr. Mollohan and Mr. Frelinghuysen for bringing forward this comprehensive piece of…”

“I want to stand and thank Mr. Mollohan and Mr. Frelinghuysen for bringing forward this comprehensive piece of legislation. And in particular, I want to thank both of these men for recognizing the work of the Ocean Commission and the Pew Oceans Commission in understanding the world's oceans. There's $4 billion to NOAA in this legislation, $4 billion. To some folks it might sound like a lot of money, but that is actually a very small sum. We appreciate that sum, but it's a small sum considering what's at stake. Three-fourths of the world's surface is covered by oceans. It governs our everyday weather. It governs the climate. It is the source of air we breathe. It is the source of food for much of the world's population. Coastal communities, the economy, literally of all our coastal communities are dependent upon the health of the oceans. Our national security is dependent on understanding the nature and changes of our world's oceans. Literally, life on this planet is dependent upon our knowledge of the world's oceans.”