Today, the Subcommittee on Water, Wildlife and Fisheries held a legislative hearing on four bills to create partnerships across levels of government and the private sector, update the mapping of the five Great Lakes lakebeds and enhance marine life and habitat. Subcommittee Chairman Cliff Bentz (R-Ore.) issued the following statement in response:

"The four bills considered by the Subcommittee on Water, Wildlife, and Fisheries today are an important part of our bipartisan commitment to environmental conservation and improved resource management. Through reauthorization, habitat protection, lake floor mapping initiatives, and targeted grant programs, we are collectively improving the resilience of the Delaware River Basin, marine habitats, the Great Lakes, and kelp forests found in oceans. I extend my appreciation to my colleagues on the Subcommittee for their efforts, and I look forward to these bills being brought before the full House for a vote."

Background

H.R. 1395, the Delaware River Basin Conservation Reauthorization Act of 2023, introduced by U.S. Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick (R-Pa.), would reauthorize the Delaware River Basin Restoration Program through Fiscal Year 2030. This program helps advance restoration activities across the five Delaware River Basin states.

H.R. 6814, the Marine Fisheries Habitat Protection Act, introduced by U.S. Rep. Garret Graves (R-La.), would allow states to take advantage of the habitat benefits of offshore energy infrastructure on the marine ecosystem. It also helps develop a better understanding of habitat production at offshore energy infrastructure. 

H.R. 7020, the Great Lakes Mapping Act, introduced by U.S. Rep. Lisa McClain (R-Mich.), would authorize the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Association (NOAA) to complete a high-resolution mapping of the Great Lakes' lakebeds by 2030 and make the associated data publicly available. 

H.R. 5487, the Help Our Kelp Act, introduced by U.S. Rep. Jared Huffman (D-Calif.), would direct NOAA to establish a new grant program to encourage projects that address declining kelp forest ecosystems, bolster their long-term resilience, and improve monitoring efforts.