House Passes Three Bills to Protect Coasts and Great Salt Lake from a Changing Climate
Black-necked Stilt. Photo: Adam Stunkel/Audubon Photography Awards
WASHINGTON (September 25, 2024) – Yesterday the U.S. House of Representatives passed several bipartisan pieces of legislation that will protect birds and people along our coasts and Great Salt Lake.
"Birds tell us we must act on climate, as increased storms, droughts, and sea-level rise puts pressure on both our wildlife and communities around the country," said Felice Stadler, vice president of government affairs at the National Audubon Society. "These important bills provide balanced solutions to the dual biodiversity and climate crises that we are witnessing, and we are pleased to see them move forward.”
The Bolstering Ecosystems Against Coastal Harm (BEACH) Act, led by Reps. Jennifer Kiggans (VA) and Lisa Blunt Rochester (DE), will expand a system of undeveloped, protected areas along the coasts of the Atlantic, Gulf of Mexico, Great Lakes, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands. This bill codifies the largest expansion of the system since 1990, strengthening the Coastal Barrier Resources Act, which has saved taxpayers billions of dollars and buffered people and birds from flooding and storm surges for more than 40 years. A Senate companion to this bill, known as the Strengthening Coastal Communities Act, passed unanimously in April.
The Coastal Habitat Conservation Act, sponsored by Rep. Jared Huffman (CA), would improve coastal community protection from extreme weather impacts by funding the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s Coastal Program. This grant program helps restore wetlands, beaches, and freshwater ecosystems that birds and people rely on, like Blackwater National Wildlife Refuge in Maryland.
The Great Salt Lake Stewardship Act would add water conservation within the Great Salt Lake basin as an approved practice for funding from the Central Utah Project Completion Act. Great Salt Lake is facing serious challenges resulting from decreased inflows and diversions, drought, and the impacts of a changing climate. Sponsored by Rep. John Curtis (UT), this bill provides the State of Utah and its residents an important tool in their continuing efforts to stretch limited water supplies, benefitting the lake, surrounding communities, and important bird habitat.
The National Audubon Society protects birds and the places they need, today and tomorrow. Audubon works throughout the Americas using science, advocacy, education, and on-the-ground conservation. State programs, nature centers, chapters, and partners give Audubon an unparalleled wingspan that reaches millions of people each year to inform, inspire, and unite diverse communities in conservation action. A nonprofit conservation organization since 1905, Audubon believes in a world in which people and wildlife thrive.
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