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House Passes Bipartisan Bills from Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, Sending Them to the SenateToday, the U.S. House of Representatives passed six bills from the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure, including bipartisan legislation to reauthorize the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) National Estuary Program, and support restoration efforts in the Chesapeake Bay, the Great Lakes, and the Lake Pontchartrain Basin. “The Transportation and Infrastructure Committee has a long history of bipartisanship and I’m glad to see that pay off today with the unanimous House passage of six critical pieces of legislation,” Transportation and Infrastructure Committee Chairman Peter DeFazio (D-OR) said. “In particular, I applaud Congressman Malinowski for his leadership on the Protect and Restore America's Estuaries Act. This important legislation authorizes funding for estuary restoration across the country including the Lower Columbia Estuary in my home state of Oregon. In addition, the other bills passed today will help restore and revitalize regional water bodies across the country. I am thankful to Ranking Member Graves and Members of the Committee for their partnership as we all work to improve these significant and diverse ecosystems.” “These bipartisan measures will help improve water quality for economically vital watersheds across the country, and I want to thank the bills’ many cosponsors and Transportation Committee leaders for working to move these bills forward,” said Transportation and Infrastructure Committee Ranking Member Sam Graves (R-MO). "These bipartisan solutions will revitalize some of our nation's most important bodies of water, which are critically important to local economies, water supplies, and our ecosystem as a whole. Managing and protecting our precious water resources is not a challenge unique to my home state of California, but one that many states are dealing with in different ways. These measures will provide the tools and assistance needed to meet the diverse needs of these regional watersheds. I am proud to chair the Subcommittee of jurisdiction over these environmental restoration programs and initiatives, and I look forward to continuing to work in a bipartisan manner to tackle the water challenges facing all of our communities," said Water Resources and Environment Chair Grace F. Napolitano (D-CA). “The programs these bills impact affect areas across the entire country, and they’re important in upholding America’s reputation of having some of the cleanest water and environment in the world. The National Estuary Program provides vital support for watersheds and estuaries around the country, and I look forward to passing even more significant bipartisan legislation out of the Water Resources and Environment Subcommittee,” said Water Resources and Environment Subcommittee Ranking Member Bruce Westerman (R-AR). H.R. 4044, Protect and Restore America's Estuaries Act, as amended H.R. 1132, San Francisco Bay Restoration Act, as amended H.R. 2247, PUGET SOS Act, as amended H.R. 1620, Chesapeake Bay Program Reauthorization Act, as amended H.R. 4031, Great Lakes Restoration Initiative Act of 2019 H.R. 4275, To amend the Federal Water Pollution Control Act to reauthorize the Lake Pontchartrain Basin Restoration Program, and for other purposes, as amended |