Political Quotes

“I want to thank my colleague from California for yielding time, and also for his commitment to this important issue. I am honored to co-chair the Oceans Caucus with Representative Young, and I thank him for his leadership on this important issue. I also thank my Oregon colleague, Mr. DeFazio, for his commitment and for his passion about the importance of marine debris and addressing it. I rise in support of the Save our Seas Act, a bill to clean up and reduce marine debris. This bill would reauthorize the NOAA Marine Debris Program through fiscal year 2022 and provide resources to help States respond to severe marine debris events. The health of our oceans reflects the health of our planet, and we must do more to keep garbage out the ocean and off of our shores. Every minute, the equivalent of a garbage truck full of plastic is dumped into our oceans. According to the United Nations, that is more than 8 million tons a year. Plastic bottles, straws, grocery bags, cigarette butts, fishing gear, and abandoned vessels litter the ocean. Currents and atmospheric winds carry floatable marine debris. These movements trap items in debris accumulation zones, also known as garbage patches. A study published in the journal, Scientific Reports, estimated that the Pacific garbage patch is comprised of about 1.8 trillion pieces of debris. We still don't know how long it takes for plastic to biodegrade. Estimates range from 450 years to never.…”