Press Releases

WASHINGTON, D.C. – On Tuesday, U.S. Congressman Mike Waltz (FL-6) and Congresswoman Chellie Pingree (ME-1) released the following statements on the passage of their bipartisan Coastal Communities Ocean Acidification Act of 2023 in the U.S. House of Representatives.

“Florida’s waterways are essential to our economic growth and prosperity,” said Waltz. “As Floridians, we have experienced firsthand the devastating effects of harmful algal blooms and red tides on our coastal communities. We must work to better understand the connection between ocean acidification and increased toxicity to prevent them moving forward. Today’s passage of this bill brings us one step closer to bolstering collaboration among all stakeholders working to protect Florida’s waterways.”

“Ocean acidification threatens not only our fisheries but the entire blue economy, our marine resources, industries, jobs, and coastal communities like those in Maine,” said Pingree. “My bipartisan Coastal Communities Ocean Acidification Act will address the growing and far-reaching threat of ocean acidification to help ensure that our ocean industries, including fisheries, and the communities that depend on them, are more resilient to our changing oceans. I thank my House colleagues for their strong support today and urge Senators to do the same so we can get this important bill to President Biden.”

The bill, introduced in January, would direct the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) to support the current efforts of coastal communities, particularly those who are underserved and rural, that are already facing the impacts of ocean acidification and better equip them with the resources to respond.

Oceans play a critical role as a natural carbon sink, absorbing around a third of carbon dioxide emissions from human activities each year. As a result, global oceans have become more acidic by approximately 30% since the Industrial Revolution and could experience increases up to 150% by the end of the century—creating challenging growing conditions for marine organisms, particularly those with calcium carbonate shells.

The Coastal Communities Ocean Acidification Act of 2023 would:

• Improve collaboration with and report on efforts to coordinate with state, local, and tribal governments on community vulnerability assessments, research planning, and similar activities,
• Build upon existing ocean acidification activities currently or historically conducted by state, local, and tribal governments,
• Include two representatives from Indian Tribes, Tribal organizations, and Tribal consortia affected by ocean acidification to the Ocean Acidification Advisory Board, and
• Maintain the Ocean Acidification Information Exchange to support data sharing on ocean acidification research, data, and monitoring efforts between Federal experts, non-Federal resource managers, community acidification networks, and affected stakeholders.