Washington, D.C. — Congresswoman Aumua Amata welcomed reintroduction of the Coral Reef Conservation Reauthorization Act (H.R. 5996) to boost federal funding and key preservation measures for coral reefs.

Congresswoman Amata is an original cosponsor of this bipartisan legislation, which was introduced by Congresswoman Madeleine Bordallo (D-Guam) and has unanimous support from the insular representatives of all the island Territories: American Samoa, Guam, the Northern Mariana Islands, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands.

“American Samoa’s coral reefs include southern hemisphere species that differ from any other U.S. state or territory,” said Aumua Amata. “Our shoreline areas and the waters offshore in American Samoa are beautiful places, and we want to be vigilant about their health. In fact, our unique National Park alone has 2,550 acres of coral reefs from some 250 species. I support the necessary funding to study and safeguard them, and this bill would help provide the necessary planning, monitoring and potential grant opportunities for their ongoing preservation.”

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