Oh, That's Nice: Murkowski Introduces Bill To Study Ocean Acidification

[hatrack]

Studies! Yes, that's the time-honored Republican answer!

Global warming is causing ocean water to become less like baking soda and more like milk, chemically speaking. It’s a pHenomena called ocean acidification (OA) and it could have damaging effects for marine life.

A bill announced week by U.S. Sen. Lisa Murkowski seeks to study the effects OA would have on coastal communities. The Coastal Communities Ocean Acidification Act of 2017 would direct the National Oceanic and AtmospHeric Administration to assess the vulnerability coastal communities have to ocean acidification. It was introduced in the Senate on Dec. 14 and announced in a release by Murkowski’s office on Tuesday.

“This proactively addresses a very real issue and will help us all gain a deeper understanding of how ocean acidification is affecting our coastal and subsistence communities throughout Alaska,” Murkowski said in a statement. “This is significant legislation for those living in a state or community whose livelihood greatly depends on the health of our oceans.”

Ocean acidification could hurt Alaska’s fishing communities, especially those that depend on shellfish. The problem amounts to a swift change marine life may not be prepared to deal with quickly, explained NOAA Kodiak Lab Director Robert Foy. Our oceans are like a sink, Foy said, which absorb 30 percent of the carbon dioxide humans put into the atmospHere. That CO2 is driving OA.

EDIT

http://juneauempire.com/news/state/2017-12-19/murkowski-introduces-bill-study-ocean-acidification

[DetlefK]

1. Ocean acidification has been known for 10 years, but NOW they suddenly care.

It's about money, after all.