Coastal Habitat Conservation Act of 2023

Coastal Habitat Conservation Act of 2023

This bill provides statutory authority for the Coastal Program of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS). Under the voluntary program, the FWS works with partners to provide technical and financial assistance for habitat restoration projects, habitat protection projects, and related activities in priority coastal areas.

[Congressional Bills 118th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 1381 Introduced in Senate (IS)]

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118th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                S. 1381

To authorize the Secretary of the Interior, through the Coastal Program 
 of the United States Fish and Wildlife Service, to work with willing 
 partners and provide support to efforts to assess, protect, restore, 
and enhance important coastal landscapes that provide fish and wildlife 
 habitat on which certain Federal trust species depend, and for other 
                               purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                             April 27, 2023

Mr. Cardin (for himself and Mr. Graham) introduced the following bill; 
 which was read twice and referred to the Committee on Environment and 
                              Public Works

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
To authorize the Secretary of the Interior, through the Coastal Program 
 of the United States Fish and Wildlife Service, to work with willing 
 partners and provide support to efforts to assess, protect, restore, 
and enhance important coastal landscapes that provide fish and wildlife 
 habitat on which certain Federal trust species depend, 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 Habitat Conservation Act of 
2023''.

SEC. 2. PURPOSE.

    The purpose of this Act is to legislatively authorize the Coastal 
Program of the Service in effect as of the date of enactment of this 
Act to conduct collaborative landscape-level planning and on-the-ground 
coastal habitat assessment, coastal habitat protection, coastal habitat 
restoration, and coastal habitat enhancement projects in priority 
coastal landscapes to conserve and recover Federal trust species.

SEC. 3. DEFINITIONS.

    In this Act:
            (1) Coastal ecosystem.--The term ``coastal ecosystem'' 
        means a biological community of organisms interacting with each 
        other and their habitats in a coastal landscape.
            (2) Coastal habitat assessment.--The term ``coastal habitat 
        assessment'' means the process of evaluating the physical, 
        chemical, and biological function of a coastal site to 
        determine the value of the site to fish and wildlife.
            (3) Coastal habitat enhancement.--The term ``coastal 
        habitat enhancement'' means the manipulation of the physical, 
        chemical, or biological characteristics of a coastal ecosystem 
        to increase or decrease specific biological functions that make 
        the ecosystem valuable to fish and wildlife.
            (4) Coastal habitat planning.--The term ``coastal habitat 
        planning'' means the process of developing a comprehensive plan 
        that--
                    (A) characterizes a coastal ecosystem;
                    (B) sets protection, restoration, or enhancement 
                goals, and identifies the priorities of those goals;
                    (C) describes conservation strategies and 
                methodologies;
                    (D) establishes a timetable for implementation of 
                the plan; and
                    (E) identifies roles of participants and 
                stakeholders.
            (5) Coastal habitat protection.--
                    (A) In general.--The term ``coastal habitat 
                protection'' means a long-term action to safeguard 
                habitats of value to fish and wildlife in a coastal 
                ecosystem.
                    (B) Inclusion.--The term ``coastal habitat 
                protection'' includes activities to support 
                establishment of a conservation easement or fee title 
                acquisition by Federal and non-Federal partners.
            (6) Coastal habitat restoration.--The term ``coastal 
        habitat restoration'' means the manipulation of the physical, 
        chemical, or biological characteristics of a coastal ecosystem 
        with the goal of returning, to the maximum extent practicable, 
        the full natural biological functions to lost or degraded 
        native habitat.
            (7) Coastal landscape.--The term ``coastal landscape'' 
        means a portion of a coastal ecosystem within or adjacent to a 
        coastal State that contains various habitat types, including--
                    (A) a fresh or saltwater wetland in a coastal 
                watershed;
                    (B) a coastal river, stream, or waterway;
                    (C) a coastal bay or estuary;
                    (D) a seagrass bed, reef, or other nearshore marine 
                habitat;
                    (E) a beach or dune system;
                    (F) a mangrove forest; and
                    (G) an associated coastal upland.
            (8) Coastal state.--The term ``coastal State'' means--
                    (A) a State in, or bordering on, the Atlantic, 
                Pacific, or Arctic Ocean, the Gulf of Mexico, the Long 
                Island Sound, or 1 or more of the Great Lakes;
                    (B) the District of Columbia;
                    (C) the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico;
                    (D) Guam;
                    (E) American Samoa;
                    (F) the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana 
                Islands;
                    (G) the Federated States of Micronesia;
                    (H) the Republic of the Marshall Islands;
                    (I) the Republic of Palau; and
                    (J) the United States Virgin Islands.
            (9) Federal trust species.--The term ``Federal trust 
        species'' means--
                    (A) migratory birds, threatened species or 
                endangered species listed under the Endangered Species 
                Act of 1973 (16 U.S.C. 1531 et seq.), 
                interjurisdictional fish, and marine mammals for which 
                the Secretary has management authority; and
                    (B) any other species of concern, as determined by 
                the Secretary.
            (10) Financial assistance.--The term ``financial 
        assistance'' means Federal funding provided to Federal, State, 
        local, and Tribal governments, nongovernmental institutions, 
        nonprofit organizations, and private individuals and entities 
        through a grant or cooperative agreement.
            (11) Secretary.--The term ``Secretary'' means the Secretary 
        of the Interior.
            (12) Service.--The term ``Service'' means the United States 
        Fish and Wildlife Service.
            (13) Technical assistance.--The term ``technical 
        assistance'' means a collaboration, facilitation, or consulting 
        action relating to a coastal habitat planning, coastal habitat 
        assessment, coastal habitat protection, coastal habitat 
        restoration, or coastal habitat enhancement project or 
        initiative in which the Service contributes scientific 
        knowledge, skills, and expertise to the project or initiative.

