Conservation Bill Moves to the Senate Floor
WASHINGTON, March 16-A measure that would use federal funds to purchase and protect some of New Hampshire’s coastline from development is one step closer to enactment after the Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee unanimously approved it Thursday.
The Coastal and Estuarine Land Protection Program, known as CELP, introduced in June by Sen. Judd Gregg, R-N.H., would award grants to states with approved coastal management programs or protected coastal areas called national estuarine research reserves,. The money would come from the Department of Commerce.
The Senate will take up the bill after next week’s recess.
“I am pleased that the Senate Commerce Committee has again approved this legislation, as they did in the past Congress, and look forward to working with my colleagues to move it along this year,” Gregg said in a statement.
This is the third Congress that has considered the bill, but, unlike the previous two measures, the new one would ensure that the lands are protected for at least four years, instead of having to be renewed every year. If the measure passes, the program will receive $60 million annually for the next four years.
The bill, co-sponsored by Barbara Mikulski, D-Md., was supported Thursday by Sen. John Sununu, R-N.H., who said in a statement that it would help provide future resources for New Hampshire’s Great Bay estuary.
“[It] is one of the most diverse ecosystems of fish, wildlife and plants in the nation – a result, in large part, to our state’s tradition of strong environmental stewardship,” said Sununu, who is a member of the committee. “Unwavering dedication to conservation at the local and state level and the availability of federal Coastal and Estuarine Land Protection (CELP) program funds have helped protect this sensitive coastal region from the pressures of commercial and residential development.”
Gregg, in his statement, said, “We have been successful in helping several New Hampshire projects through federal dollars secured through the CELP program, including Massacre Marsh in Rye, Hurd Farm in Hampton and over 2,100 acres at Moose Mountain.” The program also has helped fund the conservation of Sagamore Creek in Portsmouth and Piscassic Greenway in Newfields and has protected nearly 3,000 acres of land in New Hampshire.
“Recognizing the important and irreplaceable attributes of New Hampshire’s diverse environment and ecosystems, we started the CELP program back in 2001 and believe that Congress must pass this legislation to further build upon the program’s success,” Gregg said. According to Gregg, the program aims to protect coastal areas that are being threatened by development and has already invested more than $177 million toward 119 conservation projects in 25 coastal states.
The New Hampshire Coastal Program is one of nearly a dozen institutions that supports this measure. Ted Diers, the coastal programs director for the New Hampshire Department of Environmental Services, said in a statement that over the past five years the state’s coastal towns have spent more than $48 million on land conservation. He said the coastal program also has identified 6,000 more acres that could be conserved with additional funds.
“CELP is one of the few funding sources that are available to protect such lands which, given their proximity to tidal waters, are rapidly rising in price beyond what local communities can afford,” Diers said. Without Gregg’s program, he added, many acres of New Hampshire’s coastline that are currently protected would have already seen development.
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