A bipartisan caucus has been formed in the U.S. House of Representatives to address coastal community issues such as storm protection, tourism and environmental preservation.
Rep. Frank Pallone Jr. (D-6) announced the Congressional Coastal Communities Caucus, saying the eight-member group will address national issues related to coastal states.
“It is basically to promote coastal issues and to express how important the coast is in creating jobs and protecting the environment,” Pallone said in a Feb. 26 interview.
Along with Pallone, Rep. Frank Lo- Biondo (R-2) and representatives from Alabama, Florida, California, North Carolina and Washington make up the caucus.
Part of the focus of the caucus will be to promote legislation and springboard discussion on issues impacting coastal communities, he said.
Pallone explained some of the issues that are likely to be addressed.
“I think there are a lot of issues that need to be addressed on the coast, obviously future storms and sea-level rise that has been resulting from climate change,” he said. “There is also the issue of flood insurance, which people care about and a lot of people want to promote tourism at the shore because it creates jobs.
“All these things are kind of coming to the forefront these days, and to have it on a bipartisan basis, we could address them.”
Cindy Zipf, executive director of Sandy Hook-based nonprofit Clean Ocean Action, said tourism issues and environmental concerns often coincide.
“What we learned here in New Jersey is that a clean ocean economy is critical to the overall economic health of either the state or the nation,” she said. “We know from the dollar figures here in New Jersey how important the tourism industry is here, and you can find the same facts in all coastal states.
“That really needs to be emphasized, especially now that there is this push for oil and gas development, which is contrary to tourism.”
Pallone said the eight initial members will serve as co-chairs, and the caucus is currently seeking membership from congressional representatives from other coastal states.
Pallone said other issues that may be addressed within the caucus include commercial and recreational fishing.
He also said the bipartisan nature of the group will be beneficial because most of the issues being discussed will impact all coastal states.
“We don’t really think any of these issues are partisan,” Pallone said. “The environmental stuff is part of it, but many of the members have addressed concerns of storms and damage from storms as well as the economy.”
However, he said a few issues are viewed differently by Democrats and Republicans, including climate change and offshore drilling.
Zipf said she expects the caucus would ultimately have a positive impact on the state. “I am very proud that New Jersey congressional leaders have stepped up to form this,” she said. “It’s very impressive. It sends a wonderful message about New Jersey.”
She also said the bipartisan nature of the caucus would result in change.
“The important part is it is a bipartisan collaboration, which is going to result in stronger ability for action to happen,” Zipf said. “It will bring both parties to a solution so that it is a collaboration.
“It is what we really hope our elected officials would be doing and the challenges require everybody to solve.”
Pallone explained that the caucus members will keep in contact and meet on a regular basis.
The Jersey Shore is home to over $700 billion in coastal properties and a tourism industry that generates $38 billion a year and directly supports almost half a million direct and indirect jobs, or nearly 10 percent of the state’s entire workforce, according to a Pallone press release.
New Jersey’s commercial fishing industry generates over $7.9 billion annually and supports over 50,000 jobs.
The state also has one of the largest saltwater recreational fishing industries in the nation.