[Congressional Bills 108th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 831 Introduced in Senate (IS)]






108th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                 S. 831

To establish programs to enhance protection of the Chesapeake Bay, and 
                          for other purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                             April 9, 2003

 Mr. Sarbanes (for himself, Mr. Warner, Mr. Allen, and Ms. Mikulski) 
        introduced the following bill; which was read twice and 
        referred to the Committee on Commerce, Science, and 
        TransportationYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
To establish programs to enhance protection of the Chesapeake Bay, 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 ``NOAA Chesapeake Bay Watershed 
Education, Training, and Restoration Act''.

SEC. 2. DEFINITIONS.

    In this Act:
            (1) Center.--The term ``Center'' means the Coastal 
        Prediction Center for the Chesapeake Bay established under 
        paragraph (1) of section 3(a).
            (2) Chesapeake 2000 agreement.--The term ``Chesapeake 2000 
        agreement'' means the agreement between the United States, the 
        States of Maryland, Pennsylvania, and Virginia, and the 
        District of Columbia entered into on June 28, 2000.
            (3) Chesapeake executive council.--The term ``Chesapeake 
        Executive Council'' has the meaning given that term in 
        subsection (d) of section 307 of the National Oceanic and 
        Atmospheric Administration Authorization Act of 1992 (15 U.S.C. 
        1511d).
            (4) Director.--The term ``Director'' means the Director of 
        the Chesapeake Bay Office appointed under paragraph (2) of 
        section 307(a) of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric 
        Administration Authorization Act of 1992 (15 U.S.C. 1511d).
            (5) Eligible entity.--The term ``eligible entity'' means a 
        State government, an institution of higher education, including 
        a community college, a not-for-profit organization, or an 
        appropriate private entity.
            (6) Chesapeake bay office.--The term ``Chesapeake Bay 
        Office'' means the Chesapeake Bay Office within the National 
        Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration established under 
        paragraph (1) of section 307(a) of the National Oceanic and 
        Atmospheric Administration Authorization Act of 1992 (15 U.S.C. 
        1511d).

SEC. 3. COASTAL PREDICTION CENTER.

    (a) Establishment.--
            (1) In general.--Not later than 1 year after the date of 
        enactment of this Act, the Director, in collaboration with 
        scientific institutions located in the Chesapeake Bay 
        watershed, shall establish a Coastal Prediction Center for the 
        Chesapeake Bay.
            (2) Purposes.--The purposes of the Center established under 
        paragraph (1) are to serve as a knowledge bank for--
                    (A) assembling, integrating, and modeling coastal 
                information and data related to the Chesapeake Bay and 
                the tributaries of the Chesapeake Bay from appropriate 
                government agencies and scientific institutions;
                    (B) interpreting such information and data; and
                    (C) organizing such information and data into 
                predictive products that are useful to policy makers, 
                resource managers, scientists, and the public.
    (b) Activities.--
            (1) Information and prediction system.--The Center shall 
        develop an Internet-based information system for integrating, 
        interpreting, and disseminating coastal information and 
        predictions concerning the Chesapeake Bay and the tributaries 
        of the Chesapeake Bay related to--
                    (A) climate;
                    (B) land use;
                    (C) coastal pollution;
                    (D) coastal environmental quality;
                    (E) ecosystem health and performance;
                    (F) aquatic living resources and habitat 
                conditions; and
                    (G) weather, tides, currents, and circulation that 
                affect the distribution of sediments, nutrients, and 
                organisms, coastline erosion, and related physical and 
                chemical events.
            (2) Agreements to provide data, information, and support.--
        The Director may enter into agreements with other entities of 
        the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, other 
        appropriate Federal, State, and local government agencies, and 
        academic institutions, to provide and interpret data and 
        information, and provide appropriate support, relating to the 
        activities of the Center.
            (3) Agreements relating to information products.--The 
        Director may enter into grants, contracts, and interagency 
        agreements with eligible entities for the collection, 
        processing, analysis, interpretation, and electronic 
        publication of information products for the Center.

SEC. 4. CHESAPEAKE BAY WATERSHED EDUCATION AND TRAINING PROGRAM.

