On Thursday, April 15, 2010, the House considered H.R. 4715: Clean Estuaries Act. This measure increases authorization for our nation’s estuary program to $50 million per year in order to protect more of these natural resources. Estuaries are bodies of water that contain both fresh water from rivers and salt water from oceans, creating an environment that supports a wide range of plants, fish and wildlife. 70% of our commercial fish catch comes from estuaries, which are a significant economic and environmental resource. Many are plagued by pollution and overuse. H.R. 4715 provides further protection for estuaries.
I voted YES. H.R. 4715 passed and the entire vote is recorded below:
| YEA | NAY | PRESENT | NOT VOTING | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| DEMOCRAT | 240 |
2 |
0 |
11 |
| REPUBLICAN | 38 |
126 |
0 |
13 |
| TOTAL | 278 |
128 |
0 |
24 |
| MASSACHUSETTS DELEGATION |
10 |
0 |
0 |
0 |