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Study shows growing ocean damage as protection bills languish

December 11, 2019

As lawmakers push legislation to protect the nation's coastal waters, scientists are placing much of the blame for degrading ocean conditions on emissions from large energy companies including Exxon Mobil Corp., which was cleared Tuesday in a long-running climate course case.

A study published Wednesday in the scientific jounral Enviromental Research Letters found that carbon emissions from the largest energy and cement companies are responsible for more than half of a damaging side effect: increasing acidity in the planet's oceans, which harms marine life and coastal economies.

The study comes a day after the House passed a bill to address climate-related coastal issues for native American communities. The bill includes an amendment by Rep. Suzanne Bonamici, D-Ore., that would allow them to qualify for Department of Commerce grants to address acidification..

"The climate crisis continues to threaten our ocean, and we must equip our coastal communities with the information necessary to respond to ocean acidification," Bonamici said Tuesday.