[Congressional Bills 118th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 9912 Introduced in House (IH)]
<DOC>
118th CONGRESS
2d Session
H. R. 9912
To require the Subcommittee on Ocean Science and Technology of the
National Science and Technology Council to establish the Interagency
Working Group on Coastal Blue Carbon, require the Interagency Working
Group to produce a national map and inventory of coastal blue carbon
ecosystems, require the Administrator of the National Oceanic and
Atmospheric Administration to carry out pilot programs to protect
intact and restore degraded coastal blue carbon ecosystems, require the
Secretary of the Smithsonian Institution to establish the Coastal
Carbon Data Clearinghouse, require the Administrator to seek to enter
into an agreement with the National Academies of Science, Engineering,
and Medicine to conduct an assessment regarding geologic stores of
carbon dioxide, require the Administrator to establish the Coastal Blue
Carbon Inventory Program, and require the Administrator to conduct a
national assessment to quantify the carbon sequestration potential of
coastal blue carbon ecosystems.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
October 4, 2024
Ms. Bonamici (for herself, Mr. Posey, and Mr. Beyer) introduced the
following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Natural
Resources, and in addition to the Committees on Science, Space, and
Technology, House Administration, and Energy and Commerce, for a period
to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for
consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the
committee concerned
_______________________________________________________________________
A BILL
To require the Subcommittee on Ocean Science and Technology of the
National Science and Technology Council to establish the Interagency
Working Group on Coastal Blue Carbon, require the Interagency Working
Group to produce a national map and inventory of coastal blue carbon
ecosystems, require the Administrator of the National Oceanic and
Atmospheric Administration to carry out pilot programs to protect
intact and restore degraded coastal blue carbon ecosystems, require the
Secretary of the Smithsonian Institution to establish the Coastal
Carbon Data Clearinghouse, require the Administrator to seek to enter
into an agreement with the National Academies of Science, Engineering,
and Medicine to conduct an assessment regarding geologic stores of
carbon dioxide, require the Administrator to establish the Coastal Blue
Carbon Inventory Program, and require the Administrator to conduct a
national assessment to quantify the carbon sequestration potential of
coastal blue carbon ecosystems.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the
United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
This Act may be cited as the ``Coastal Restoration Act of 2024''.
SEC. 2. DEFINITIONS.
In this Act:
(1) Appropriate congressional committees.--The term
``appropriate congressional committees'' means--
(A) the Committees on Natural Resources and
Science, Space, and Technology of the House of
Representatives; and
(B) the Committee on Commerce, Science, and
Transportation of the Senate.
(2) Coastal blue carbon ecosystem.--The term ``coastal blue
carbon ecosystem''--
(A) means a coastal habitat, including a mangrove
forest, a tidal marsh, a shrub-dominated or -forested
tidal swamp, a kelp forest, a tidal mudflat, seagrass,
coastal subtidal sediment, and other tidal freshwater,
brackish, or salt-water wetlands, that has the ability
to sequester carbon from the atmosphere, accumulate
such sequestered carbon in biomass for years to
decades, and store such sequestered carbon in soil for
centuries to millennia; and
(B) includes--
(i) autochthonous carbon ecosystems; and
(ii) allochthonous carbon ecosystems.
(3) Indian tribe.--The term ``Indian Tribe'' has the
meaning given such term in section 4 of the Indian Self-
Determination and Education Assistance Act (25 U.S.C. 5304).
(4) Interagency working group.--The term ``Interagency
Working Group'' means the Interagency Working Group on Coastal
Blue Carbon established under section 3(a).
(5) Regional coastal observing system.--The term ``regional
coastal observing system'' has the meaning given the term in
section 12303 of the Integrated Coastal and Ocean Observation
System Act of 2009 (33 U.S.C. 3602).
(6) State.--The term ``State'' means each of the several
States, the District of Columbia, and each territory and
possession of the United States.
(7) Subcommittee.--The term ``Subcommittee'' means the
Subcommittee on Ocean Science and Technology of the National
Science and Technology Council.
(8) Undersecretary.--The term ``Undersecretary'' means the
Under Secretary of Commerce for Oceans and Atmosphere in the
Under Secretary's capacity as the Administrator of the National
Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
SEC. 3. INTERAGENCY WORKING GROUP ON COASTAL BLUE CARBON.
(a) Establishment.--The Subcommittee shall establish an Interagency
Working Group on Coastal Blue Carbon to coordinate Federal efforts to
research, monitor, identify, map, protect, and restore coastal blue
carbon ecosystems, including by--
(1) facilitating interagency coordination;
(2) developing a national strategy;
(3) supporting research and data collection;
(4) identifying resource and policy needs; and
(5) engaging relevant stakeholders.
