House of Representatives Passes Rep. Bill Posey’s Bipartisan Lagoon Initiatives
By Space Coast Daily // May 19, 2021
BREVARD COUNTY, FLORIDA – Representative Bill Posey’s (R-Rockledge) legislation—the National Estuaries and Acidification Research Act or NEAR Act—aimed at fighting coastal acidification and helping estuaries like our Indian River Lagoon—passed the House of Representatives with bipartisan support.
“Estuaries are some of most diverse ecosystems in the country, and because estuaries are places where freshwater mixes with salt water from the oceans, preserving this delicate balance is necessary but also challenging,” said Rep. Bill Posey. “This critical legislation will help protect our estuaries by ensuring that we continue to study and monitor the effects of coastal acidification.”
Specifically, the NEAR Act directs the National Academies of Science Ocean Study Board to conduct a two-year study examining the science of ocean acidification and its impact on our estuaries.
The goal of the NEAR Act is to create a better understanding of coastal acidification, so we can better manage and mitigate its effects on our nation’s estuaries and other natural treasures.
The House also passed bipartisan legislation Rep. Posey cosponsored with Rep. Susanne Bonamici (D-OR), the Coastal and Ocean Acidification Stressors and Threats (COAST) Research Act, which directs NOAA to pick up the role of leading research for coastal acidification.
This bill will help fund research to protect from future assaults on our coasts and help defend our wildlife and biodiversity from threats like acidification.
“I am pleased to see the House support this critical research in a bipartisan way. These bills will take important steps to preserve the future of our estuaries and coastal communities,” said Rep. Posey.
