Rep. Jared Huffman introduces Ocean-Based Climate Solutions Act

October 22, 2020

SACRAMENTO, Calif. — North Coast Congressman Jared Huffman introduced the Ocean-Based Climate Solutions Act on Tuesday in a live virtual press conference.

Huffman said the bill lays out a roadmap for leveraging the oceans’ carbon sequestration and renewable energy potential while boosting the climate resiliency of marine and coastal ecosystems and coastal communities.

According to Huffman like the House Democrats’ Climate Crisis Action Plan, the new bill prioritizes just and equitable climate solutions for communities of color, low-income communities, Tribal and Indigenous communities, and the U.S. Territories and Freely Associated States.

Huffman said this bill was created in partnership with dozens of stakeholders and has incorporated more than 1,600 comments to produce what he calls the first-ever comprehensive legislation to advance ocean-based climate solutions.

He said key ocean-based solutions in the bill include:

  • Reduce Greenhouse Gas Emissions by Prohibiting Oil and Gas Leasing in the Outer Continental Shelf
  • Increase Carbon Storage in Blue Carbon Ecosystems
  • Promote Coastal Resiliency
  • Improve Ocean Protection
  • Support Climate-Ready Fisheries
  • Tackle Ocean Health Challenges
  • Restore U.S. Leadership in International Ocean Governance

“We are already living out the alarming impacts of climate change on land, including catastrophic wildfires and drought. But we should be just as concerned about ocean impacts: major declines in biodiversity, rapidly shifting fish stocks, sea level rise, and widespread losses of our world’s most important coastal habitats,” Huffman said. “On the North Coast of California in my district, and across the country, coastal communities are all too familiar with these consequences. We are facing a dire situation, but we have not lost hope. This legislation provides tangible solutions to tackle the most important crisis of our time and we are all committed to doing this together.”

Click here to find bill text of the Ocean-Based Climate Solutions Act.

Click here for a section-by-section summary or here for a fact sheet on the bill.

Watch the virtual press conference below:


By:  Megan Bender
Source: KRCR News