The Official Website of Congresswoman Madeleine Z. Bordallo

House Passes Bill to Reauthorize the Coral Reef Conservation Act

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE—October 22, 2007 – Washington, D.C. –

The House of Representatives today passed H.R. 1205, which reauthorizes the Coral Reef Conservation Act of 2000 and authorizes appropriations for the coral reef conservation program and community-based planning grants through fiscal year 2010. This bill was reported out by the Subcommittee on Fisheries, Wildlife and Oceans, which Congresswoman Bordallo chairs.

The United States has jurisdiction over coral reef ecosystems covering more than 17,000 square kilometers within the boundary of its 200-mile exclusive economic zone. Approximately 90 percent of these ecosystems are located in the Western Pacific Ocean, including marine areas surrounding American Samoa, Guam, Hawaii and the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands. Coral reefs are also well developed in the coastal waters surrounding Florida (the Florida Keys is the world’s third largest coral reef ecosystem), Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands, and other small island possessions.

“Coral reefs are vital for prosperity of the estimated $400 billion global fishing and tourism industries. More importantly, they hold possible cures for cancer, arthritis, human bacterial infections, viruses and other diseases,” Congresswoman Bordallo said. “The protection of coral reefs in the coastal United States and in the territories is good for the country, good for our island, and good for the planet, and I thank my colleagues on both sides of the aisle for their support.”

The bill also:

Authorizes $1 Million through the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration to the University of Guam for coral reef research and protection;
Extends the award of remaining coral reef conservation program grant funds to other appropriate projects, including monitoring and assessment, research, pollution reduction, education, and technical support. This includes projects that address emerging priorities or threats; and,
Establishes the “U.S. Coral Reef Task Force” in law to coordinate federal actions to preserve and protect coral reef ecosystems. Members of the Task Force include: the Secretaries of the Interior and Commerce, who serve as co-chairs; the Secretary of the Defense; and of the governors of Guam, the Virgin Islands, American Samoa, Puerto Rico, and the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, among others.

The bill, introduced by Congressman Eni Faleomavaega of American Samoa, is cosponsored by Congresswoman Bordallo, Congressman Neil Abercrombie of Hawaii, Congressman Wayne Gilchrest of Maryland, Congresswoman Ileana Ros-Lehtinen of Florida, Congresswoman Donna Christensen of the U.S. Virgin Islands, and received significant bipartisan support.

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Contact: Joseph E. Duenas in Washington, D.C. at 202-225-1188 or Cathy Gault at 671-477-4272/4

joseph.duenas@mail.house.gov or cathy.gault@mail.house.gov

www.house.gov/bordallo

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