Environmental education prepares Americans for 21st century green jobs, increases interest in science, technology, engineering, and math, and helps create the next generation of environmental stewards. Ocean and watershed education is needed now more than ever in light of 2010's devastating oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico, the worst environmental disaster in our nation's history.

Representative Lois Capps (D-CA) introduced H.R. 3644, the Ocean, Coastal, and Watershed Education Act, to authorize and increase funding for two key National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) education programs, the national Environmental Literacy Grants (ELG) program and the regional Bay-Watershed Education and Training (B-WET) program. ELG helps NOAA establish new partnerships with top science centers, aquaria and education institutions to deliver environmental education materials to thousands of teachers who educate students and the public about vital issues around our changing planet. B-WET provides competitive grants to leverage existing environmental education programs in several regional watersheds around the country. B-WET not only educates students about the environment, it also facilitates outdoor learning in the watershed.

On March 19, the House passed H.R. 3644 by a vote of 244-170 (House roll call vote 142). YES IS THE PRO-ENVIRONMENT VOTE. The Senate did not vote on H.R. 3644, although a broader authorization for NOAA's education programs that did not include specific funding levels was included in H.R. 5116, the America COMPETES Act, which was signed into law by the President on January 4, 2011.