An Ocean Victory In The Making! w00t!

Sheril over on The Intersection broke the news this afternoon that H.R. 146, The Omnibus Public Land Management Act of 2009, passed the House today. Why the excitement? Because the package includes ocean exploration, NOAA undersea research, ocean and coastal mapping integration, the integrated coastal and ocean observation system, federal ocean acidification research and monitoring, coastal and estuarine land conservation, and lots more.

With this House victory, the bill now goes before President Obama to be signed into law (allowing much needed funding to flow).

Now a cherry on the top of this terrific news would be word that the U.S. Coral Reef Conservation Act of 2000 has been reauthorized. The act was established in 2000 to preserve coral reef ecosystems, promote wise management, and obtain better information about the current condition of coral reefs.

As a result of this act, millions of Americans have been educated about the coral reef crisis, research has documented the threats and damage, and large areas such as the Northwest Hawaiian Islands have been protected. It is critical to continue this work to give reefs any chance to survive and to expand similar strategies around the world by authorizing activities for international coral reef conservation.