IV 
112TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION 
H. CON. RES. 15 
Expressing the sense of the Congress that the United States Fish and Wildlife 
Service should incorporate consideration of global warming and sea- 
level rise into the comprehensive conservation plans for coastal national 
wildlife refuges, and for other purposes. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
FEBRUARY 9, 2011 
Mrs. CHRISTENSEN submitted the following concurrent resolution; which was 
referred to the Committee on Natural Resources 
CONCURRENT RESOLUTION 
Expressing the sense of the Congress that the United States 
Fish and Wildlife Service should incorporate consider-
ation of global warming and sea-level rise into the com-
prehensive conservation plans for coastal national wildlife 
refuges, and for other purposes. 
Whereas global warming can generally be described as an in-
crease in the average temperature of the earth’s atmos-
phere, and sea-level rise can best be described as an over-
all increase in sea level; 
Whereas global warming and related aspects of climate 
change are caused by the emissions of carbon dioxide and 
other greenhouse gases due to industrial processes and 
fossil fuel combustion associated with the process of eco-
VerDate Mar 15 2010 
22:45 Feb 09, 2011
Jkt 099200
PO 00000
Frm 00001
Fmt 6652
Sfmt 6300
E:\BILLS\HC15.IH
HC15
emcdonald on DSK2BSOYB1PROD with BILLS
•HCON 15 IH 
nomic growth, and changes in land use such as deforest-
ation; 
Whereas studies show that the continuation of historical 
trends of greenhouse gas emissions will result in addi-
tional global warming, with current projections of global 
warming 2.5°F to 10.4°F by 2100; 
Whereas global warming will induce sea-level rise that will 
steadily inundate coastal areas, change precipitation pat-
terns, increase risk of droughts and floods, threaten bio-
diversity, and offer a host of potential challenges to pub-
lic health; 
Whereas the generally expected 50 to 200 cm sea-level rise 
from global warming would inundate 7,000 square miles 
of dry land in the United States and equal amounts of 
coastal wetlands; 
Whereas such sea-level rise will effectively force recreational 
beaches inland, exacerbate coastal flooding, and increase 
the salinity of aquifers and estuaries in the next century; 
Whereas it has been reported that the accumulation of carbon 
dioxide in the atmosphere now will persist for approxi-
mately 100 years; 
Whereas if we are not proactive in our efforts to reduce 
greenhouse gas emissions and wait to see obvious effects 
of global warming and sea-level rise, it may be too late 
to avoid the harmful repercussions of such events; 
Whereas the ongoing and projected estimates of sea-level rise 
as a result of global warming threaten the loss of 22 per-
cent of the world’s coastal wetlands by 2080; 
Whereas the ongoing and projected increases in sea-level rise 
as a result of global warming have extremely strong im-
plications for stewardship by the United States Fish and 
VerDate Mar 15 2010 
22:45 Feb 09, 2011
Jkt 099200
PO 00000
Frm 00002
Fmt 6652
Sfmt 6300
E:\BILLS\HC15.IH
HC15
emcdonald on DSK2BSOYB1PROD with BILLS
•HCON 15 IH 
Wildlife Service of nearly 1,100,000 acres of coastal wet-
lands located in 159 coastal national wildlife refuges in 
the United States and its Caribbean and Pacific terri-
tories; 
Whereas the National Wildlife Refuge System was created to 
conserve fish, wildlife, and plants and their habitats; 
Whereas the effects of global warming and sea-level rise may 
greatly impact the effectiveness of the National Wildlife 
Refuge System in the conservation of migratory birds, 
anadromous and interjurisdictional fish, marine mam-
mals, endangered species and threatened species, and the 
habitats on which these species depend; 
Whereas global warming and sea-level rise has already begun 
to affect some of the Nation’s most valued natural re-
sources such as the coral reefs near Buck Island National 
Park in St. Croix, Virgin Islands, and Blackwater Na-
tional Wildlife Refuge on the Chesapeake Bay, and other 
areas; and 
Whereas amendments to the National Wildlife Refuge System 
Administration Act of 1966 that were made by the Na-
tional Wildlife Refuge System Improvement Act of 1997 
(Public Law 105–57) require that the Secretary of the 
Interior shall prepare a comprehensive conservation plan 
for each national wildlife refuge within 15 years after the 
date of enactment of such Act: Now, therefore, be it 
Resolved by the House of Representatives (the Senate 
concurring), That it is the sense of the Congress that— 
(1) the United States Fish and Wildlife Service 
should incorporate consideration of the effects of 
global warming and sea-level rise into the com-
VerDate Mar 15 2010 
22:45 Feb 09, 2011
Jkt 099200
PO 00000
Frm 00003
Fmt 6652
Sfmt 6201
E:\BILLS\HC15.IH
HC15
emcdonald on DSK2BSOYB1PROD with BILLS
•HCON 15 IH 
prehensive conservation plan for each coastal na-
tional wildlife refuge; 
(2) each such comprehensive conservation plan 
should address, with respect to the refuge concerned, 
how global warming and sea-level rise will affect— 
(A) the ecological integrity of the refuge; 
(B) the distribution, migration patterns, 
and abundance of fish, wildlife, and plant popu-
lations and related habitats of the refuge; 
(C) the archaeological and cultural values 
of the refuge; 
(D) such areas within the refuge that are 
suitable for use as administrative sites or visitor 
facilities; and 
(E) opportunities for compatible wildlife- 
dependent recreational uses of the refuge; and 
(3) the Director of the United States Fish and 
Wildlife Service, in consultation with the United 
States Geological Survey, should conduct an assess-
ment of the potential impacts of global warming and 
sea-level rise on coastal national wildlife refuges. 
Æ 
VerDate Mar 15 2010 
22:45 Feb 09, 2011
Jkt 099200
PO 00000
Frm 00004
Fmt 6652
Sfmt 6301
E:\BILLS\HC15.IH
HC15
emcdonald on DSK2BSOYB1PROD with BILLS