Washington, D.C.-  Today, Congressman Brian Baird (D-WA-03) announced funding for Puget Sound restoration has been approved by the House of Representatives as part of legislation (H.R. 3183) that will fund the Department of Energy, the Corps of Engineers, as well as other related agencies.   Members of Congress were given an appalling 19 hours to read and study the almost 400 page piece of legislation. As a result, Congressman Baird voted against the bill.

"This is a case of good news bad news," said Congressman Baird.  "While this funding will go a long way towards restoring Puget Sound, the process by which the bill was passed cannot be defended.  This conference report was filed in the dead of night, and there's no way that Members of Congress, nor the public as a whole had a chance to read it before the vote.  That is wrong, no matter which party is in power, and it is exactly why Congress must pass my 72 hour rule."

Congressman Baird is leading an effort to bring his 72 hour rule up for a vote.  Currently the discharge petition that would force his legislation to the House floor has 181 signatures; 218 signatures are required.

Below is the funding allocated for to Thurston County in H.R. 3183:

·         Puget Sound Habitat Restoration- $341,000

o   A significant amount of estuary wetlands, river and stream shoreline habitat in Puget Sound has been destroyed or degraded through urban development.  The degradation has caused a tremendous reduction in the number of fish and wildlife residing and reproducing in the coastal area.  The funding will be used to study ways to restore and enhance the nearshore environment of the Puget Sound Basin, including Hood Canal and the Straits of Georgia, Juan De Fuca, Harrow and Rosario. 

·         Puget Sound and Adjacent Waters Restoration-- $100,000

o   The program provides funding for early action ecosystem restoration projects identified by the Puget Sound Nearshore Marine Habitat Restoration project.  Federal funds are leveraged with Washington State funds from the newly created Estuarine and Salmon Restoration Program. 

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