This bill reauthorizes through FY2026 and revises the Coastal and Estuarine Land Conservation Program.
For example, the bill modifies the name of the program to the Coastal Estuarine Resilience and Restoration Program. It also revises goals of the program to include (1) climate change mitigation; and (2) restoring developed property in vulnerable coastal and estuarine areas to a natural state to restore ecological function, allow for shoreline migration, and protect coastal communities.
Additionally, the bill requires the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration to designate at least five new national estuarine reserves.
[Congressional Bills 117th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 7801 Introduced in House (IH)]
<DOC>
117th CONGRESS
2d Session
H. R. 7801
To amend the Coastal Zone Management Act of 1972 to allow the Secretary
of Commerce to establish a Coastal and Estuarine Resilience and
Restoration Program, and for other purposes.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
May 17, 2022
Mr. Levin of California (for himself and Mr. Mast) 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 allow the Secretary
of Commerce to establish a Coastal and Estuarine Resilience and
Restoration 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. COASTAL AND ESTUARINE RESILIENCE AND RESTORATION PROGRAM.
Section 307A of the Coastal Zone Management Act of 1972 (16 U.S.C.
1456-1) is amended--
(1) by striking the heading and inserting ``coastal and
estuarine resilience and restoration program'';
(2) by amending subsection (a) to read as follows:
``(a) In General.--The Secretary may conduct a Coastal and
Estuarine Resilience and Restoration Program, in cooperation with
State, regional, and other units of government and the National
Estuarine Research Reserves, for the purposes of--
``(1) protecting important coastal and estuarine areas
that--
``(A) have significant conservation, recreation,
coastal access, ecological, historical, or aesthetic
value;
``(B) are threatened by conversion from their
natural, undeveloped, or recreational state to other
uses; or
``(C) could be managed or restored to effectively
conserve, enhance, or restore ecological function or
mitigate climate change; or
``(2) restoring developed property in vulnerable coastal
and estuarine areas to a natural state to restore ecological
function, allow for shoreline migration, and protect coastal
communities.'';
(3) in subsection (c)--
(A) by amending paragraph (7) to read as follows:
``(7) Priority shall be given to lands that--
``(A) can be effectively managed and protected and
that have significant recreation, ecological,
historical, cultural, aesthetic, or community
protection value;
``(B) to the maximum extent practicable, benefit
communities that may not have adequate resources to
prepare for or respond to coastal hazards or to access
coastline, including low-income communities; and
``(C)(i) are under an imminent threat of conversion
to a use that will degrade or otherwise diminish their
natural, undeveloped, or recreational state;
``(ii) serve to mitigate the adverse impacts caused
by coastal population growth in the coastal
environment;
``(iii) are within or adjacent to a national
estuarine research reserve designated under section
315, a national wildlife refuge, or a national estuary
program, or are proposed for designation as such a
reserve or other such protected area; or
``(iv) are under threat due to climate change or
may serve to mitigate the adverse effects of climate
change, including through the storage of blue carbon,
and to facilitate inland migration of coastal
ecosystems in response to sea level rise.''; and
(B) in paragraph (10), by striking ``triennially''
and inserting ``every 5 years'';
(4) in subsection (f)--
(A) in paragraph (2)(B), by inserting ``for any
territory of the United States that is unable to
provide such match,'' after ``community,''; and
(B) in paragraph (4)--
(i) in subparagraph (A)(i), by striking
``meets the criteria set forth in section
2(b)'' and inserting ``the goals set forth in
subsection (b)'';
(ii) by striking subparagraph (B) and
redesignating subparagraph (C) as subparagraph
(B);
(iii) in subparagraph (B) (as so
redesignated), by striking ``described in (A)''
and inserting ``described in subparagraph
(A)''; and
(iv) by inserting at the end the following
new subparagraph:
``(C) The value of ecosystem services that the
acquired land provides, including as a buffer for storm
surge, habitat for economically valuable species, and
as blue carbon sink.'';
(5) in subsection (g), by striking ``15'' and inserting
``20'';
(6) in subsection (h), by striking the second sentence; and
(7) in subsection (l), by striking ``fiscal years 2009
through 2013'' and inserting ``fiscal years 2022 through
2026''.
SEC. 2. AMENDMENTS TO NATIONAL ESTUARINE RESEARCH RESERVE SYSTEM
PROGRAM.
