Washington D.C. – The following statement was issued by Sarah Cooley, director of the Ocean Acidification program at Ocean Conservancy, in response to today’s introduction of the Senate version of the Coastal Communities Ocean Acidification Act:

“At a time when partisanship is at an all-time high, a bipartisan group of Senators – Senator Murkowski, Senator Collins, Senator Peters, Senator Whitehouse, and Senator Cantwell – have joined together to introduce legislation that would help our nation’s coastal communities better understand and respond to the impacts associated with ocean acidification.

“The Senate version of the Coastal Communities Ocean Acidification Act, a companion bill to bipartisan legislation introduced in the U.S. House of Representatives by Congresswoman Chellie Pingree (D-ME), would require NOAA to conduct risk assessments that assess the social and economic vulnerabilities coastal communities face because of ocean acidification. We’ve known for some time that coastal communities and the ocean resources they depend on face unique risks because of ocean acidification. These assessments will take us a step further in understanding the nature of those risks by identifying the knowledge gaps that exist where further research could be devoted and whether adaptation strategies can be put into place to help these communities.

“The science is clear: the ocean is becoming acidified. This is a major threat to a variety of ocean resources that coastal communities depend on, and we must rise to the challenge and tackle this problem head-on. We urge members of Congress to join in this forward-looking stewardship so that we can all work together to help confront the effects of changing ocean chemistry.”

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Sarah Cooley is available for interviews upon request.

Ocean Conservancy is working to protect the ocean from today’s greatest global challenges. Together with our partners, we create science-based solutions for a healthy ocean and the wildlife and communities that depend on it. For more information, visit oceanconservancy.org, or follow us on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram.