Senator Maria Cantwell
State |
Washington |
Party |
Democratic |
Term |
3rd |
Commitees |
Commerce, Science and Transportation: Aviation Operations, Safety, and Security (Chair), Energy and Natural Resources; Finance; Indian Affairs; Small Business & Entrepreneurship |
Quote from Website |
"From stopping drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, to expanding Mt. Rainier National Park, to creating the Lewis and Clark National Historical Park at the mouth of the Columbia River, she has worked tirelessly to preserve our amazing natural treasures while boosting Washington’s recreation and tourism industries at the same time." |
Websites |
www.cantwell.senate.gov/
www.cantwell.com/ |
Links |

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Leadership: Senator Cantwell is one of the most outspoken defenders of the environment in Congress, and she has consistently voted in favor of protections for the oceans. She continues to fight to stop overuse of the Puget Sound ports by oil tankers and has spoken out on several occasions regarding the dangers of ocean acidification on our ocean economies and has been a leader in the fight to protect key salmon populations from disappearing in Washington.
Senator Cantwell also co-sponsored bipartisan legislation that updated and extended the nation’s primary law guiding fishing in federal waters, known as the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act. This legislation manages fishery resources, improves catch-share programs and preserves essential fish habitats that support tens of thousands of Washington jobs. Maria successfully fought to pass provisions to Magnuson-Stevens that are important to Washington fisheries, including national guidelines for science-based fishing quota programs and bottom-up management practices that strengthen the role local fishermen play in developing fish quota programs and resource conservation efforts. These guidelines prevent overfishing, help build fish stocks back to historical levels and improve safety at sea. By ensuring productive fish stocks in the future, Maria’s provisions are helping to provide certainty and job security for Washington fishing communities.
Senator Cantwell continues to work to protect natural lands, ban west coast offshore drilling, preserve the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, and protect Washington state and the Pacific Northwest from the threat of offshore oil spills.
Senator Cantwell sponsored:
- S. 2576 (Maritime Washington National Heritage Area Act, 2014)
- S. 467 (A resolution recognizing the 100th Anniversary of Fishermen's Terminal in the Port of Seattle and celebrating Seattle's rich maritime heritage and its importance to the United States, 2014)
- S. 1695 (A bill to designate a portion of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge as wilderness, 2013)
- S. 1483 (Oil Spill Technology and Research Act of 2013)
- S. 497 (San Juan Islands National Conservation Area Act of 2013)
- S. 3298 (Oil Spill Technology and Research Act of 2012)
- S. 1401 (Pacific Salmon Stronghold Conservation Act of 2011)
- S. 1559 (San Juan Islands National Conservation Area Act of 2011)
- S. 684 (Oil Pollution Prevention and Response Act of 2009
- S. 817 (Pacific Salmon Stronghold Conservation Act of 2009)
- S. 859 (Marine Mammal Rescue Assistance Amendments of 2009)
Senator Cantwell cosponsored:
- S. 574 (A resolution designating the week of September 20 through September 27, 2014, as "National Estuaries Week", 2014)
- S. 556 (A resolution designating the week beginning on October 12, 2014, as National Wildlife Refuge Week, 2014)
- S. 2030 (National Sea Grant College Program Amendments Act of 2014)
- S. 799 (To create the National Endowment for the Oceans to promote the protection and conservation of United States ocean, coastal, and Great Lakes ecosystems, 2013)
- S. 1875 (Wildfire Disaster Funding Act of 2013)
- S. 1254 (A bill to amend the Harmful Algal Blooms and Hypoxia Research and Control Act of 1998, and for other purposes, 2013)
- S. 45 (West Coast Ocean Protection Act of 2013)
- S. 267 (Pirate Fishing Elimination Act of 2013)
- S. 269 (Antigua Convention Implementing Act of 2013)
- S. 646 (National Endowment for the Oceans Act of 2013)
- S. 3298 (Oil Spill Technology and Research Act of 2012)
- S. 171 (West Coast Ocean Protection Act of 2011)
- S. 940 (Close Big Oil Tax Loopholes Act of 2011)
- S. 1701 (Harmful Algal Blooms and Hypoxia Research and Control Amendments Act of 2011)
- S. 170 (Coastal and Estuarine Land Protection Act of 2009)
- S. 171 (Coastal and Ocean Observation System Act of 2009)
- S. 173 (Federal Ocean Acidification Research and Monitoring Act of 2009)
- S. 685 (Oil Spill Prevention Act of 2009)
- S. 840 (International Clean Energy Development Act of 2009)
- S. 850 (Shark Conservation Act of 2009)
- S. 952 (Harmful Algal Blooms and Hypoxia Research and Control Amendments Act of 2009)
- S. 1252 (Oceans and Human Health Reauthorization Act of 2009)