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Pingree Rallies for Ocean Acidification Law

PORTLAND, Maine — U.S. Rep. ChelliePingree, environmentalists and fishermen will gather on Portland's waterfront to discuss the impact of ocean acidification on the Gulf of Maine.

Pingree and others will hold a news conference at 1:30 p.m. Friday behind the Pierce Atwood building off of Commercial Street. Pingree backs a bill in Congress she says would require the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration to identify communities that have a "high economic dependency" on ocean resources and how ocean acidification would affect them.

The Maine Legislature also passed a law this spring that establishes a commission to study and address the effects of ocean acidification on ecosystems and shellfisheries.

Environmentalists say ocean acidity levels have increased by 30 percent over the past two centuries. They fear unchecked acidification could harm Maine's shellfish industry.