IV 
111TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION 
H. RES. 710 
Supporting the goals and ideals of ‘‘National Estuaries Day’’. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
JULY 31, 2009 
Ms. CASTOR of Florida (for herself, Mr. ADLER of New Jersey, Mr. BOYD, 
Mr. BUCHANAN, Mrs. CAPPS, Mr. CASSIDY, Mr. CASTLE, Mrs. DAVIS of 
California, Mr. DELAHUNT, Ms. DELAURO, Mr. DICKS, Mr. FRANK of 
Massachusetts, Mr. HALL of New York, Ms. HARMAN, Mr. HOLT, Mr. 
KENNEDY, Ms. KOSMAS, Mr. LANGEVIN, Mr. LARSEN of Washington, 
Ms. LEE of California, Mr. LOBIONDO, Mrs. LOWEY, Mr. LYNCH, Mr. 
INSLEE, Mr. MACK, Mr. MARKEY of Massachusetts, Mr. MCGOVERN, Mr. 
MCINTYRE, Mr. MELANCON, Mr. GEORGE MILLER of California, Mrs. 
NAPOLITANO, Mr. PALLONE, Mr. PAYNE, Mr. PIERLUISI, Mr. POSEY, 
Mr. PUTNAM, Mr. ROONEY, Mr. ROTHMAN of New Jersey, Mr. SAR-
BANES, Mr. SCHIFF, Mr. SCOTT of Virginia, Ms. SHEA-PORTER, Mr. 
SIRES, Ms. SPEIER, Mr. STARK, Mr. WITTMAN, Mr. WU, Ms. ROYBAL- 
ALLARD, Mr. SMITH of New Jersey, Mr. MEEKS of New York, Mr. BILI-
RAKIS, and Mr. SERRANO) submitted the following resolution; which was 
referred to the Committee on Natural Resources 
RESOLUTION 
Supporting the goals and ideals of ‘‘National Estuaries Day’’. 
Whereas the estuary regions of the United States comprise 
a significant share of the national economy, with 43 per-
cent of the population, 40 percent of employment, and 49 
percent of economic output located in such regions; 
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•HRES 710 IH 
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 de-
stroyed 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 estu-
aries 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 
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•HRES 710 IH 
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 estu-
aries that yield countless benefits; 
Whereas 62.3 percent of habitat restoration funds of the Na-
tional Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) 
under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act 
(Public Law 111–5) were awarded to projects in estu-
aries, and 90 percent of the total NOAA habitat restora-
tion funding under such Act will benefit estuaries; 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 im-
portance of healthy estuaries and the need to protect 
them: Now, therefore, be it 
Resolved, That the House of Representatives— 
(1) supports the goals and ideals of ‘‘National 
Estuaries Day’’; 
(2) acknowledges the importance of estuaries to 
the Nation’s economic well-being and productivity; 
(3) recognizes the persistent threats that under-
mine the health of the Nation’s estuaries; 
(4) applauds the work of national and commu-
nity organizations and public partners to promote 
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public awareness, protection, and restoration of estu-
aries; and 
(5) reaffirms its support for estuaries, including 
the preservation, protection, and restoration thereof, 
and expresses its intent to continue working to pro-
tect and restore the estuaries of the United States. 
Æ 
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