The House of Representatives passed the Northwest Straits Marine Conservation Initiative Reauthorization Act (HR 1672), legislation sponsored by U.S. Rep. Rick Larsen (WA-02), by voice vote yesterday.  This legislation renews the Congressional mandate for the Northwest Straits Commission, a grassroots organization that works to restore and protect marine habitat in Northwest Washington.  HR 1672 has widespread support from the local community, including letters of support from elected officials in every county in which it operates.

“The Northwest Straits Commission has a proven track record of turning good ideas into well-executed restoration projects.  Their efforts protect endangered species and create good jobs in our local communities,” said Larsen.  “I thank my colleagues in the House of Representatives for supporting this legislation, and I thank Senator Patty Murray for her efforts to pass this bill in the Senate.”

In the 1980s and early 1990s, the health of the marine waters in the Northwest Straits region declined dramatically.  In 1997, U.S. Senator Patty Murray led a blue-ribbon commission which recommended establishing a local organization to coordinate and implement grassroots projects that would improve the health of marine ecosystems.  In 1998, Congress adopted the commission’s recommendation and created the Northwest Straits Commission.

Senator Murray has introduced legislation similar to HR 1672 in the Senate and is working to achieve its passage.

“The Northwest Straits are one of our state’s most treasured economic and environmental resources,” said Senator Murray.  “Today’s passage of this bill through the House is a major step forward toward ensuring continued protection and conservation of the Northwest Straits. I thank Congressman Larsen for his strong effort and I will continue to work on this critical bill until it passes the Senate and is signed by the President.”

Larsen entered the following statement into the Congressional Record in support of the bill:

Madam Speaker, I rise today to express my support for the Northwest Straits Marine Conservation Initiative Reauthorization Act, H.R. 1672.  

Throughout the 1980s and early 1990s the marine waters of the Strait of Juan de Fuca, the San Juan Islands and northern Puget Sound, collectively known as the Northwest Straits, experienced substantial environmental decline.  This was concerning because local communities rely on the resources of the Northwest Straits to create good-paying jobs and many iconic and endangered species, including orca whales and pacific salmon, rely on the Northwest Straits for food and habitat.  

In 1997, Senator Patty Murray and Congressman Jack Metcalf convened a blue-ribbon commission to examine ways to reverse this trend and restore the health of the Northwest Straits.  In 1998, Congress adopted the Murray-Metcalf Commission’s recommendations when it authorized the creation of the Northwest Straits Marine Conservation Commission, a grassroots organization which does not exercise regulatory authority but harnesses the energy of local communities to develop and implement conservation and restoration projects.

For the last 11 years, the Northwest Straits Commission has done great work to restore the Northwest Straits.  Their projects have helped create jobs and protect endangered and threatened species.

The Northwest Straits Commission has demonstrated the ability to implement challenging recovery projects.  The Commission used $4.5 million of funding from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act to remove hundreds of acres of abandoned fishing gear from the seafloor.  This project created jobs for out-of-work fisherman and saved the lives of endangered species.

The legislation under consideration on the House floor today would extend the legislative authorization of the Northwest Straits Commission for an additional five years.  It will increase tribal participation in the Commission and improve oversight of its activities.

HR 1672 has earned the support of our local community – I have received letters of support for this legislation from elected officials, businesspeople and environmentalists in every county in which the Northwest Straits Commission operates.

Similar legislation has been introduced in the United States Senate by my friend Senator Patty Murray.  I hope that our joint effort will help to protect and restore the Northwest straits for the people, fish, and threatened wildlife which rely on it.

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