Press Releases

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Congresswoman Chellie Pingree (D-Maine) heralded the decision by the House Committee on Science to advance the Coastal Communities Ocean Acidification Act (H.R. 1716) – her bipartisan, bicameral bill to require federal for support coastal communities dealing with the impact of ocean acidification. 

“Nearly 30 percent of carbon dioxide emissions are absorbed by our oceans and for coastal communities, like Maine’s, the economic and environmental consequences cannot be ignored,” said Pingree. “After years of congressional inaction on climate change—and particularly ocean acidification—I’m grateful that the Science Committee has taken this critical step to provide resources to support working waterfronts like ours.” 

In a bipartisan, unanimous vote, the House Science Committee advanced Pingree’s Coastal Communities Ocean Acidification Act (H.R. 1716), which she reintroduced in March with Senator Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska). 

“Coastal acidification has already negatively affect my oyster hatchery on the Damariscotta River in Maine,” said Bill Mook, owner of Mook Sea Farm in Maine. “We have had to adjust our operations to mitigate this impact and now we are left anticipating how our market oyster production will be affected by ocean acidification and climate change. This bill will help aquaculture and fishing industries understand the coming challenges and prepare for this change in advance.”

“Today’s markup shows that leaders on both sides of the aisle recognize the importance of preparing their communities for the impacts of ocean acidification,” said Jeff Watters of the Ocean Conservancy. ”If passed into law, this bill will allow the needs of vulnerable coastal communities to drive federal research and monitoring efforts and spur technological innovation to better understand and deal with the impacts from acidification. It will also broaden the scope of federal work to better study and respond to acidification – not only in the open ocean, but also in estuaries and the coastal zone.”

Pingree initially introduced legislation to address the impact of ocean acidification while she was in the Democratic minority, but it did not advance. In the 116th Congress, the Democratic majority has made addressing climate change a top priority—including holding the first hearings on climate legislation in eight years and voting on H.R. 9, a bill to bring the U.S. back into the Paris Climate Accord.

Pingree’s bipartisan bill would require the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) to study the socioeconomic impacts of ocean acidification on coastal communities and to work with states like Maine that have already begun conducting research. Under her legislation, the Secretary of Commerce would be required to conduct studies to identify which communities are most dependent on ocean resources and how acidification would affect them if valuable industries like the lobster fishery were impacted.

Pingree's bill is cosponsored by Rep. Francis Rooney, (R-FL), Rep. Don Young (R-AK), Rep. Mike Thompson (D-CA), Rep. Suzanne Bonamici (D-OR), Rep. Peter T. King (R-NY), and Rep. Jared Huffman (D-CA).

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