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"\"&lt;p&gt;&lt;img class=\\\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-1000143379\\\" title=\\\"Surfrider\\\" src=\\\"http:\\/\\/www.grindtv.com\\/wp-content\\/uploads\\/2012\\/02\\/Screen-shot-2012-02-17-at-3.46.27-PM.png\\\" alt=\\\"\\\" width=\\\"640\\\" height=\\\"375\\\" \\/&gt;&lt;br \\/&gt;\\n&lt;strong&gt;SURFRIDER FOUNDATION OPPOSES ELIMINATION OF FEDERAL BEACH GRANT PROGRAM&lt;\\/strong&gt;&lt;\\/p&gt;\\n&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;EPA Budget Cuts Put Swimmers And Surfers At Risk&lt;\\/em&gt;&lt;\\/p&gt;\\n&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;San Clemente, CA (February 16, 2012) &lt;\\/strong&gt;\\u00ad The Surfrider Foundation was alarmed this week when the Obama Administration released their FY2013 EPA budget.&lt;\\/p&gt;\\n&lt;p&gt;Among the notable cuts was the elimination of $9.9 million federal Beach&lt;br \\/&gt;\\nGrant Program.&lt;\\/p&gt;\\n&lt;p&gt;The Beach Grant Program funds coastal water quality monitoring efforts in&lt;br \\/&gt;\\nstates across the country. With the loss of the funding, it is likely that&lt;br \\/&gt;\\nmany states will or eliminate or significantly curtail their coastal water&lt;br \\/&gt;\\nquality monitoring programs.&lt;\\/p&gt;\\n&lt;p&gt;Additionally, since the only stick the EPA has to enforce the current health&lt;br \\/&gt;\\nstandards is to withhold state beach grant monies, standards set by the&lt;br \\/&gt;\\nBEACH Act may be ignored or otherwise compromised.&lt;\\/p&gt;\\n&lt;p&gt;The Surfrider Foundation has been working for decades to warn surfers and&lt;br \\/&gt;\\nswimmers about the health risks of swimming in polluted water, says&lt;br \\/&gt;\\nSurfrider Foundation Environmental Director Chad Nelsen. Eliminating the&lt;br \\/&gt;\\nBeach Grant Program puts every beachgoer&amp;#8217;s health at risk because they won\\u00b9t&lt;br \\/&gt;\\nknow when or where it&amp;#8217;s safe to surf or swim.&lt;\\/p&gt;\\n&lt;p&gt;In response the Surfrider Foundation has initiated an online petition asking&lt;br \\/&gt;\\nPresident Obama to restore the funding back to the budget:&lt;br \\/&gt;\\nhttp:\\/\\/tinyurl.com\\/6rmtcws.&lt;\\/p&gt;\\n&lt;p&gt;These cuts represent the single largest attack on marine water quality&lt;br \\/&gt;\\nstandards in a decade, says Nelsen.&lt;br \\/&gt;\\n&lt;strong&gt;&lt;br \\/&gt;\\nAbout Surfrider Foundation&lt;\\/strong&gt;&lt;br \\/&gt;\\nThe Surfrider Foundation is a non-profit grassroots organization dedicated&lt;br \\/&gt;\\nto the protection and enjoyment of our world\\u00b9s oceans, waves and beaches&lt;br \\/&gt;\\nthrough a powerful activist network. Founded in 1984 by a handful of&lt;br \\/&gt;\\nvisionary surfers in Malibu, California, the Surfrider Foundation now&lt;br \\/&gt;\\nmaintains over 250,000 supporters, activists and members worldwide. For&lt;br \\/&gt;\\nmore information on the Surfrider Foundation, visit www.surfrider.org.&lt;\\/p&gt;\\n\""^^<http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string>
<http://www.grindtv.com/surf/surfrider-foundation-opposes-elimination-of-federal-beach-grant-program/>