The Governor's office today issued a letter to The Senate and House Subcommittees of the Interior and Environment, joining our federal delegation in supporting reinstatement of the federal funding of the EPA's Beach Grant Program, which funds the state's beach water quality monitoring program.
Under the President's proposed budget cuts for Fiscal Year 2014, the program funding was entirely eliminated, which was originally established through the federal Beaches Environmental Assessment and Coastal Health (BEACH) Act. Most states depend entirely on this funding to support all of their beach monitoring programs, which helps protect the public's health and raises awareness for pollution solutions. In the letter, Gabriela Goldfarb, Natural Resources Policy Advisor for Governor Kitzhaber outlined:
"Without continued funding, Oregon will be forced to cut its beach water quality monitoring and public health advisory programs in their entirety."
Linked below you can read the Governor's office letter in it's entirety as well as the sign-on letter Senator Wyden and Merkley's office both signed on to earlier this year.
A big thanks to the many in Oregon and across the country who've been providing support, whether through ongoing Blue Water Task Force efforts or through contacting your congressman, we're working diligently at the local, state and federal level to help get this funding reinstated into the budget. For more detailed information, how to take action and continue support, read more here.