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[Congressional Bills 111th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. Res. 247 Introduced in Senate (IS)]

111th CONGRESS
  1st Session
S. RES. 247

     Designating September 26, 2009, as ``National Estuaries Day''.

_______________________________________________________________________

                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                             August 6, 2009

  Mr. Whitehouse (for himself, Mrs. Boxer, Mr. Burr, Mr. Cardin, Mr. 
Carper, Mr. Cochran, Ms. Collins, Mrs. Feinstein, Mrs. Gillibrand, Mr. 
 Gregg, Ms. Landrieu, Mr. Lautenberg, Ms. Mikulski, Mrs. Murray, Mrs. 
Shaheen, Mr. Warner, and Mr. Wyden) submitted the following resolution; 
          which was referred to the Committee on the Judiciary

_______________________________________________________________________

                               RESOLUTION

 
     Designating September 26, 2009, as ``National Estuaries Day''.

Whereas the estuary regions of the United States comprise a significant share of 
        the national economy, with 43 percent of the population, 40 percent of 
        employment, and 49 percent of economic output located in such regions;
Whereas coasts and estuaries contribute more than $800,000,000,000 annually in 
        trade and commerce to the Nation's economy;
Whereas more than 43 percent of all adults in the United States visit a sea 
        coast or estuary at least once a year to participate in some form of 
        recreation, generating $8,000,000,000 to $12,000,000,000 in revenue 
        annually;
Whereas more than 28,000,000 jobs in the United States are supported through 
        commercial and recreational fishing, boating, tourism, and other coastal 
        industries that rely on healthy estuaries;
Whereas estuaries provide vital habitat for countless species of fish and 
        wildlife, including many that are listed as threatened or endangered;
Whereas estuaries provide critical ecosystem services that protect human health 
        and public safety, including water filtration, flood control, shoreline 
        stabilization and erosion prevention, and protection of coastal 
        communities during extreme weather events;
Whereas 55,000,000 acres of estuarine habitat have been destroyed over the last 
        100 years;
Whereas bays once filled with fish and oysters have become dead zones filled 
        with excess nutrients, chemical wastes, and harmful algae;
Whereas sea level rise is accelerating the degradation of estuaries by 
        submerging low-lying lands, eroding beaches, converting wetlands to open 
        water, exacerbating coastal flooding, and increasing the salinity of 
        estuaries and freshwater aquifers;
Whereas in the Coastal Zone Management Act of 1972 (16 U.S.C. 1451 et seq.), 
        Congress found and declared that it is national policy to preserve, 
        protect, develop, and where possible, to restore or enhance, the 
        resources of the Nation's coastal zone, including estuaries, for current 
        and future generations;
Whereas estuary restoration efforts cost-effectively restore natural 
        infrastructure in local communities, helping to create jobs and 
        reestablish the natural functions of estuaries that yield countless 
        benefits; and
Whereas September 26, 2009, has been designated ``National Estuaries Day'' to 
        increase awareness among all citizens, including local, State, and 
        Federal officials, about the importance of healthy estuaries and the 
        need to protect them: Now, therefore, be it
    Resolved, That the Senate--
            (1) designates September 26, 2009, as ``National Estuaries 
        Day'';
            (2) supports the goals and ideals of ``National Estuaries 
        Day'';
            (3) acknowledges the importance of estuaries to the 
        Nation's economic well-being and productivity;
            (4) recognizes the persistent threats that undermine the 
        health of the Nation's estuaries;
            (5) applauds the work of national and community 
        organizations and public partners to promote public awareness, 
        protection, and restoration of estuaries; and
            (6) reaffirms its support for estuaries, including the 
        preservation, protection, and restoration thereof, and 
        expresses its intent to continue working to protect and restore 
        the estuaries of the United States.
                                 <all>
```