Cassidy proposes bipartisan bill to bolster National Estuary Program

U.S. Sen. Bill Cassidy (R-LA) on Jan. 9 introduced bipartisan legislation that would reauthorize and nearly double the funding for the National Estuary Program (NEP), which protects and restores habitats threatened by pollution and overdevelopment.

The current authorization of the NEP, which was originally established by Congress in 1987, is set to expire in 2021.

“Protecting estuaries like the Barataria-Terrebonne preserves their ecosystems and rebuilds coastline,” Sen. Cassidy said. “This bill increases the National Estuary Program’s ability to carry out preservation projects benefiting Louisiana so that future generations can continue to hunt and fish.”

Sen. Cassidy cosponsored S. 3171 with bill sponsor U.S. Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) to reauthorize the NEP at $50 million per year for five years beginning in 2022, an almost double increase from the $26.5 million provided for annually in the previous reauthorization, according to the senator’s office.

Estuaries, which are partially enclosed coastal bodies of water where fresh water from rivers and streams mixes with salt water from the ocean, cover just 13 percent of the land area of the continental United States, yet make up nearly half of the country’s economic output, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, which says estuaries face considerable threats with many considered “dead zones” filled with nutrient pollution, chemical wastes, harmful algae, and marine debris.

“As climate change advances, it’s never been more important to have healthy estuaries that provide a natural buffer between high winds and storm surges and coastal homes and businesses,” said Sen. Whitehouse.

So far, S. 3171 has garnered support from the Barataria-Terrebonne National Estuary Program and the Association of National Estuary Programs.

The measure has been referred for consideration to the U.S. Senate Environment and Public Works Committee.