Coastal State Climate Change Planning Act
This bill amends the Coastal Zone Management Act of 1972 to direct the Department of Commerce to establish a coastal climate change adaptation planning and response program which shall assist coastal states with the voluntary development of coastal climate change adaptation plans in order to: (1) minimize contributions to climate change, and (2) prepare for and reduce the negative consequences that may result from climate change in the coastal zone. The program must also provide financial and technical assistance and training to implement the plans through enforceable state policies.
Commerce may make grants to coastal states for developing the plans and supporting projects that implement strategies contained in approved plans. Commerce must promote and encourage the use of National Estuarine Research Reserves as sites for pilot or demonstration projects carried out with the grants.
[Congressional Bills 114th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 1276 Introduced in House (IH)]
114th CONGRESS
1st Session
H. R. 1276
To amend the Coastal Zone Management Act of 1972 to require the
Secretary of Commerce to establish a coastal climate change adaptation
planning and response program, and for other purposes.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
March 4, 2015
Mrs. Capps introduced the following bill; which was referred to the
Committee on Natural Resources
_______________________________________________________________________
A BILL
To amend the Coastal Zone Management Act of 1972 to require the
Secretary of Commerce to establish a coastal climate change adaptation
planning and response program, and for other purposes.
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 State Climate Change
Planning Act''.
SEC. 2. PLANNING FOR CLIMATE CHANGE IN THE COASTAL ZONE.
(a) In General.--The Coastal Zone Management Act of 1972 (16 U.S.C.
1451 et seq.) is amended by adding at the end the following:
``climate change adaptation planning
``Sec. 320. (a) In General.--The Secretary shall establish
consistent with the national policies set forth in section 303 a
coastal climate change adaptation planning and response program to--
``(1) provide assistance to coastal states to voluntarily
develop coastal climate change adaptation plans pursuant to
approved management programs approved under section 306, to
minimize contributions to climate change and to prepare for and
reduce the negative consequences that may result from climate
change in the coastal zone; and
``(2) provide financial and technical assistance and
training to enable coastal states to implement plans developed
pursuant to this section through coastal states' enforceable
policies.
``(b) Guidelines.--Within 180 days after the date of enactment of
this section, the Secretary, in consultation with the coastal states,
shall issue guidelines for the implementation of the grant program
established under subsection (c).
``(c) Climate Change Adaptation Planning Grants.--
``(1) In general.--The Secretary, subject to the
availability of appropriations, may make a grant to any coastal
state for the purpose of developing climate change adaptation
plans pursuant to guidelines issued by the Secretary under
subsection (b).
``(2) Plan content.--A plan developed with a grant under
this section shall include the following:
``(A) Identification of public facilities and
public services, working waterfronts, coastal resources
of national significance, coastal waters, energy
facilities, or other land and water uses located in the
coastal zone that are likely to be impacted by climate
change.
``(B) Adaptive management strategies for land use
to respond or adapt to changing environmental
conditions, including strategies to protect
biodiversity, protect water quality, and establish
habitat buffer zones, migration corridors, and climate
refugia.
``(C) Requirements to initiate and maintain long-
term monitoring of environmental change to assess
coastal zone adaptation and to adjust when necessary
adaptive management strategies and new planning
guidelines to attain the policies under section 303.
``(D) Other information considered necessary by the
Secretary to identify the full range of climate change
impacts affecting coastal communities.
``(3) State hazard mitigation plans.--Plans developed with
a grant under this section shall be consistent with State
hazard mitigation plans and natural disaster response and
recovery programs developed under State or Federal law.
``(4) Allocation.--Grants under this section shall be
available only to coastal states with management programs
approved by the Secretary under section 306 and shall be
allocated among such coastal states in a manner consistent with
regulations promulgated pursuant to section 306(c).
``(5) Priority.--In the awarding of grants under this
subsection the Secretary may give priority to any coastal state
that has received grant funding to develop program changes
pursuant to paragraphs (1), (2), (3), (5), (6), (7), and (8) of
section 309(a).
``(6) Technical assistance.--The Secretary may provide
technical assistance to a coastal state consistent with section
310 to ensure the timely development of plans supported by
grants awarded under this subsection.
``(7) Federal approval.--In order to be eligible for a
grant under subsection (d), a coastal state must have its plan
developed under this section approved by the Secretary.
``(d) Coastal Adaptation Project Grants.--
``(1) In general.--The Secretary, subject to the
availability of appropriations, may make grants to any coastal
state that has a climate change adaptation plan approved under
subsection (c)(7), in order to support projects that implement
strategies contained within such plans.
``(2) Program requirements.--The Secretary within 90 days
after approval of the first plan approved under subsection
(c)(7), shall publish in the Federal Register requirements
regarding applications, allocations, eligible activities, and
all terms and conditions for grants awarded under this
subsection. No less than 30 percent, and no more than 50
percent, of the funds appropriated in any fiscal year for
grants under this subsection shall be awarded through a merit-
based competitive process.
``(3) Eligible activities.--The Secretary may award grants
to coastal states to implement projects in the coastal zone to
address stress factors in order to improve coastal climate
change adaptation, including the following:
``(A) Activities to address physical disturbances
within the coastal zone, especially activities related
to public facilities and public services, tourism,
sedimentation, ocean acidification, and other factors
negatively impacting coastal waters, and fisheries-
associated habitat destruction or alteration.
``(B) Monitoring, control, or eradication of
disease organisms and invasive species.
``(C) Activities to address the loss, degradation,
or fragmentation of wildlife habitat through projects
to establish or protect marine and terrestrial habitat
buffers, wildlife refugia, other wildlife refuges, or
networks thereof, preservation of migratory wildlife
corridors and other transition zones, and restoration
of fish and wildlife habitat.
``(D) Implementation of projects to reduce,
mitigate, or otherwise address likely impacts caused by
natural hazards in the coastal zone, including sea
level rise, coastal inundation, coastal erosion and
subsidence, severe weather events such as cyclonic
storms, tsunamis and other seismic threats, and
fluctuating Great Lakes water levels.
``(E) Provide technical training and assistance to
local coastal policy makers to increase awareness of
science, management, and technology information related
to climate change and adaptation strategies.
``(4) Promotion and use of national estuarine research
reserves.--The Secretary shall promote and encourage the use of
National Estuarine Research Reserves as sites for pilot or
demonstration projects carried out with grants awarded under
this section.''.
(b) Authorization of Appropriations.--Section 318(a) of the Coastal
Zone Management Act of 1972 (16 U.S.C. 1464) is further amended by
striking ``and'' after the semicolon at the end of paragraph (1), by
striking the period at the end of paragraph (2) and inserting ``;
and'', and by adding at the end the following:
``(3) for grants under subsections (c) and (d) of section
320, such sums as are necessary.''.
(c) Intent of Congress.--Nothing in this section shall be construed
to require any coastal state to amend or modify its approved management
program pursuant to section 306(e) of the Coastal Zone Management Act
of 1972 (16 U.S.C. 1455(e)), or to extend the enforceable policies of a
coastal state beyond the coastal zone as identified in the coastal
state's approved management program.
<all>
Introduced in House
Introduced in House
Referred to the House Committee on Natural Resources.
Referred to the Subcommittee on Energy and Mineral Resources.
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