[Congressional Bills 117th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H. Res. 465 Introduced in House (IH)]
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117th CONGRESS
1st Session
H. RES. 465
Recognizing World Oceans Day and the necessity to protect, conserve,
maintain, and rebuild our ocean and its resources.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
June 8, 2021
Ms. Bonamici (for herself, Mr. Young, Mr. Huffman, Mr. Case, Mr.
Kilmer, Mr. Pappas, Ms. Barragan, Mr. Cohen, Mr. Panetta, and Miss
Gonzalez-Colon) submitted the following resolution; which was referred
to the Committee on Natural Resources, and in addition to the Committee
on Science, Space, and Technology, for a period to be subsequently
determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such
provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned
_______________________________________________________________________
RESOLUTION
Recognizing World Oceans Day and the necessity to protect, conserve,
maintain, and rebuild our ocean and its resources.
Whereas the ocean covers more than 70 percent of our planet;
Whereas the ocean generates the oxygen we breathe, regulates our climate and
weather patterns, supplies food, is a source of cultural value, supports
tourism and trade, and is an untapped energy resource;
Whereas scientists estimate more than 95 percent of the ocean remains
unexplored;
Whereas the health of our ocean is a reflection of the health of our planet;
Whereas 2021 marks the first year of the United Nations Decade of Ocean Science
for Sustainable Development (``the Decade'');
Whereas the Decade will help accelerate research to address gaps in ocean
science, strengthen international cooperation, and improve ocean
management;
Whereas a scientific priority of the Decade is to create a comprehensive digital
atlas of the ocean and strengthen ocean observations;
Whereas according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, less
than 20 percent of the global ocean is currently mapped, and the data
that we do have is not always easily accessible;
Whereas changes in ocean chemistry, temperature, and biodiversity pose a very
real threat to marine resources, industries, and jobs;
Whereas approximately one-third of the carbon dioxide in the atmosphere
dissolves into our ocean, causing water chemistry to change and become
more acidic;
Whereas ocean acidification harms oysters, mussels, lobsters, clams, corals, and
other species building shells and skeletons and reproducing;
Whereas some finfish lose their sense of smell for identifying prey,
reproducing, and navigating their habitats in acidic waters;
Whereas according to the United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate
Change, the ocean has taken up more than 90 percent of excess heat in
the climate system since 1970, and marine heat waves are very likely to
become longer lasting, more intense, and more extensive;
Whereas according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, 80
percent of pollution to the ocean comes from land;
Whereas increased temperatures and nutrient runoff can result in harmful algal
blooms that accumulate, die, decompose, and consume oxygen, leaving
waterways in a hypoxic or anoxic state that can result in massive fish
kills and the formation of ``dead zones'' where marine life cannot
survive;
Whereas the decrease in biodiversity, and decline and shifts in distribution of
fisheries, will affect the livelihoods and food security of coastal
communities;
Whereas Tribes have a right and a deep cultural and historical connection to the
fisheries threatened by changing ocean chemistry;
Whereas according to the United Nations, more than eight million tons of plastic
end up in the ocean each year;
Whereas marine debris harms our coastal economies, endangers marine life,
destroys important marine habitat, propagates invasive species, and
creates hazardous conditions for the maritime industry;
Whereas tiny pieces of plastic, fiber, fragments, and microbeads also make their
way into marine life, blocking digestive tracts, altering growth, and in
some cases killing animals and marine organisms;
Whereas marine debris is considered a growing global crisis that requires
collaborative work with partners from across the world;
Whereas we need to improve our understanding of the implications of
environmental stressors, such as ocean acidification, harmful algal
blooms, hypoxia, marine debris, warming ocean temperatures, overfishing,
and rising sea levels;
Whereas these environmental stressors are indicators of a changing climate and
threaten our economy and the livelihood of vulnerable coastal
communities;
Whereas across the United States, coastal communities contribute $7.6 trillion
to the United States economy annually, representing 46 percent of the
Nation's economic output;
Whereas, in 2008, the United Nations General Assembly designated June 8 as
``World Oceans Day''; and
Whereas World Oceans Day provides an opportunity to recommit to protect,
conserve, maintain, and rebuild our ocean and its resources: Now,
therefore, be it
Resolved, That the House of Representatives--
(1) recognizes World Oceans Day and affirms the individual
and collective duty, both nationally and internationally, to
protect, conserve, maintain, and rebuild our ocean and its
resources;
(2) affirms the stewardship of ocean resources is vital to
both present and future generations; and
(3) commits to increasing the investment of Federal funds
in scientific research and monitoring to better understand our
changing ocean and to accomplish the goals of the United
Nations Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development.
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