Washington, DC – The U.S. Senate has unanimously approved a resolution declaring this Saturday, September 24, to be National Estuaries Day. The resolution was sponsored by U.S. Senators Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY), Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI), Scott Brown (R-MA) Daniel Akaka (D-HI), Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), Barbara Boxer (D-CA), Ben Cardin (D-DE), Susan Collins (R-ME), John Kerry (D-MA), Mary Landrieu (D-LA), Joe Lieberman (I-CT), Jeff Merkley (D-OR), Barbara Mikulski (D-MD), Patty Murray (D-WA), Jack Reed (D-RI), Olympia Snowe (R-ME), Mark Warner (D-VA), Jim Webb (D-VA), and Ron Wyden (D-OR).
“From the Long Island Sound to the Peconic Estuary, Long Island’s coastal areas provide tremendous economic and environmental value to the region,” said Senator Kirsten Gillibrand. “We must continue to safeguard our marine life, bays, and tidal wetlands and help rebuild these critical resources.”
The resolution recognizes the importance of coastal and estuarine regions to our national economy and reaffirms the Senate’s support for protecting and restoring these vital resources. Coasts and estuaries contribute more than $800 billion in trade and commerce to the U.S. economy each year and support more than 28 million jobs in commercial and recreational fishing, boating, tourism, and other industries.