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In late 2020, DeFazio, Oregon's two U.S. Senators and Reps. Earl Blumenauer, Kurt Schrader and Suzanne Bonamici sent the Corps of Engineers a letter asking for additional support for harbor repairs and improvements at Coos Bay, Depoe Bay and Tillamook. "Our harbors along the Oregon coast can be particularly challenging due to unpredictable weather, the increasing intensity of storms, and especially dangerous wave conditions at our entrance channels," the group wrote.

Environmentalists and state and local governments have already taken the EPA to court over the final rule in two separate lawsuits, broadly on procedural grounds. Biden is set to issue a memo today mandating evidence-based decision-making in federal agencies, but because the Trump policy shift came out as a final rule, the Biden administration would have to undertake another rulemaking to strike it from the books. The letter was led by Rep. Suzanne Bonamici (D-Ore.), and includes Reps. Paul Tonko (D-N.Y.), Don Beyer (D-Va.), and Diana DeGette (D-Colo.).

"The final rule essentially blocks access to the best available science, which could jeopardize the health and livelihood of every person in this country and disproportionately burden Black, Indigenous, and communities of color who are often still waiting for the EPA to fulfill its promise of clean air and clean water," the lawmakers wrote. The letter was signed by Reps. Suzanne Bonamici (D-Ore.), Paul Tonko (D-N.Y.), Don Beyer (D-Va.) and Diana DeGette (D-Colo.). Tonko chairs the Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Environment and Climate Change. Beyer co-chairs the Safe Climate Caucus.