Washington, DC – Recognizing his tireless commitment and strong leadership to help protect and preserve our nation’s ocean and coastal resources, Representative Norm Dicks (D-WA) was honored at the National Marine Sanctuary Foundation (NMSF) Annual Leadership Awards Dinner on June 13th at the Ronald Reagan Building in Washington, DC.

“Throughout my career in Congress, I have believed in the importance of preserving the biological integrity of marine ecosystems and in protecting our abundant-but-fragile coastal resources,” Rep. Dicks stated. “The federal government plays a major role in addressing the impacts of pollution, overfishing and population growth on our ocean environment, and the coastal Marine Sanctuaries are the laboratories where important research and educational activities take place.”

Representing Washington State’s Sixth Congressional District, which includes the Olympic Coast National Marine Sanctuary, Congressman Dicks has been a leader on environmental issues and a strong voice in support of protecting and restoring Washington State’s and our nation’s oceans and coasts throughout his career. Dicks worked with the Clinton-Gore Administration to bring federal assistance to the west coast states for threatened salmon runs and as the ranking Democratic member of the House Interior Appropriations Subcommittee he launched a new Puget Sound Program in 2005 at EPA to centralize the agency’s water quality and marine ecosystem protection efforts.

“I am proud of the work that the Foundation has done over the years to increase awareness and broaden the impact of the Marine Sanctuary program, and tremendously honored by the Foundation’s recognition of my work this year,” said Dicks.

Dicks also authored a bill that created a new federal lands conservation trust and doubled the nation's commitment to preserving threatened parklands and protecting wildlife over a six-year period,

“Congressman Dicks has been a force on the coastlines of Washington State and in the halls of Congress on behalf of ocean and coastal issues,” said NMSF Chairman Terry Garcia. “Thanks to the hard work and leadership throughout his career, Norm Dicks has played a key role in the fight to preserve and restore Washington State’s and our nation’s coastal waters and resources.”

The NMSF Leadership Awards Dinner is held in conjunction with the 2006 Capitol Hill Oceans week, a two-day symposium that features ocean policy experts from government, private industry, nonprofits and academia. Participants look to raise awareness of important ocean and coastal issues among our nation’s leaders and to build bridges among various ocean constituencies. Topics covered during this year’s symposium will include alternative energy sources, marine debris, invasive species, the Census of Marine Life, the next steps in the development of an ocean observations system, a legislative agenda for Capitol Hill, and a regional Gulf of Maine panel focused on ecosystem management innovations.

Representative Dicks is being honored along with Senator Judd Gregg (R-NH), retired Adm. James D. Watkins and former White House Chief of Staff Leon Panetta.