Washington, DC – The following is from the opening statement of U.S. Rep. John Boozman (R-AR), Water Resources and Environment Subcommittee Ranking Member, from today’s hearing on efforts to restore and protect the Long Island Sound under the National Estuary Program.
Watch Rep. Boozman’s statement on YouTube.
“Fisheries, wildlife, recreation, and tourism are heavily dependent on a healthy Long Island Sound and other estuarine systems. Yet, despite their value, most estuaries in the United States, including Long Island Sound, are experiencing stress from physical alteration and pollution, often resulting from development and rapid population growth in coastal areas.
“The National Estuary Program identifies nationally significant estuaries that are threatened by pollution, land development, and overuse, and provides grants that support development of Comprehensive Conservation and Management Plans to protect and restore them. The Program is designed to resolve issues at a watershed level, integrate science into the decision-making process, foster collaborative problem-solving, and involve the public.
“Unlike many EPA and other federal programs that rely on conventional top-down regulatory measures to achieve environmental goals, the National Estuary Program uses a framework that focuses on stakeholder involvement and interaction in tailoring solutions for problems that are specific to that region, in order to achieve estuarine protection and restoration goals. Since its inception, the National Estuary Program has been a leading example of a collaborative institution designed to resolve conflict and build cooperation at the watershed level.
“Currently, Long Island Sound is a part of the National Estuary Program, and is implementing restoration plans developed at the local level through a collaborative process. The National Estuary Program has been beneficial in improving and protecting the condition of the estuaries in the Program, and the Program shows that a collaborative, voluntary approach can provide an alternative to a sole reliance on traditional, command-and-control mechanisms.”
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