WASHINGTON – U.S. Senators John Cornyn (R-TX) and Ed Markey (D-MA) released the following statements after introducing the bipartisan Sea Turtle Rescue Assistance Act, which would establish a grant program to fund the rescue, recovery, and treatment of stranded marine turtles:

“The waters off of the Texas Gulf Coast are home to several species of sea turtles which are crucial to the health of our diverse marine ecosystem,” said Sen. Cornyn. “This legislation will support the rescue and recovery efforts of today while also investing in research to better protect the future of America’s sea turtle population.”

“We have a responsibility to protect threatened and endangered sea turtle species that call our nation’s waters home,” said Sen. Markey. “This legislation will help to ensure that as our sea turtles continue to face greater threats, they can depend on greater support from our country’s turtle experts and advocates. Those who are working to rescue, recover, and study sea turtles will use the funding and partnership from this program to make sure future generations can know these animals as friends, not fiction.”

Background:

This legislation would create a new grant program at the Department of Commerce to fund the rescue, recovery, and research of sea turtles in the United States.