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“WAIVING POINTS OF ORDER AGAINST CONFERENCE REPORT ON S. 835, ESTUARIES AND CLEAN WATERS ACT OF 2000” mentioning the U.S. Dept. of Commerce was published in the Extensions of Remarks section on pages E1975-E1976 on Oct. 28, 2000.
The publication is reproduced in full below:
WAIVING POINTS OF ORDER AGAINST CONFERENCE REPORT ON S. 835, ESTUARIES
AND CLEAN WATERS ACT OF 2000
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speech of
HON. STEVEN T. KUYKENDALL
of california
in the house of representatives
Wednesday, October 25, 2000
Mr. KUYKENDALL. Mr. Chairman, I rise today in strong support of S. 835, the Estuaries and Clean Waters Act of 2000. This landmark legislation will enhance our ability to protect the nation's valuable shoreline habitats, extend the cooperative partnership to preserve the Chesapeake Bay and Long Island Sound, and expand the effort to improve water quality in our nation's lakes.
Estuaries are some of the most valuable natural resources of the nation, but they are also vulnerable and many are collapsing. This important measure promotes the restoration of one million acres of estuary habitat throughout the country by directing $275 million in funding and other incentives to local estuary protection projects.
Estuaries are the bays, gulfs, sounds, and inlets where fresh water from rivers and streams meets and mixes with salt water from the ocean. These areas represent some of the most environmentally and economically productive habitats in the world.
According to the U.S. Department of Commerce, 75 percent of fish and shellfish caught in the United States by commercial fishing operations depend on estuaries for survival. Moreover, these habitats--river deltas, sea grass meadows, forest wetlands, shellfish beds, marshes, and beaches--support a large number of endangered or threatened species of plants and wildlife.
These areas are fragile and vulnerable to human and environmental pressures. Growing populations along the coastlines have threatened the natural balance of these habitats. Dredging, draining, the construction of dams, sewage spills, and other forms of pollution have led to the degradation and destruction of many estuary habitats.
This measure exemplifies environmental policy based on partnership and cooperation, and not on governmental mandates and regulations. S. 835 encourages states, local governments, and community organizations to work together to identify estuary habitat restoration projects.
Estuaries are national treasures, and they deserve a national effort to protect and restore them. Responding to the growing threats to our bays, sounds, and other coastal waters presents a difficult challenge: federal resources are limited, the need is great, and the pressure on these areas is intensifying. The Estuaries and Clean Water Act takes the necessary steps to protect and restore these natural habitats.
The time to act is now. We are not doing enough to protect these valuable resources. Many estuaries are on the brink of extinction because of manmade pressures. We need to preserve these vitally important habitats. They are an integral part of this country's environmental balance. I urge my colleagues to support this important measure.
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