,,iv  #aacth ,,congress  #ast ,session  
,h4 ,,con4 ,,res4 #ac  ,,in ,,the       
,,house ,,of ,,representatives          
,february #ac1 #bjac ,mrs4 ,christensen 
submitted the following concurrent      
resolution2 which was referred to the   
,committee on ,natural ,resources       
,,concurrent ,,resolution  ,expressing  
the sense of the ,congress that the     
,united ,states ,fish and ,wildlife     
,service should incorporate             
consideration of global warming and     
sea-level rise into the comprehensive   
conservation plans for coastal national 
wildlife refuges1 and for other         
purposes4  ,whereas global warming can  
generally be described as an increase in
 the average temperature of the earth's 
atmosphere1 and sea-level rise can best 
be described as an overall increase in  
sea level2 ,whereas global warming and  
related aspects of climate change are   
caused by the emissions of carbon       
dioxide and other greenhouse gases due  
to industrial processes and fossil fuel 

combustion associated with the process  
of economic growth1 and changes in land 
use such as deforestation2 ,whereas     
studies show that the continuation of   
historical trends of greenhouse gas     
emissions will result in additional     
global warming1 with current projections
 of global warming #b4e;,f to #aj4d;,f  
by #bajj2 ,whereas global warming will  
induce sea-level rise that will steadily
 inundate coastal areas1 change         
precipitation patterns1 increase risk of
 droughts and floods1 threaten          
biodiversity1 and offer a host of       
potential challenges to public health2  
,whereas the generally expected #ej to  
#bjj cm sea-level rise from global      
warming would inundate #g1jjj square    
miles of dry land in the ,united ,states
 and equal amounts of coastal wetlands2 
,whereas such sea-level rise will       
effectively force recreational beaches  
inland1 exacerbate coastal flooding1 and
 increase the salinity of aquifers and  
estuaries in the next century2 ,whereas 

it has been reported that the           
accumulation of carbon dioxide in the   
atmosphere now will persist for         
approximately #ajj years2 ,whereas if we
 are not proactive in our efforts to    
reduce greenhouse gas emissions and wait
 to see obvious effects of global       
warming and sea-level rise1 it may be   
too late to avoid the harmful           
repercussions of such events2 ,whereas  
the ongoing and projected estimates of  
sea-level rise as a result of global    
warming threaten the loss of #bb percent
 of the world's coastal wetlands by     
#bjhj2 ,whereas the ongoing and         
projected increases in sea-level rise as
 a result of global warming have        
extremely strong implications for       
stewardship by the ,united ,states ,fish
 and ,wildlife ,service of nearly       
#a1ajj1jjj acres of coastal wetlands    
located in #aei coastal national        
wildlife refuges in the ,united ,states 
and its ,caribbean and ,pacific         
territories2 ,whereas the ,national     

,wildlife ,refuge ,system was created to
 conserve fish1 wildlife1 and plants and
 their habitats2 ,whereas the effects of
 global warming and sea-level rise may  
greatly impact the effectiveness of the 
,national ,wildlife ,refuge ,system in  
the conservation of migratory birds1    
anadromous and interjurisdictional fish1
 marine mammals1 endangered species and 
threatened species1 and the habitats on 
which these species depend2 ,whereas    
global warming and sea-level rise has   
already begun to affect some of the     
,nation's most valued natural resources 
such as the coral reefs near ,buck      
,island ,national ,park in ,st4 ,croix1 
,virgin ,islands1 and ,blackwater       
,national ,wildlife ,refuge on the      
,chesapeake ,bay1 and other areas2 and  
,whereas amendments to the ,national    
,wildlife ,refuge ,system               
,administration ,act of #aiff that were 
made by the ,national ,wildlife ,refuge 
,system ,improvement ,act of #aiig      
7,public ,law #aje-eg7 require that the 

,secretary of the ,interior shall       
prepare a comprehensive conservation    
plan for each national wildlife refuge  
within #ae years after the date of      
enactment of such ,act3 ,now1 therefore1
 be it  ,that it is the sense of the    
,congress that--  7#a7 the ,united      
,states ,fish and ,wildlife ,service    
should incorporate consideration of the 
effects of global warming and sea-level 
rise into the comprehensive conservation
 plan for each coastal national wildlife
 refuge2  7#b7 each such comprehensive  
conservation plan should address1 with  
respect to the refuge concerned1 how    
global warming and sea-level rise will  
affect--  7,a7 the ecological integrity 
of the refuge2  7,b7 the distribution1  
migration patterns1 and abundance of    
fish1 wildlife1 and plant populations   
and related habitats of the refuge2     
7,c7 the archaeological and cultural    
values of the refuge2  7,d7 such areas  
within the refuge that are suitable for 
use as administrative sites or visitor  

facilities2 and  7,e7 opportunities for 
compatible wildlife-dependent           
recreational uses of the refuge2 and    
7#c7 the ,director of the ,united       
,states ,fish and ,wildlife ,service1 in
 consultation with the ,united ,states  
,geological ,survey1 should conduct an  
assessment of the potential impacts of  
global warming and sea-level rise on    
coastal national wildlife refuges4