This House resolution expresses support for designating September 19 through September 26, 2026, as "National Estuaries Week." It lists facts and findings about estuaries from the resolution text. The resolution notes that estuary regions cover about 4 percent of continental U.S. land but contain nearly 40 percent of the population, 39 percent of jobs, and 47 percent of economic output. It states estuarine and ocean employment grew 4.5 percent in 2023 and that the estuary, ocean, and Great Lakes sectors added 111,000 jobs between 2022 and 2023, employed 2,600,000 people, and contributed $511,000,000,000 to 2023 GDP. The resolution cites 2022 figures for commercial and recreational saltwater fishing, including $319,000,000,000 in sales and over 694,041 jobs supported by saltwater recreational fishing. It describes estuaries as important habitat and nurseries for fish and wildlife, supporting more than 68 percent of commercial fish catch (by value) and 80 percent of recreational fish catch (by weight). The text lists ecosystem services estuaries provide—water filtration, flood control, shoreline stabilization, erosion prevention, and protection during storms—and gives examples such as restored wetlands removing up to 80 percent of nitrogen and 70 percent of phosphorus from runoff, mangroves in Florida reducing storm surge losses by an estimated $67,500,000 annually, and coastal wetlands helping prevent $625,000,000 in property damage during Hurricane Sandy. The resolution recognizes threats to estuaries (including harmful algal blooms, nutrient pollution, and sea level change), notes that by the 1980s the original Thirteen Colonies had lost more than half their wetlands, and refers to federal laws that relate to estuary protection (section 320 of the Federal Water Pollution Control Act and the Coastal Zone Management Act of 1972). The resolution says the House supports the goals of National Estuaries Week, applauds public and community partners, supports scientific study and restoration, and expresses intent to continue working to understand, protect, and restore estuaries.
The resolution is a formal expression of support and recognition by the House for National Estuaries Week and for the importance of estuaries. It highlights the economic and environmental roles estuaries and nearby habitats play and encourages awareness, study, protection, and restoration. No new programs, funding, or regulations are described in the text. The resolution also notes cooperation among Federal, State, local, and Tribal governments and community organizations but does not specify actions beyond support and recognition.
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Supporters say (as stated in the resolution text) that:
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