Representative Niki Tsongas (D-MA) offered an amendment to H.R. 2822, the Department of the Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 2016, which would have struck a damaging policy rider in the bill prohibiting federal agencies from coordinating with coastal states, the public, and other stakeholders on programs and plans to ensure the safe and productive use of our nation’s oceans and Great Lakes. The National Ocean Policy, which this amendment attempted to preserve, directs government agencies with differing mandates to work together to improve ocean health and also ensures that all competing interests—including conservationists, fishermen, scientists, shipping companies, port managers, energy developers, and those who live and work in ocean communities—have a voice in creating solutions for the many problems facing our oceans. On July 8, the House rejected the Tsongas amendment by a vote of 191-238 (House roll call vote 398). YES IS THE PRO-ENVIRONMENT VOTE.