,,iii #aaith ,,congress #ast ,session ,s4 ,,res4 #dah ,,in ,,the ,,senate ,,of ,,the ,,united ,,states ,september #ai 7legislative day1 ,september #af71 #bjbe,mr4 ,whitehouse 7for himself1 ,mr4 ,cassidy1 ,ms4 ,alsobrooks1 ,ms4 ,baldwin1 ,mr4 ,blumenthal1 ,ms4 ,blunt ,rochester1 ,mr4 ,booker1 ,ms4 ,cantwell1 ,ms4 ,collins1 ,mr4 ,coons1 ,ms4 ,hassan1 ,ms4 ,hirono1 ,mrs4 ,hyde-,smith1 ,mr4 ,kaine1 ,mr4 ,kennedy1 ,mr4 ,kim1 ,mr4 ,king1 ,mr4 ,markey1 ,mr4 ,merkley1 ,mr4 ,murphy1 ,mrs4 ,murray1 ,mr4 ,padilla1 ,mr4 ,reed1 ,mr4 ,schatz1 ,mr4 ,schiff1 ,mrs4 ,shaheen1 ,mr4 ,van ,hollen1 ,mr4 ,warner1 ,ms4 ,warren1 ,mr4 ,wicker1 and ,mr4 ,wyden7 submitted the following resolution2 which was referred to the ,committee on ,environment and ,public ,works ,,resolution ,expressing support for the designation of the week of ,september #bj through ,september #bg1 #bjbe1 as ,national ,estuaries ,week4 ,whereas estuary regions cover only #ac percent of the land area in the continental ,united ,states but contain nearly #dj percent of the population1 #ci percent of the jobs1 and #dg percent of the economic output of the ,united ,states2 ,whereas the oceans1 estuaries1 and ,great ,lakes of the ,united ,states continue to fuel economic growth across the ,united ,states1 with employment from the estuarine and ocean economy growing at #d4e percent in #bjbc1 compared to the national average employment growth of #b percent2 ,whereas the estuary1 ocean1 and ,great ,lakes economic sectors created #aaa1jjj new jobs between #bjbb and #bjbc1 employed #b1fjj1jjj people1 and contributed #eaa1jjj1jjj1jjj to the #bjbc gross domestic product2 ,whereas the commercial and recreational fishing industries support over #b1cjj1jjj jobs in the ,united ,states2 ,whereas1 in #bjbb-- 7#a7 commercial and recreational saltwater fishing in the ,united ,states generated #cba1jjj1jjj1jjj in sales2 7#b7 angler trip expenditures totaled nearly #ac1dab1jjj1jjj2 and 7#c7 saltwater recreational fishing supported at least #fia1fic jobs1 generated #ach1jjj1jjj1jjj in sales impacts across the economy of the ,united ,states1 and contributed #de1ajj1jjj1jjj in income impacts and #gd1ijj1jjj1jjj in value-added impacts to the ,united ,states2 ,whereas estuaries provide vital habitats1 nurseries1 and migration stopovers for-- 7#a7 countless species of fish and wildlife1 including more than #fh percent of the commercial fish catch in the ,united ,states by value and #hj percent of the recreational fish catch in the ,united ,states by weight2 and 7#b7 many species that are listed as threatened or endangered1 including birds integral to the health of estuaries1 such as the ,snowy ,plover and ,saltmarsh ,sparrow2 ,whereas estuaries provide critical ecosystem services that protect human health and public safety1 including water filtration1 flood control1 shoreline stabilization1 erosion prevention1 and the protection of coastal communities during hurricanes1 storms1 and other extreme weather events2 ,whereas restored wetlands in the ,united ,states have been shown to remove up to #hj percent of nitrogen and #gj percent of phosphorus from runoff water2 ,whereas1 in #bjag1 mangrove ecosystems in ,florida prevented #a1ejj1jjj1jjj in direct flood damage during ,hurricane ,maria2 ,whereas coastal wetlands from ,maine to ,north ,carolina prevented #fbe1jjj1jjj in property damage during ,hurricane ,sandy2 ,whereas1 in ,new ,jersey1 areas with salt marshes experience #af percent lower annual flood losses than areas without salt marshes2 ,whereas1 by the #aihjs1 the ,united ,states had already lost more than #ej percent of the wetlands that existed in the ,thirteen ,original ,colonies2 ,whereas the degradation and loss of estuaries has led to the collapse of some bays in the ,united ,states that were once filled with fish and oysters and have now become dead zones filled with excess nutrients1 chemical waste1 and marine debris2 ,whereas harmful algal blooms are hurting fish1 wildlife1 and human health and are causing serious ecological and economic harm to many estuaries2 ,whereas changes in sea level can affect estuarine water quality and estuarine habitats2 ,whereas section #cbj of the ,federal ,water ,pollution ,control ,act 7#cc ,u4,s4,c4 #accj7 7commonly known as the #8#8,clean ,water ,act''7 authorizes the development of comprehensive conservation and management plans to ensure that the designated uses of estuaries are protected and to restore and maintain-- 7#a7 chemical1 physical1 and biological integrity2 7#b7 water quality2 7#c7 the balanced indigenous population of shellfish1 fish1 and wildlife2 and 7#d7 recreational activity2 ,whereas the ,coastal ,zone ,management ,act of #aigb 7#af ,u4,s4,c4 #adea et seq47 provides that the policy of the ,united ,states is to preserve1 protect1 develop1 and1 if possible1 restore or enhance the resources of the coastal zones of the ,united ,states1 including estuaries1 for current and future generations2 ,whereas #cd coastal and ,great ,lakes ,states and territories of the ,united ,states operate or contain a ,national ,estuary ,program or a ,national ,estuarine ,research ,reserve2 ,whereas scientific study leads to a better understanding of the benefits of estuaries to human and ecological communities2 ,whereas the ,federal ,government1 ,state1 local1 and ,tribal governments1 national and community organizations1 and individuals work together to effectively manage the estuaries of the ,united ,states2 ,whereas coastal and marine habitat restoration efforts restore natural infrastructure in local communities in a cost-effective manner1 generating an average of #ag jobs for every #a1jjj1jjj invested and helping to reestablish the natural functions of estuaries that yield countless benefits2 and ,whereas the week of ,september #bj through ,september #bg1 #bjbe1 is recognized as ,national ,estuaries ,week to increase awareness among all people of the ,united ,states1 including ,federal ,government and ,state1 local1 and ,tribal government officials1 of the importance of healthy estuaries and the need to protect and restore estuaries3 ,now1 therefore1 be it ,that the ,senate-- 7#a7 expresses support for the designation of ,national ,estuaries ,week2 7#b7 supports the goals and ideals of ,national ,estuaries ,week2 7#c7 acknowledges the importance of estuaries to sustaining employment in the ,united ,states and to the economic well-being and prosperity of the ,united ,states2 7#d7 recognizes that persistent threats undermine the health of estuaries2 7#e7 applauds the work of national and community organizations and public partners that promote public awareness1 understanding1 protection1 and restoration of estuaries2 7#f7 supports the scientific study1 preservation1 protection1 and restoration of estuaries2 and 7#g7 expresses the intent of the ,senate to continue working to understand1 protect1 and restore the estuaries of the ,united ,states4