(b) Membership.--The Interagency Working Group shall be composed of
senior representatives from--
(1) the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration;
(2) the Environmental Protection Agency;
(3) the National Science Foundation;
(4) the National Aeronautics and Space Administration;
(5) the United States Geological Survey;
(6) the United States Fish and Wildlife Service;
(7) the National Park Service;
(8) the Bureau of Indian Affairs;
(9) the Smithsonian Institution;
(10) the Army Corps of Engineers;
(11) the Department of Agriculture;
(12) the Department of Energy;
(13) the Department of Defense;
(14) the Department of Transportation;
(15) the Department of State;
(16) the Federal Emergency Management Agency;
(17) the Office of Science and Technology Policy; and
(18) the Council on Environmental Quality.
(c) Chair.--The Interagency Working Group shall be chaired by the
Undersecretary.
(d) Responsibilities.--The Interagency Working Group shall carry
out the following activities:
(1) In accordance with section 4, produce, oversee, update,
and maintain a national map and inventory of coastal blue
carbon ecosystems, including information required under that
section.
(2) Develop a strategic assessment of the biophysical,
chemical, economic, regulatory, social, and statutory
impediments, including regionally specific opportunities to
reduce such impediments and facilitating factors of such
impediments, to restoration of coastal blue carbon ecosystems.
(3) Develop a national strategy for foundational science
necessary to study, synthesize, and evaluate the effects of
climate change and environmental and human stressors on carbon
sequestration rates, including lateral carbon fluxes, and
greenhouse gas emissions in coastal blue carbon ecosystems.
(4) Establish national protection and restoration
priorities for coastal blue carbon ecosystems, including an
assessment of Federal funding being used for restoration
efforts with respect to coastal blue carbon ecosystems.
(5) With other Federal agencies and users, ensure the
continuity, use, and interoperability of relevant data assets
through the Coastal Carbon Data Clearinghouse established under
section 6(a).
(6) Coordinate with research, monitoring, standards
development, project design, and other work related to marine
carbon dioxide removal being conducted by relevant laboratories
and offices of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric
Administration and the Subcommittee.
(7) Assess the legal authorities that exist to protect and
restore coastal blue carbon ecosystems.
(8) Implement the strategic plan required under subsection
(e)(2).
(e) Reports.--
(1) In general.--Not later than 1 year after the date of
the enactment of this section, the Interagency Working Group
shall submit to the appropriate congressional committees a
report regarding the activities carried out by the Interagency
Working Group under subsection (d), including the following:
(A) Information regarding activities, challenges,
analyses, and additional work and research needed with
respect to such activities.
(B) A summary of each federally funded coastal blue
carbon ecosystem research, monitoring, protection, and
restoration activity, including--
(i) the budget for each such activity; and
(ii) a description of the progress made by
each such activity in advancing the national
protection and restoration priorities
established under subsection (d)(4).
(C) The strategic assessment developed under
subsection (d)(2), including information regarding the
vulnerability of coastal blue carbon ecosystems to
climate impacts, such as sea-level rise, ocean and
coastal acidification, and other environmental and
human stressors.
(2) Strategic plan.--
(A) In general.--Not later than 6 months after the
date on which the Interagency Working Group submits the
report required under paragraph (1), and not less than
once every 5 years thereafter, the Interagency Working
Group shall submit to the appropriate congressional
committees a strategic plan for Federal investments in
basic research, development, demonstration, long-term
monitoring and stewardship, and deployment of coastal
blue carbon ecosystem projects for the 5-year period
beginning on the date on which the first full fiscal
year after the date on which the Interagency Working
Group submits to Congress the report required under
paragraph (1) begins.
(B) Requirement.--The strategic plan required under
subparagraph (A) shall include an assessment of the use
of existing Federal authorities and programs to protect
and restore coastal blue carbon ecosystems and identify
whether any additional such authorities or programs are
needed.
(C) Publication.--Not later than 90 days before the
Interagency Working Group submits to the appropriate
congressional committees each strategic plan under
subparagraph (A), the Interagency Working Group shall
publish each such strategic plan in the Federal
Register and provide an opportunity for submission of
public comments for a period of not less than 60 days.
SEC. 4. NATIONAL MAP AND INVENTORY OF COASTAL BLUE CARBON ECOSYSTEMS.
