The House Committee on Veterans & Emergency Services is holding a hearing on HB 2098 for the purposes of seafloor mapping within Oregon's Territorial Sea, the hearing will take place on Monday, February 24th at 1pm in the State Capitol Building. Please call your state representative and senator and ask them to support funding for this important effort. The Bill would provide funds for detailed seafloor mapping of geologic and habitat features in Oregon state waters (0-3 nautical miles offshore). Such mapping would help inform planning for establishing a system of marine reserves, nearshore fisheries stock assessments, and tsunami preparedness. Presently, less than 5% of the Oregon Territorial Sea has been mapped in a high resolution format. In 2006, over twenty Oregon-based marine scientists signed a Scientific Consensus Statement for Mapping the Oregon Territorial Sea, to read the statement click on the link below. Please let your elected officials know that you support HB 2098 by writing letters, or showing up and giving testimony for the hearing. Contact Representative Jean Cowan, Chair of the House Committee on Veterans & Emergency Services, at rep.jeancowan@state.or.us for more info or if you are planning on attending.
Seafloor%20Mapping%20Consensus%20Statement.pdf
