[Congressional Bills 103th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 293 Introduced in House (IH)]

103d CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                H. R. 293

 To designate the waters of the California Central Coast as a national 
                           marine sanctuary.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                            January 5, 1993

 Mr. Panetta introduced the following bill; which was referred to the 
               Committee on Merchant Marine and Fisheries

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
 To designate the waters of the California Central Coast as a national 
                           marine sanctuary.

    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 ``California Central Coast National 
Marine Sanctuary Act''.

SEC. 2. FINDINGS.

    The Congress finds that--
            (1) the marine environment of the waters of the California 
        Central Coast has special national cultural, educational, 
        research, and economic significance, because of its--
                    (A) significant oceanographic characteristics, 
                including a major permanent upwelling, several 
                transitional upwellings, and current interaction 
                located in the Californian transition zone between the 
                Oregonian and Californian climatic provinces and its 
                interrelationship with the Nipomo Dune-Point Sal 
                National Natural Landmark,
                    (B) sensitive ecological and biological 
                characteristics, including the presence of more than 27 
                endangered or threatened species of marine mammals, 
                birds, and reptiles and a mixture of fish, mammal, 
                shellfish, bird, and plant species not found elsewhere 
                in the Pacific Basin,
                    (C) significant archeological values, including 
                hundreds of Chumash Indian sites, many dating back 
                9,500 years; and
                    (D) significant estuarine and wetland ecosystems, 
                including Morro Bay;
            (2) the health and productivity of the waters of the 
        California Central Coast are threatened by a variety of 
        pollutants and expanding industrial uses of the waters;
            (3) the existing State and Federal regulatory and 
        management authorities applicable to the waters of the 
        California Central Coast are inadequate to provide the kind of 
        comprehensive and coordinated conservation and management of 
        the sensitive marine environment of those waters that is 
        available under the Marine Protection, Research, and 
        Sanctuaries Act of 1972 (16 U.S.C. 1431 et seq.); and
            (4) the designation and treatment of the waters of the 
        California Central Coast as a national marine sanctuary is 
        necessary for the preservation and protection of this important 
        area of our Nation's marine environment.

SEC. 3. POLICY AND PURPOSE.

    (a) Policy.--It is the policy of the United States to protect and 
preserve living and other resources of the California Central Coast 
marine environment.
    (b) Purpose.--The purpose of this Act is to protect the resources 
of the area described in section 4(b), to educate and interpret for the 
public regarding the California Central Coast marine environment, and 
to manage such human uses of the Sanctuary consistent with this Act. 
Nothing in this Act is intended to restrict activities that do not 
cause an adverse effect to the resources or property of the Sanctuary 
or that do not pose harm to users of the Sanctuary.

SEC. 4. DESIGNATION OF CALIFORNIA CENTRAL COAST NATIONAL MARINE 
              SANCTUARY.

    (a) Designation.--The area described in subsection (b) is 
designated as the California Central Coast National Marine Sanctuary 
(hereinafter in this Act referred to as the ``Sanctuary''), and shall 
be a national marine sanctuary under title III of the Marine 
Protection, Research, and Sanctuaries Act of 1972 (16 U.S.C. 1431 et 
seq.). The Sanctuary shall be managed and regulations enforced under 
all applicable provisions of that title III as if the Sanctuary had 
been designated under such title.
    (b) Area Included.--Subject to subsections (c) and (d), the area 
referred to in subsection (a) consists of all submerged lands and 
waters, including living marine and other resources within and on those 
lands and waters, off the coast of California seaward of the high tide 
line--
            (1) from the southern boundary of the Monterey Bay National 
        Marine Sanctuary to the southern boundary of Point Sal Beach 
        State Park in Santa Barbara County, California, and
            (2) extending westward from Point Sal, California, to 
        encompass the offshore Santa Lucia Bank;
as such waters may be described more particularly by the Secretary 
pursuant to subsection (d).
    (c) Areas Within State of California.--The designation under 
subsection (a) shall not take effect for any area located within the 
waters of the State of California if, not later than 45 days after the 
date of the enactment of this Act, the Governor of the State of 
California objects in writing to the Secretary of Commerce.
    (d) Boundary Modifications.--No later than the issuance of the 
draft environmental impact statement for the Sanctuary under section 
304(a)(1)(C)(vii) of the Marine Protection, Research, and Sanctuaries 
Act of 1972 (16 U.S.C. 1434(a)(1)(C)(vii)), in consultation with the 
Governor of the State of California, if appropriate, the Secretary of 
Commerce may make minor modifications to the boundaries of the 
Sanctuary as necessary to fulfill the purpose of this Act. The 
Secretary of Commerce shall submit to the Committee on Commerce, 
Science, and Transportation of the Senate and the Committee on Merchant 
Marine and Fisheries of the House of Representatives a written 
notification of such modifications.

SEC. 5. COMPREHENSIVE MANAGEMENT PLAN.

    (a) Preparation of Plan.--The Secretary of Commerce, in 
consultation with appropriate Federal, State, and local government 
authorities, shall develop a comprehensive management plan and 
implementing regulations to achieve the policy and purpose of this Act 
by not later than 24 months after the date of the enactment of this 
Act. In developing the plan and regulations, the Secretary of Commerce 
shall follow the procedures specified in sections 303 and 304 of the 
Marine Protection, Research, and Sanctuaries Act of 1972 (16 U.S.C. 
1433 and 1434). Such comprehensive management plan shall--
            (1) facilitate all public and private uses of the Sanctuary 
        consistent with the primary objective of Sanctuary resource 
        protection;
            (2) consider temporal and geographical zoning, to ensure 
        protection of Sanctuary resources;
            (3) identify needs for research and establish a long-term 
        ecological monitoring program;
            (4) identify alternative sources of funding needed to fully 
        implement the plan's provisions and supplement appropriations 
        under section 6 of this Act and section 313 of the Marine 
        Protection, Research, and Sanctuaries Act of 1972 (16 U.S.C. 
        1444);
            (5) ensure coordination and cooperation between Sanctuary 
        managers and other Federal, State, and local authorities with 
        jurisdiction within or adjacent to the Sanctuary; and
            (6) promote education, among users of the Sanctuary and the 
        general public, about conservation of the California Central 
        Coast marine environment.
    (b) Public Participation.--The Secretary of Commerce shall provide 
for participation by the general public in development of the 
comprehensive management plan.

SEC. 6. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.

    For carrying out this Act there are authorized to be appropriated 
to the Secretary $250,000 for each of the fiscal years 1993 and 1994.

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