Jim Saxton: “I strongly support H.R. 1775 and would like to thank the gentleman from Maryland for his tireless work on this…”

“I strongly support H.R. 1775 and would like to thank the gentleman from Maryland for his tireless work on this legislation. H.R. 1775 addresses the serious problem of declining estuary and coastal wetland habitat throughout the United States. Despite our best efforts, we are continuing to lose valuable coastal and estuary acreage to erosion, subsidence, water quality degradation, invasive species, contaminated sediments, and other impacts. These areas are biologically important for many commercial and recreational fish species, shellfish, migratory birds, and other wildlife. These areas are also among this nation's busiest ports, playing an important role in the national economy. This legislation would provide much-needed assistance to halt the degradation of these areas while allowing continued economic uses. Restoration projects are expensive, and H.R. 1775 creates new Federal, State, and local partnerships to undertake these projects. H.R. 1775 builds upon the existing authorities and expertise of the Army Corps of Engineers, with the help of Federal partners such as NOAA and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. This bill requires that restoration projects include a monitoring component to ensure that we learn from these restoration projects and continue to find innovative solutions. Mr. Speaker, H.R. 1775 represents the hard work of both the Transportation and Resources Committees, and it is an innovative approach to on-the ground projects.”