H. Res. 1503 
In the House of Representatives, U. S., 
September 22, 2010. 
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; 
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 species or endangered species; 
Whereas estuaries provide critical ecosystem services that 
protect human health and public safety, including water 
filtration, flood control, shoreline stabilization and erosion
•HRES 1503 EH 
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, 
harmful algae, and marine debris; 
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 
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 scientific study leads to better understanding of the 
benefits of estuaries to human and ecological commu-
nities; 
Whereas Federal, State, local, and tribal governments, na-
tional and community organizations, and private citizens 
work together to effectively manage our Nation’s estu-
aries; 
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; and 
Whereas September 25, 2010, has been designated National 
Estuaries Day to increase awareness among all citizens,
•HRES 1503 EH 
including local, State, and Federal officials, about the im-
portance of healthy estuaries and the need to protect and 
restore them: Now, therefore, be it 
Resolved, That the House of Representatives— 
(1) supports the goals and ideals of National Estu-
aries Day; 
(2) acknowledges the importance of estuaries to the 
Nation’s economic well-being and productivity; 
(3) recognizes the persistent threats that undermine 
the health of the Nation’s estuaries; 
(4) applauds the work of national and community 
organizations and public partners to promote public 
awareness, protection, and restoration of estuaries; and 
(5) reaffirms its support for estuaries, including the 
preservation, protection, and restoration thereof, and ex-
presses its intent to continue working to protect and re-
store the estuaries of the United States. 
Attest: 
Clerk.