SEC. 4. COASTAL PROGRAM.

    The Secretary shall carry out the Coastal Program within the 
Service to--
            (1) identify the leading threats to priority coastal 
        landscapes and conservation actions to address those threats in 
        partnership with Federal, State, local, and Tribal governments, 
        nongovernmental institutions, nonprofit organizations, and 
        private individuals and entities;
            (2) provide technical assistance and financial assistance 
        through partnerships with Federal, State, local, and Tribal 
        governments, nongovernmental institutions, nonprofit 
        organizations, and private individuals and entities to conduct 
        voluntary coastal habitat planning, coastal habitat assessment, 
        coastal habitat protection, coastal habitat restoration, and 
        coastal habitat enhancement projects on public land or private 
        land;
            (3) ensure the health and resilience of coastal ecosystems 
        through adaptive management procedures based on the best 
        available science;
            (4) build the capacity of Federal, State, local, and Tribal 
        governments, nongovernmental institutions, nonprofit 
        organizations, and private individuals and entities to carry 
        out environmental conservation and stewardship measures;
            (5) assist in the development and implementation of 
        monitoring protocols to ensure the success of coastal ecosystem 
        restoration and coastal ecosystem enhancement measures; and
            (6) collaborate and share information with partners and the 
        public relating to best management practices for the 
        conservation, restoration, and enhancement of coastal 
        ecosystems.

SEC. 5. REPORTS.

    (a) In General.--Not later than 1 year after the date of enactment 
of this Act, and annually thereafter, the Secretary, acting through the 
Director of the Service, shall submit to the Committees on 
Appropriations and Environment and Public Works of the Senate and the 
Committees on Appropriations and Natural Resources of the House of 
Representatives, and make available to the public on the website of the 
Service, a report on the Coastal Program carried out under this Act.
    (b) Requirements.--Each report submitted under subsection (a) shall 
assess on regional and nationwide bases--
            (1) Coastal Program work on coastal ecosystems;
            (2) progress made by the Coastal Program toward identifying 
        the leading threats to priority coastal landscapes and 
        conservation actions to address those threats; and
            (3) prospects for, and success of, protecting, restoring, 
        and enhancing coastal ecosystems.
    (c) Inclusions.--Each report submitted under subsection (a) shall 
include--
            (1) quantitative information on coastal landscapes 
        protected, restored, or enhanced;
            (2) funds appropriated to the Coastal Program that have 
        been expended or leveraged;
            (3) a description of adaptive management practices 
        implemented; and
            (4) a description of emerging challenges or data gaps that 
        hinder the ability of the Coastal Program to achieve the 
        purpose of this Act.

SEC. 6. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.

    There are authorized to be appropriated to carry out this Act--
            (1) $20,000,000 for fiscal year 2024;
            (2) $21,250,000 for fiscal year 2025;
            (3) $22,500,000 for fiscal year 2026;
            (4) $23,750,000 for fiscal year 2027; and
            (5) $25,000,000 for fiscal year 2028.
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