WASHINGTON — The U.S. House passed this week Congressman Shomari Figures’ bipartisan legislation to reauthorize the National Estuary Program, which includes Mobile Bay.
The Enhancing Science, Treatment, and Upkeep of America’s Resilient and Important Estuarine Systems (ESTUARIES) Act ensures habitats, water quality and ecosystems are preserved. The bill reauthorized the Environmental Protection Agency program through 2031.
“Protecting and restoring Mobile Bay, which is in the heart of my district, is essential to Alabama’s environment, flood protection and sea-faring economy as well,” Figures, D-Mobile, said on the House floor.
A member of the House Transportation and Infrastructure committee, Figures is the first freshman Democrat on the committee to lead a standalone bill and get it passed on the House floor, according to his office.
An estuary is a partially enclosed coastal body of water where freshwater is mixed with saltwater from the sea. The Mobile Bay Estuary includes waters within Baldwin and Mobile counties.
The NEP supports 28 estuary programs, including Mobile Bay, and this year added the Mississippi Sound to the list. Mobile Bay is now home to the deepest port in the Gulf.
“Protecting the surrounding estuaries is critical not just to our local economy, but to our regional and national economy as well,” Figures said. “This program succeeds because it puts local leaders in the driver’s seat and ensures federal dollars are used efficiently.”
The estuary program supports projects such as protecting shoreline habitats, increasing the integrity of estuaries and building coastal communities, Figures said. It’s also helped restore 2.5 million acres of estuaries nationwide.
The Alabama Democrat also acknowledged the retiring leader of Mobile Bay’s National Estuary program, Roberta Swann, saying her leadership helped make Mobile a “national model.”
The legislation had broad bipartisan support and passed via voice vote.
It now heads to the U.S. Senate.