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(Tillamook County, OR ) – On January 13th, Congress reaffirmed its commitment to the National Estuary Program by signing the Protect and Restore America’s Estuaries Act law. Tillamook Estuaries Partnership (TEP) and the communities within Tillamook County will benefit directly from this legislation.
“TEP receives funding through the National Estuary Program to implement programs that support clean water, abundant wildlife, and the way of life enjoyed by so many in Tillamook County,” said Dr. Kristi Foster, TEP’s Executive Director. “We strive to enhance the health our local estuaries and watersheds through restoration, monitoring, and education while respecting the environmental, social, cultural, and economic values of our community,” said Foster.
The Act reauthorizes the National Estuary Program — a time tested, non-regulatory program that enables communities to restore and protect the bays and estuaries they call home. The Act received bipartisan support within the House of Representatives and unanimous approval within the Senate.
Rep. Tom Malinowski, D-N.J., a member of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, and the original sponsor of the bill introduced in July 2019 said, “Estuaries nurture a vast array of marine life, filter pollutants from rivers before they reach the sea, and are the natural infrastructure that protects human communities from floods and storms. As extreme weather events increasingly threaten these nurseries of the sea, I’m very proud this important legislation was signed into law, so these critical waterways will continue to be protected.”
TEP thanks Senators Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley and Representatives Kurt Schrader, Suzanne Bonamici, Greg Walden, Earl Blumenauer, and Peter DeFazio for their strong support of the National Estuary Program and the benefits it brings to health of our nation’s estuaries.
Tillamook Estuaries Partnership is a nonprofit organization dedicated to the conservation and restoration of Tillamook County’s watersheds through active stewardship, scientific inquiry, community engagement, and education.
For more information, go to www.tbnep.org.
