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Today, Congressman Posey sent a letter, signed by 31 Members of the House of Representatives, to the leadership of the House Appropriations Committee advocating for robust support of the National Estuary Program (NEP) in the final FY2017 spending legislation. The letter highlights important aspects included in the NEP reauthorization that Congressman Posey helped introduce and which was signed into law earlier this year. In addition to making key reforms that can increase funding to each individual estuary program, the reauthorization also included the Posey-Murphy competitive grant program that will direct money to help estuaries address urgent threats, like harmful algal blooms and seagrass habitat loss.

“Having the reauthorization signed into law was an important step in protecting our estuaries, but the work doesn’t stop there,” said Congressman Posey. “Our letter today highlights the strong, bipartisan support of the National Estuary Program, and urges the Appropriations Committee to make full funding of the program a top priority in FY2017 and beyond.”

Earlier this year, the House passed the FY2017 Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies Appropriations bill, which included the statutory maximum funding amount for the National Estuary Program. Congress will now need to negotiate a final spending measure to fund the government in FY2017, and Congressman Posey is heavily engaged in ensuring our estuaries receive the support they need and deserve.