Another Coastal Recreation Hill Day has come and gone. This was our biggest year yet!
But..what is Hill Day?
Every year the Surfrider Foundation brings together members from Surfrider chapters as well as coastal community citizens to meet with our representatives in Congress and the White House. As a whole we share our federal priorities for the year. This allows us to speak with our lawmakers about issues that are important to the represented communities.
Throughout 2022, the Surfrider Foundation is supporting three major priorities:
- Taking climate action through ocean based solutions
- Eliminating plastic pollution
- Protecting and improving clean water
The first point, taking climate action through ocean based solutions, is encouraged by the Ocean-Based Climate Solutions Act (H.R. 3764) which will allow communities to plan for sea level rise and coastal storm impacts, advance climate justice, and sequester carbon.
Our chapter seeks to stop the flow of plastic by supporting the Break Free from Plastic Pollution Act (S. 984/H.R. 2238). This act reduces single-use plastics and makes certain producers are fiscally responsible for collecting, managing, and recycling or composting the products after consumer use, and more.
We pursue support from our representatives to provide $15 million for the EPA BEACH Act Grants Program as well as $4 billion for the EPA Clean Water State Revolving Fund. These will provide funding for local monitoring in addition to identifying water quality hot spots while paying for necessary upgrades for waste and stormwater systems.
Throughout the day we had 10 meetings with our representatives from MD, DC, and VA. Our team had the opportunity to speak about the three key priorities as explained above and follow up by requesting support. In addition to seeking support, it was made certain to thank our representatives for already showing interest in helping with these initiatives. Support from representatives combined with the enthusiasm and assistance of our extended team make for a huge impact!
The biggest takeaway? Representatives want to hear from you! They value when folks set time aside to share what issues are important to them which paves a pathway for the representatives to support issues that align with their constituents.
Are you interested in getting involved in Hill Day 2023? Become a chapter member and watch the @surfrider website for an announcement on how to get your foot in the door!