Washington D.C. – Congresswoman Marilyn Strickland (WA-10) and Congressman Derek Kilmer (WA-06) urged the Senate Appropriations Committee to support $54 million in federal funding for the Puget Sound Geographic Program. They were joined by 5 of their Washington delegation colleagues.
“For generations, Washingtonians have advocated for support to revitalize Puget Sound,” said Strickland. “Puget Sound is a major economic engine for our state, providing thousands of jobs and is home to many aquatic species. I urge my Senate colleagues to include this funding so we can move forward with fully restoring Puget Sound.”
“Federal funding for Puget Sound recovery matters,” said Congressman Kilmer. “It matters to our region’s environmental and economic future. It matters to our efforts to recover salmon populations. It matters if we are going to respect tribal treaty rights. And it matters to the taxpayers of our region who shouldn’t have to shoulder the responsibility of recovering this iconic body of water on their own. That’s why we’re pushing hard to get this funding across the finish line.”
The Puget Sound Geographic Program supports restoration of the Sound’s critical ecosystem by providing necessary grant support to state, local, and tribal governments to improve water quality, protect shorelines, and enhance fish passages and salmon habitats. Keeping a thriving Puget Sound is not only critical to our environment but to keeping thousands of jobs here in the region.
The full letter text can be found below and here.
Dear Chairman Leahy, Vice Chairman Shelby, Chairman Merkley, and Ranking Member Murkowski,
As members of the Washington state delegation, we urge you to support the fiscal year 2023 funding level of $54 million for the Puget Sound Geographic Program that passed in H.R. 8294 earlier this year. This funding provides critical grant support to state, local, and tribal governments to implement projects that improve water quality, protect shorelines, and enhance fish passage and salmon habitat.
Puget Sound is the nation’s largest estuary by volume and is vital to Washington state’s identity and economy. The health of the Sound is integral to the environmental and economic future of our region. It supports some of our most culturally important species – salmon, orca, and Dungeness crab. Washington state generates roughly $26.1 billion annually in economic impact through jobs in the fishing, shellfish harvesting, and maritime industries. Additionally, there are 19 federally recognized tribes that have made Puget Sound their home since time immemorial, including 17 with tribal treaty rights to harvest fish and shellfish.
But despite our years-long effort to protect and restore the Sound, we still have a lot of work to do to address the significant challenges that continue to threaten this crown jewel of our region, including stormwater runoff, habitat loss and harmful algal blooms. Maintaining the funding level passed in the House is vital if we’re going to recover our salmon populations, fulfill our tribal treaty rights, and ensure future generations can build their livelihoods in our region. We need the federal government to support the work already being done by the state, tribes, local communities, and businesses that all depend on a vibrant and healthy Sound.
Thank you for the consideration of this request, and we thank you for the committee’s longstanding support of the Puget Sound Geographic Program.
Sincerely,
Representatives Marilyn Strickland, Derek Kilmer, Suzan DelBene, Pramila Jayapal, Rick Larsen, Adam Smith, Kim Schrier, M.D.
U.S. Representative Marilyn Strickland serves on the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, and is the only African-American woman who serves on the House Armed Services Committee. She is a member of the New Democrat Coalition, is one of the first Korean-American women elected to Congress and is the first African-American elected to represent the Pacific Northwest at the federal level.
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