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Washington DC Office:
2263 Rayburn Building
Washington, DC 20515
Ph.: 202-225-5161
Fax: 202-225-5163
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Marin Office:
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Ph.: 707-542-7182
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| Woolsey’s First Act of New Congress– Protecting The Sonoma Coast | | January 6, 2009 | |
| -Re-introduces marine sanctuary legislation just hours after swearing in-
Washington, DC – Just hours after being sworn in to her 9th term in Congress, Rep. Lynn Woolsey today reintroduced legislation to designate the waters off the Sonoma Coast as a protected national marine sanctuary. Among other protections, the designation would permanently ban coastal drilling within the expanded area. With the expiration moratorium on coastal drilling last year, the Sonoma Coast is currently unprotected from oil exploitation.
“Protecting the natural beauty of our coast, and the economy that depends on it, is one of my top priorities in Congress and one that I will continue to fight for,” said Woolsey. “These waters are among the most biologically productive on the planet and support a tremendous amount of biodiversity. That’s why it’s our responsibility to do everything that we can to protect this area from man made threats such as drilling.”
The Gulf of the Farallones and Cordell Bank National Marine Sanctuaries Protection and Modification Act, would add 2093 square nautical miles to the two existing marine sanctuaries, extending them into deeper water, and pushing them all the way up the coast to southern Mendocino County. The proposal would guard the region’s abundant bird and marine life from pollution, including endangered salmon, while helping protect thousands of local jobs that depend on a clean and healthy environment.
In the previous Congress, Woolsey successfully advanced the legislation through the House of Representatives, while Senator Boxer succeeded in passing it through the Senate Commerce Committee before it stalled in the waning months of the year. Woolsey decided to reintroduce the legislation on the first day back in order to give it as much time as possible to work its way through the process.
“This vital legislation will not only protect our region’s natural beauty, but the thousands of commercial fishing and tourism jobs that depend on it,” said Woolsey. “I am committed to doing everything that I can to move this forward, and won’t let up until it’s signed into law by President Obama.”
Woolsey’s proposal enjoys strong support from local officials, and environmental and business groups, including: the State Lands Commission; the State Coastal Commission; the counties of Marin, Sonoma, Mendocino, and San Francisco; the Port of Oakland; the Pacific Coast Federation of Fisherman’s Associations; the Bodega Bay Fishermen’s Marketing Association; the Ocean Conservancy; and the Sierra Club. |
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