(Washington,
D.C.)
Today,
U.S. Senators Patty Murray’s (D-WA) legislation to reauthorize the Northwest
Straits Marine Conservation Initiative Act was blocked by Senate Republicans as
the 111th Congress came to a close. The bill passed the Senate
Committee on Commerce, Science, & Transportation in July, 2009, and the
full House of Representatives in December, 2009.
“I
am disappointed that Senate Republicans blocked my efforts to reauthorize this
critical Washington state conservation legislation,” said Senator Patty
Murray. “The Northwest Straits are one of our state’s most treasured
economic and environmental resources, and this bill would help make sure that
the Northwest Straits Commission can continue their research, stewardship, and
restoration efforts. This bill is critical for our state, and I am going to
keep fighting to pass it next year.”
“This
legislation is extremely important to ongoing conservation efforts in the
Northwest Straits, an ecosystem home to diverse marine resources continually
under threat,” said Senator Cantwell . “This reauthorization bill
supports ongoing efforts and jobs that restore ecosystem health and facilitate
sustainable resource use, and it is a shame that this bill is being blocked
from fair consideration in the U.S. Senate.”
This
legislation is co-sponsored by Senator Cantwell in the Senate, and the
companion bill in the House was introduced by Congressman Larsen.
Murray
first introduced the Northwest Straits Initiative in 1997 with
then-Representative Jack Metcalf after bringing stakeholders together to
discuss how best to protect marine resources in the Northwest Straits.
The goal of the Initiative is to restore and protect marine habitat in the
Northwest Straits in order to achieve ecosystem health and sustainable resource
use. The legislation which passed Committee today reauthorizes the Northwest
Straits Commission, which designs and initiates projects that address marine
habitat restoration projects in the Northwest Straits of the Puget Sound.
Today,
the Northwest Straits Commission and its seven county volunteer groups extend
from Clallam, Jefferson, Whatcom, Skagit, San Juan, Island and Snohomish
counties. The program awards grant funds which have been used to facilitate
bottomfish recovery, conduct nearshore habitat inventories, protect forage fish
species, establish marine protected areas, conduct habitat assessments remove,
fishing nets and facilitate education and outreach.
The
Northwest Straits Commission is a grassroots effort that involves
representatives from county, tribal, state and federal governments, non-profit
organizations and volunteers who are working together to protect and restore
marine resources in northern Puget Sound.
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