Alaskan Congressman Don Young spoke on the House floor last night in support of H.R. 1171, the Marine Debris Act Amendments of 2012 – a bipartisan bill that ultimately passed the House by voice vote. This important piece of legislation will appropriate $4.9 million annually to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) for marine debris reduction activities through FY 2015.
“The issue of marine debris cleanup is crucially important to Alaska – especially in light of the Japanese earthquake and tsunami,” said Rep. Young. “This is a problem that is not going away anytime soon and will only get worse as more tsunami related debris wash ashore. Reauthorizing this program is critical to the Alaskan economy and ecosystem – particularly our fisherman and cargo ships. While I would have preferred more financial support for this program, today’s passage is a significant step towards protecting Alaska’s beaches and shores from marine debris.”
