WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, a bill written by Senators Frank R. Lautenberg (D – NJ) and Judd Gregg (R – NH) to better protect America’s coasts and their ecosystems from development passed the Senate.  The Coastal and Estuarine Land Protection Act awards grants to states with approved coastal management programs to protect environmentally sensitive lands.

    “Protecting our treasured natural resources, like New Jersey’s Barnegat Bay marshlands, is vital to the ecological and economic health of our state and nation,” Sen. Lautenberg said.  “Our bill would help maintain the water quality, wildlife habitats, flood protection and recreational opportunities our coastal areas need to thrive for generations to come.”   

    “In New Hampshire, we enjoy one of the most beautiful and ecologically significant coastal ecosystems in the nation,” stated Senator Gregg, the former Chairman and a current member of the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee that oversees funding for the Department of Commerce, who initiated funding for this program six years ago.  “We have worked to preserve this legacy by conserving lands around the Granite State, including Great Bay, Moose Mountain and others.  The lands within our coastal watershed provide critically important environmental benefits, but also are especially threatened by development and growing sprawl. I am pleased that the Senate approved this language which will help us to take action today to assist communities in New Hampshire and in all coastal states conserve and protect their valuable coastal lands for future generations to enjoy.”

    The Coastal and Estuarine Land Protection Act authorizes the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) to use federal funds to helps states acquire land for fiscal years 2009 through 2013.  The federal funds provided through this program would be combined with state, local and private funding.  The Act is based on the successful federal Forest Legacy Program, which awards grants to states with approved coastal management programs to protect environmentally sensitive lands. A companion bill now awaits action in the House of Representatives.

    The Lautenberg/Gregg bill is supported by the Trust for Public Land, The Nature Conservancy, Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies, Land Trust Alliance, The Conservation Fund, Restore America's Estuaries, American Fly Fishing Trade Association, The Ocean Conservancy, National Estuarine Research Reserve Association, Association of National Estuary Programs, Coastal States Organization, Society for the Protection of New Hampshire Forests, New Hampshire Audubon, New Jersey Audubon, the NY/NJ Baykeeper, American Littoral Society (NJ), People for Puget Sound, Alliance for Puget Sound Shorelines, Mt. Agamenticus to the Sea Initiative and the Maine Coast Heritage Trust.

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