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Alaskan Congressman Don Youngspoke on the House floor last night in support ofH.R. 1171, the Marine Debris Act Amendments of 2012 – a bipartisan bill that ultimately passed the House by voice vote. This important piece of legislation will appropriate $4.9 million annually to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) for marine debris reduction activities through FY 2015. 

“The issue of marine debris cleanup is crucially important to Alaska – especially in light of the Japanese earthquake and tsunami,” said Rep. Young. “This is a problem that is not going away anytime soon and will only get worse as more tsunami related debris wash ashore. Reauthorizing this program is critical to the Alaskan economy and ecosystem – particularly our fisherman and cargo ships. While I would have preferred more financial support for this program, today’s passage is a significant step towards protecting Alaska’s beaches and shores from marine debris.”

To view Rep. Young speaking on the House Floor today in support of his amendment on Youtube, click here andhere.

Video 
To download a .wmv version of Rep. Young delivering his opening statement on the House Floor in support of this bill, click here.
To download a .wmv version of Rep. Young speaking in support of this bill on the House Floor today, click here.

Audio
To download an .mp3 version of Rep. Young delivering his opening statement on the House Floor in support of this bill, click here.
To download an .mp3 version of Rep. Young speaking in support of this bill on the House Floor today, click here.



                                                           

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