05.01.12

SENATOR CANTWELL URGES ACTION ON TSUNAMI DEBRIS

KXRO Radio - Staff

Senator Maria Cantwell and Alaska Senator Mark Begich joined together to write a letter to President Barack Obama urging his administration to take action to prepare coastal communities for the debris expected from the Japanese tsunami.

In the letter they cite the discovery of the fishing vessel found only 120 miles off the coast that the debris could reach at any moment. It is estimated that the coast will begin seeing the debris in approximately 50 days.

“While the debris appears to be spreading out over many miles in the open ocean, and traveling at different speeds and directions, one thing is clear: United States coastlines – and our coastal economies – may be at risk.”

Cantwell urges the President to take steps to enable emergency research funds, measure the possible size and impact of the debris, and increase funding for the NOAA debris program.