WASHINGTON, D.C. – On May 10, 2023, U.S. Representatives Derek Kilmer (WA-06) and Marilyn Strickland (WA-10), Co-Chairs of the Puget Sound Recovery Caucus, spoke with Puget Sound recovery advocates at the U.S. Capitol during the annual Puget Sound Day on the Hill.
“Puget Sound is our region’s most iconic body of water. It’s a place on which generations of friends and neighbors have built their lives and made their livelihoods. But if future generations are going to have those opportunities, we’ve got to act to protect and restore the Sound,” said Rep. Kilmer. “Together, with Representative Strickland, the Puget Sound Recovery Caucus, and many regional partners, we’ll keep working to restore salmon and orca populations, ensure future generations can dig for clams, uphold tribal treaty rights, and so much more.”
“I am proud to have hosted many of our Puget Sound recovery advocates for today’s successful Puget Sound Day on the Hill,” said Rep. Strickland. “Together, we celebrated the many strides made in the last year – including the creation of the Puget Sound Federal Leadership Task Force – while looking forward to doing even more to protect and preserve one of the nation’s greatest marine ecosystems.”
Since their first days in Congress, both Reps. Kilmer and Strickland have been strong advocates for the restoration of Puget Sound. Earlier this year, they joined forces with other federal agencies to launch the Puget Sound Federal Leadership Task Force, a direct result of the PUGET SOS Act they championed into law, and introduced legislation to restore the Puyallup Tribe’s homelands.
Last Congress, Reps. Kilmer and Strickland championed passage of the PUGET SOS Act, secured $54 million for the Puget Sound Geographic Program, hosted then-Speaker Nancy Pelosi for a discussion on the significance of federal infrastructure funding for Puget Sound cleanup, led a roundtable discussion on the impact of 6PPD-Quinone on coho salmon, and brought together Tribal leaders and the Chair of the White House Council on Environmental Quality for a walking tour of the Billy Frank Jr. Nisqually National Wildlife Refuge and a discussion on the need for continued federal investments in Tribal communities and conservation efforts.
Original source can be found here.
