Friends of the Monument praised for support of coral reef bill

Kilili acknowledges the Friends of the Monument in this week's E-Newsletter - Friday, September 10, 2010:

"The Friends of the Monument has joined 34 other environmental organizations asking for U.S. Senate action on legislation reauthorizing the federal government’s coral reef program. H.R. 860, the Coral Reef Conservation Act Reauthorization and Enhancement Amendments of 2009, of which I am an original cosponsor, was introduced in February 2009 and passed the House of Representatives in September. It’s been stuck in the Senate ever since. The reauthorization provides an increase in annual funding—up to $35 million in fiscal years 2013 and 2014, which is much needed to help preserve and protect our coral reefs. It is my hope that pressure from conservation groups, such as Friends of the Monument, will encourage the Senate to act."

Also in this weeks E-Newsletter - the Friends of the Marianas Trench MNM thank Kilili for his support of  PacIOOS. Of this Kilili writes:

"When the Pacific Marine Resources Institute asked me to write a letter of support for the Pacific Integrated Ocean Observing System (PacIOOS) program, the answer was a resounding “yes.” The Institute’s request is completely in synch with my support for the national program. In March of this year, I and several of my colleagues made a formal request to the House Appropriations Committee on Commerce, Justice and Science for $53 million in funding for the national program, the Integrated Ocean Observing System (IOOS). The PacIOOS is one of eleven regional observing programs around the country and includes the NMI. Just this past July, the PacIOOS program partnered with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s Coral Program to install the world's first joint Integrated Coral Observing Network/IOOS station in LaoLao Bay to monitor water quality, sea temperature and salinity. The data that is collected will help our scientists improve the safety and efficiency of marine operations, improve predictions of coastal hazards, and better measure climate change impacts on our islands."