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WASHINGTON, DC – Late yesterday, Congress unanimously passed the Beaches Environmental Assessment and Coastal Health (BEACH) Act. The bill included language co-written by Congressman Brown that would ensure that tourist destinations receive sufficient funding under the Environmental Protection Agency’s beach water quality monitoring programs.
Currently, the Program’s funding system fails to take into account the increased pressures placed upon states and communities who see a large number of tourists every year by basing beach use on adjacent population rather than the number of visitors to beaches. The amendment, authored by Congressman Brown along with Representative LoBiondo of New Jersey and Representative Candice Miller of Michigan, requires the EPA to study their current funding system to better align the resources given to states with their needs, especially as it relates to how many people are actually coming to enjoy a state’s beaches.
Following passage of the bill Congressman Brown made the following remarks:
“From the Grand Strand to Kiawah Island, South Carolina’s beaches are among our state’s greatest assets and I was pleased to join my colleagues in supporting the BEACH Act. Ensuring that our beaches are healthy for the millions of folks that live here or visit us has been one of my top priorities in Congress.”
This legislation would also ensure that states have and are utilizing rapid testing methods, which can test beach water in only a few hours, and that results are made available to the public within 24 hours. Additionally, under this legislation, states would be permitted to use funds for the identification of beach water pollutants and investigation into the causes of beach pollution and closures, setting the stage for future efforts to fix these problems.
South Carolina’s many beaches attract millions of tourists each year. In Horry County alone, 14 million tourists come to Myrtle Beach and surrounding communities every year, spending over $2 billion at local businesses.
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