(a) In General.--The Interagency Working Group shall produce,
oversee, update not less than once every 5 years, and maintain a
national map and inventory of coastal blue carbon ecosystems,
including, with respect to each coastal blue carbon ecosystem--
(1) the species and each type of habitat in the coastal
blue carbon ecosystem;
(2) the condition of each such habitat, including whether
the habitat is minimally disturbed, degraded, drained,
eutrophic, or tidally restricted;
(3) the type of public or private ownership and any
protected status;
(4) the size;
(5) the salinity class;
(6) the tidal range;
(7) an assessment of carbon sequestration potential,
methane production, and net greenhouse gas reductions,
including--
(A) consideration of--
(i) quantification;
(ii) verifiability; and
(iii) the permanence of such carbon
sequestration potential, methane production,
and net greenhouse gas reductions; and
(B) comparison to a historical baseline, as
available;
(8) an assessment of the co-benefits associated with
restoration and carbon sequestration;
(9) the potential for landward migration as a result of sea
level rise;
(10) any upstream restrictions detrimental to the watershed
process and conditions of aquatic infrastructure, such as dams,
dikes, and levees;
(11) information regarding conversion to other land uses
and the cause of such conversion; and
(12) a depiction of the effects of climate change,
including sea level rise, and environmental and human stressors
on the carbon sequestration rate, carbon storage, and
greenhouse gas emissions.
(b) Requirements.--In carrying out subsection (a), the Interagency
Working Group shall--
(1) incorporate, to the extent possible, existing data
collected--
(A) through federally funded research; or
(B) by a Federal, State, local, or Tribal agency,
including data collected through--
(i) the Coastal Change Analysis Program of
the National Oceanic and Atmospheric
Administration;
(ii) the National Wetlands Inventory of the
United States Fish and Wildlife Service;
(iii) the LandCarbon program of the United
States Geological Survey;
(iv) the LiDar information coordination and
knowledge program of the Federal Emergency
Management Agency;
(v) the Biological and Environmental
Research program of the Department of Energy;
and
(vi) the National Coastal Blue Carbon
Assessment of the Department of Agriculture;
(2) procure, as the chair of the Interagency Working Group
determines necessary, new data related to coastal blue carbon
ecosystem mapping and inventorying;
(3) engage regional technical experts to accurately account
for regional differences in coastal blue carbon ecosystems; and
(4) leverage relevant resources and information through the
Marine Cadastre Hub and the National Marine Ecosystem Status
Website.
(c) Use.--The Interagency Working Group shall use the national map
and inventory produced under subsection (a)--
(1) to assess the carbon sequestration potential of
different coastal blue carbon ecosystems, and account for any
regional differences;
(2) to assess and quantify emissions from degraded and
destroyed coastal blue carbon ecosystems;
(3) to develop--
(A) regional assessments of the number of degraded
and destroyed coastal blue carbon ecosystems and
contributing factors to the degradation and destruction
of such coastal blue carbon ecosystems; and
(B) regionally specific recommendations for actions
to support the restoration of such coastal blue carbon
ecosystems;
(4) to provide to regional, State, local, and Tribal
agencies and regional coastal observing system entities
technical assistance, informed by the regional assessment
developed under paragraph (3), to develop coastal blue carbon
ecosystem restoration goals practices;
(5) to assess degraded coastal blue carbon ecosystems and
the potential restore such coastal blue carbon ecosystems,
including developing scenario modeling to identify vulnerable
areas where management, protection, and restoration efforts
should be focused;
(6) to produce future predictions of coastal blue carbon
ecosystems and carbon sequestration rates in the context of
climate change, environmental stressors, and human stressors;
(7) to inform the creation by the Administrator of the
Environmental Protection Agency of the annual Inventory of U.S.
Greenhouse Gas Emissions and Sinks; and
(8) to develop, or scope development, of a coastal blue
carbon calculator that is capable of providing estimates of
carbon sequestration potential resulting from different
restoration actions in coastal blue carbon ecosystems.
SEC. 5. RESTORATION AND PROTECTIONS FOR EXISTING COASTAL BLUE CARBON
ECOSYSTEMS.
(a) In General.--The Undersecretary shall--
(1) coordinate monitoring and research efforts of coastal
blue carbon ecosystems among Federal agencies in cooperation
with State, local, and Tribal governments, international
partners, and nongovernmental organizations;
(2) establish a national goal for conserving coastal blue
carbon ecosystems within States and Tribal lands, and, as
appropriate, setting targets for the protection and restoration
of intact coastal blue carbon ecosystems and the restoration of
degraded coastal blue carbon ecosystems; and
(3) in coordination with the Interagency Working Group and
as informed by the report required under section 3(e)(1)--
(A) identify national coastal blue carbon ecosystem
protection and restoration priorities, including, as
applicable, the national priorities e