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When she introduced the bill earlier this year, Rep. Suzanne Bonamici (D-Ore.) said oceans and estuaries have grown more acidic in recent years as they absorb more carbon dioxide, hurting fisheries and threatening coastal communities and ecosystems. "Scientists predict these events will become more severe and more common on the Pacific Coast, but my 'COAST Research Act' will expand the scientific research and monitoring to help communities adapt and mitigate the worst effects," said Bonamici, the co-chair of the House Oceans Caucus and Congressional Estuary Caucus.
"Every person on this planet benefits from a healthy ocean," Rep. Suzanne Bonamici (D-Ore.), the bill's sponsor, said in a speech on the House floor Monday afternoon. Bonamici, the co-chairwoman of the House Oceans Caucus and the Congressional Estuary Caucus, said oceans and estuaries have grown more acidic as they absorb more carbon dioxide, threatening fisheries and coastal communities alike. But she said more federal research is needed because "our understanding of the long-term consequences of ocean acidification is still limited."
In a March 2021 letter to the USDA's Agricultural Marketing Service, the WCSPA, Midwater Trawlers Cooperative, Oregon Trawl Commission and Fishermen's Marketing Association asked the AMS to specify Pacific pink shrimp, Pacific rockfish and Pacific hake (whiting) as USDA Section 32 "bonus buys." Ten West Coast lawmakers, including Sens. Jeff Merkley and Ron Wyden, D-Ore.; Sen. Patty Murray, D-Wash.; Sen. Alex Padilla, D-Calif.; Reps. Kurt Schrader, Peter DeFazio, Suzanne Bonamici, and Earl Blumenauer, D-Ore.; Rep. Jared Huffman, D-Calif.; and Rep.
Bonamici also said some laid-off workers are considering or undergoing more training to enable them to take higher-paying jobs in other fields. "We need to make sure that people have the skills to get these good jobs," Bonamici, who sits on the House Education and Labor Committee, said.
They concluded by promoting a two-state solution, which they said is the only way to "permanently" end the "hostilities," and they referenced the "occupation." The other lawmakers who signed the letter are Reps. Jamie Raskin, Jan Schakowsky, Suzanne Bonamici, David Cicilline, Kim Schier, Sara Jacobs, Steve Cohen, Dean Philips, Alan Lowenthal, Andy Levin, and John Yarmuth.
U.S. Rep. Suzanne Bonamici has released a detailed list of how much each public and private institution will get starting May 11. The plan specifies that half the amount is reserved for emergency grants to students. "I advocated for significant federal relief to help students meet basic needs and stay on track with their education, and to help these institutions keep their doors open," she said in a statement. "This funding will allow schools to serve students who have been most affected by the pandemic, and help our communities build back better. "