Her announcement is here and the order here. A Department of Ecology backgrounder on the marine changes is here.
Gregoire said the climate-change-driven issue is important to the health of Washington’s $270 million shellfish industry.
And as Craig Welch of the Seattle Times reported a day ago, ocean acidification is also implicated in the health of pteropods, a key food for pink salmon and other marine life.
Gregoire’s release says she is asking Ecology and other agencies to work toward reducing emissions of carbon dioxide as follows:
• Advocate for reductions in emissions of carbon dioxide at global, national and regional levels;
• Implement the recommendations of the Blue Ribbon Panel, working with key federal agencies and tribal governments;
• Work with the University of Washington and others to conduct technical analysis on the effects of ocean acidification, on the sources of local land-based sources of nutrients that may contribute to ocean acidification, and on appropriate steps to address the problem;
• Request that the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency begin the assessment of water quality criteria relevant to ocean acidification; and,
• Increase understanding of ocean acidification and its consequences among policymakers, interested organizations and the public.
