Rep. Chellie Pingree

District	Maine 1st
Key Coastal Communities	Rockland, Portland, Brunswick
Party	Democratic
Term	2nd
Committees	Agriculture, Armed Services
Quote	"We have a unique opportunity to take concrete steps to protect and preserve the environment. We just need to show the political will to take advantage of it.”
Websites	www.chelliepingree.com, pingree.house.gov/
Links

Leadership:  Rep. Pingree believes we can have both “a healthy environment and a healthy economy.”  The innovative Pingree proudly notes that her campaign office runs entirely on wind-generated power. Congresswoman Pingree was instrumental in bringing the Harmful Algal Bloom and Hypoxia Research and Control bill back to the House floor for a second, successful vote. 

The Congresswoman has also shown a flair for innovative solutions.  She responded to BP's Gulf oil disaster by introducing the Spilled Oil Royalty Collection Act. Recognizing that oil companies pay royalties on the oil they sell, this bill provides additional incentive for companies like BP to drill safely by charging them royalties on barrels of oil they spill as well.  It would then direct any royalties collected toward clean energy projects.

Congresswoman Pingree was also an original cosponsor of the Coastal Jobs Creation Act. Certain overfished fisheries may need to be closed at a difficult economic time for fishermen.  Instead of weakening fishing governance and further depleting threatened fisheries, the Coastal Jobs Creation Act would provide opportunities for fishermen to work with scientists collecting data on stock assessments and reducing bycatch, and on collecting marine debris and reducing pollution.

Rep. Pingree has sponsored:

• H.R. 3109 (Keep America's Waterfronts Working Act of 2011)
• H.r. 3286 (Local Farms, Foods, and Jobs Act of 2011)

Rep. Pingree has cosponsored:

• H.R. 14 (Ocean Acidification Research and Monitoring Act of 2009)
• H.R. 365 (Ocean and Coastal Mapping Integration Act of 2009)
• H.R. 366 (Ocean Research and Exploration Enhancement Act of 2009)
• H.R. 367 (Integrated Coastal and Ocean Observation System Act of 2009)
• H.R. 368 (Coastal and Estuarine Land Conservation Program Act of 2009)
• H.R. 1080 (Illegal, Unreported, and Unregulated Fishing Enforcement Act of 2009)
• H.R. 1310 (Clean Water Protection Act of 2009)
• H.R. 3650 (Harmful Algal Bloom and Hypoxia Research and Control Amendments Act of 2009)
• H.R. 3644 (Ocean, Coastal, and Watershed Education Act, 2009)
• H.R. 5214 (Big Oil Bailout Prevention Act of 2010)
• H.R. 5241 (BP Deepwater Horizon Disaster Inquiry Commission Act of 2010)
• H.R. 5697 (To amend the Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act to prohibit leasing in the North Atlantic Planning Area of 2010)
• H.R. 594 (Coastal Job Creation Act of 2011)
• H.R. 492 (Big Oil Bailout Prevention Act of 2011)
• H.R. 601 (End Big Oil Subsidies Act of 2011)
• H.R. 2984 (Maine Coastal Islands Wilderness Act of 2011)
• H.R. 3570 (Oceans and Human Healh Reauthorization Act of 2011)