(a) Designation of Additional Reserves.--Not later than 5 years
after the date of enactment of this Act, the Administrator shall
designate not less than 5 new national estuarine reserves under section
315 of the Coastal Zone Management Act of 1972 (16 U.S.C. 1461). In
making such designations, the Administrator shall prioritize
designations to achieve the following with respect to the National
Estuarine Research Reserve System:
(1) Full representation of biogeographic regions, States,
and Territories.
(2) The presence of a national estuarine reserve in each
coastal State or Territory (as that term is defined in that
Act).
(b) Guidelines for Tracking and Modeling the Impacts of Climate
Change.--Section 315(c) of the Coastal Zone Management Act of 1972 (16
U.S.C. 1461(c)) is amended--
(1) by redesignating paragraphs (3) through (5) as
paragraphs (4) through (6); and
(2) by inserting after paragraph (2) the following:
``(3) the establishment of coordinated long-term data
monitoring and methods throughout the System for tracking and
modeling the impacts of climate change on estuarine systems,
including impacts on lake levels and sea levels;''.
(c) Land Acquisition and Construction.--Section 315 of the Coastal
Zone Management Act of 1972 (16 U.S.C. 1461) is amended by striking (g)
and adding at the end the following:
``(g) Land Acquisition and Construction.--The Secretary may use
funds authorized under section 318 for land acquisition and the
construction and renovations of facilities required to meet delivery of
System programs and services, or to meet changing needs of program
under this title.
``(h) Requirements for Use of Funds.--In using funds under
subsection (g), the Secretary shall--
``(1) provide science-based information and technical
assistance to coastal stakeholders and decisionmakers;
``(2) leverage the capabilities of nationwide protected
area networks to address challenging coastal management issues
such as climate change and vulnerability of coastal ecosystems
and communities to coastal hazards;
``(3) serve as living laboratories and preferred places for
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration research and
fellowships on coastal and estuarine systems;
``(4) serve as critical sentinel sites for detecting
environmental change and developing and demonstrating
adaptation and mitigation strategies;
``(5) identify priority places for land acquisition,
especially those lands required to enhance resilience to
environmental change; and
``(6) engage coastal communities, stakeholders, and the
public in education programs to increase scientific literacy of
coastal environments, and to develop and train capable
environmental stewards.
``(i) Systemwide Elements of the National Estuarine Research
Reserve System.--The Secretary shall coordinate systemwide programs and
activities in the System including--
``(1) the centralized management and dissemination of data
from System observation and monitoring networks;
``(2) a competitive grant program employing the
collaborative research model on coastal research and management
priorities to be conducted at research reserve sites focused on
the priorities determined by the Secretary; and
``(3) establish the Margaret A. Davidson Graduate Research
Fellowship Program to address key coastal management questions
and the coastal research and management priorities of the
Reserve System and its place-based sites to help scientists and
communities understand the coastal challenges that may
influence future policy and management strategies.
``(j) Place-Based Program Elements of the National Estuarine
Research Reserve System.--Each National Estuarine Research Reserve
shall establish and maintain place-based program elements that
include--
``(1) a research, monitoring, and observation network that
detects environmental change and informs suitable adaptation
and mitigation strategies where appropriate, and that supports
systemwide activities stated in subsection (e);
``(2) education, outreach, and interpretive programs that
communicate the value and changing dynamics of coastal systems;
``(3) stewardship programs that provide science-based
tools, habitat management, and restoration and that provide
resources and information to inform coastal management;
``(4) coastal training programs that provide technical
assistance to coastal communities, resource managers, and
coastal decisionmakers; and
``(5) the lands and facilities that support such accessible
research, monitoring, stewardship, education, and coastal
training activities.
``(k) Authorization of Appropriations.--There are hereby authorized
to be appropriated to the Secretary $47,000,000 for each of fiscal year
2022 through 2026 to provide financial assistance under this section.
``(l) Definitions.--In this section, the following definitions
apply:
``(1) Collaborative research.--The term `collaborative
research' means the engagement of local decisionmakers and
stakeholders directly in the research process so that their
knowledge and needs will inform research questions, data
analysis, and use of the products generated by the research.
``(2) Sentinel site.--The term `sentinel site' means a site
with long-term research and monitoring capability to detect,
document, and respond to emerging environmental changes that
impact natural and human systems.''.
<all>
Introduced in House
Introduced in House
Referred to the House Committee on Natural Resources.
Referred to the Subcommittee on Water, Oceans, and Wildlife.
Subcommittee Hearings Held.
Llama 3.2 · runs locally in your browser
Ask anything about this bill. The AI reads the full text to answer.
Enter to send · Shift+Enter for new line