Edwards release

Congresswoman Donna F. Edwards’ Amendment Adopted to Include the Chesapeake Bay in H.R. 3650, Establishing a National Harmful Algal Bloom and Hypoxia Program
09/30/09
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
September 30, 2009

Washington, D.C. – Today, Congresswoman Donna F. Edwards’ (D-MD) amendment was adopted by the Subcommittee on Energy and Environment. The amendment changes Section 5 (“Regional Research Action Plans”) of H.R. 3650 to require that the Under Secretary of Commerce for Oceans and Atmosphere “consider the impacts, research, and existing program activities of all United States coastlines and fresh and inland waters, including the Great Lakes, the Chesapeake Bay, and estuaries and tributaries” in developing the Regional Research Action Plans.”

“I support Chairman Baird’s efforts in introducing this bill and establishing a national harmful algal bloom and hypoxia program,” said Rep. Edwards. “I am pleased that my amendment, which would ensure that this program addresses this problem in all of our waterways, specifically the Chesapeake Bay, was adopted. The Chesapeake Bay is the largest fresh water estuary in the country, and the health and welfare of the Bay is a top priority of mine.”

Nitrogen and phosphorus pollution are two of the most serious problems facing the Chesapeake Bay. Increased nitrogen and phosphorus levels cause the growth of algae blooms, blocking sunlight to underwater grasses. When the blooms decompose, they consume oxygen and create “dead zones,” where dissolved oxygen levels are too low to sustain marine life. The impact is detrimental to plants and sea-life in the Bay and its tributaries.

For example, from the 1950’s to the 1970’s, the average annual oyster catch was about 25 million pounds per year, and the blue crab harvest contributed nearly a third of the nation’s catch. Today, the Bay’s oyster population is only two percent of its historic level, and reduced amounts of the underwater grass habitat, in addition to low summer levels of dissolved oxygen, continue to keep the crab population well-below average.

In addition, Rep. Edwards supported the health of the Chesapeake Bay by voting for the Chesapeake Bay Science, Education, and Ecosystem Enhancement Act of 2009, H.R. 1771, and the Chesapeake Bay Accountability and Recovery Act of 2009, H.R. 1053. Both bills passed the House.

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