    (a) Establishment.--
            (1) In general.--The Director, in cooperation with the 
        Chesapeake Executive Council, shall establish a Chesapeake Bay 
        watershed education and training program.
            (2) Purposes.--The program established under paragraph (1) 
        shall continue and expand the Chesapeake Bay watershed 
        education programs offered by the Chesapeake Bay Office for the 
        purposes of--
                    (A) improving the understanding of elementary and 
                secondary school students and teachers of the living 
                resources of the ecosystem of the Chesapeake Bay; and
                    (B) meeting the educational goals of the Chesapeake 
                2000 agreement.
    (b) Grant Program.--
            (1) Authorization.--The Director is authorized to award 
        grants to pay the Federal share of the cost of a project 
        described in paragraph (3)--
                    (A) to a not-for-profit institution;
                    (B) to a consortia of not-for-profit institutions;
                    (C) to an elementary or secondary school located 
                within the Chesapeake Bay watershed;
                    (D) to a teacher at a school described in 
                subparagraph (C); or
                    (E) a State Department of Education if any part of 
                such State is within the Chesapeake Bay watershed.
            (2) Criteria.--The Director is authorized to award grants 
        under this section based on the experience of the applicant in 
        providing environmental education and training projects 
        regarding the Chesapeake Bay watershed to a range of 
        participants and in a range of settings.
            (3) Functions and activities.--Grants awarded under this 
        section may be used to support education and training projects 
        that--
                    (A) provide classroom education, including the use 
                of distance learning technologies, on the issues, 
                science, and problems of the living resources of the 
                Chesapeake Bay watershed;
                    (B) provide meaningful outdoor experience on the 
                Chesapeake Bay, or on a stream or in a local watershed 
                of the Chesapeake Bay, in the design and implementation 
                of field studies, monitoring and assessments, or 
                restoration techniques for living resources;
                    (C) provide professional development for teachers 
                related to the science of the Chesapeake Bay watershed 
                and the dissemination of pertinent education materials 
                oriented to varying grade levels;
                    (D) demonstrate or disseminate environmental 
                educational tools and materials related to the 
                Chesapeake Bay watershed;
                    (E) demonstrate field methods, practices, and 
                techniques including assessment of environmental and 
                ecological conditions and analysis of environmental 
                problems; and
                    (F) develop or disseminate projects designed to--
                            (i) enhance understanding and assessment of 
                        a specific environmental problem in the 
Chesapeake Bay watershed or of a goal of the Chesapeake Bay Program; or
                            (ii) protect or restore living resources of 
                        the Chesapeake Bay watershed.
            (4) Federal share.--The Federal share of the cost of a 
        project authorized under paragraph (1) shall not exceed 75 
        percent of the total cost of that project.
    (c) Report.--Not later than December 31, 2006, the Director, in 
consultation with the Chesapeake Executive Council, shall submit to 
Congress a report through the Administrator of National Oceanic and 
Atmospheric Administration regarding the program established under 
subsection (a) and, on the appropriate role of Federal, State, and 
local governments in continuing such program.

SEC. 5. STOCK ENHANCEMENT AND HABITAT RESTORATION PROGRAM.

    (a) Establishment.--
            (1) In general.--Not later than 1 year after the date of 
        enactment of this Act, the Director, in cooperation with the 
        Chesapeake Executive Council, shall establish a Chesapeake Bay 
        watershed stock enhancement and habitat restoration program.
            (2) Purposes.--The purposes of the program established in 
        paragraph (1) are to support the restoration of oysters and 
        submerged aquatic vegetation in the Chesapeake Bay and enhance 
        education programs related to aquaculture.
    (b) Activities.--To carry out the purpose of the program 
established in paragraph (1) of subsection (a), the Director is 
authorized to enter into grants, contracts, and cooperative agreements 
with an eligible entity to support--
            (1) the establishment of oyster hatcheries;
            (2) the establishment of submerged aquatic vegetation 
        propagation programs;
            (3) the development of education programs related to 
        aquaculture; and
            (4) other activities that the Director determines are 
        appropriate to carry out the purposes of such program.

SEC. 6. CHESAPEAKE BAY AQUACULTURE EDUCATION.

    The Director is authorized to make grants and enter into contracts 
with an institution of higher education, including a community college, 
for the purpose of--
            (1) supporting education in Chesapeake Bay aquaculture 
        sciences and technologies; and
            (2) developing aquaculture processes and technologies to 
        improve production, efficiency, and sustainability of disease 
        free oyster spat and submerged aquatic vegetation.

SEC. 7. SHALLOW WATER MONITORING PROGRAM.

    (a) Establishment.--
            (1) In general.--Not later than 1 year after the date of 
        enactment of this Act, the Director, in cooperation with the 
        Chesapeake Executive Council and scientific institutions 
        located in the Chesapeake Bay watershed, shall establish a 
        program to monitor shallow water throughout the Chesapeake Bay.
            (2) Purpose.--The purpose of the program established in 
        paragraph (1) shall be to provide data on water quality 
        conditions necessary for restoration of living resources in 
        near-shore and tidal tributary areas of the Chesapeake Bay.
    (b) Activities.--To carry out the purpose of the program 
established in paragraph (1) of subsection (a), the Director is 
authorized to carry out, or enter into grants, contracts, and 
cooperative agreements with an eligible entity to carry out 
activities--
            (1) to collect, analyze, and disseminate scientific 
        information necessary for the management of living marine 
        resources and the marine habitat associated with such 
        resources;
            (2) to interpret the information described in paragraph 
        (1);
            (3) to organize the information described in paragraph (1) 
        into products that are useful to policy makers, resource 
        managers, scientists, and the public; or
            (4) that will otherwise further the purpose of such 
        program.

SEC. 8. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.

    (a) Chesapeake Bay Office.--Subsection (e) of section 307 of the 
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Authorization Act of 
1992 (15 U.S.C. 1511d) is amended--
            (1) by striking ``$6,000,000'' and inserting 
        ``$8,000,000''; and
            (2) by striking ``2006'' and inserting ``2008''.
    (b) Programs.--There is authorized to be appropriated the following 
amounts to carry out the provisions of this Act:
            (1) $500,000 for each of the fiscal years 2004 through 2008 
        to carry out the provisions of section 3.
            (2) $6,000,000 for each of the fiscal years 2004 through 
        2008 to carry out the provisions of section 4.
            (3) $7,000,000 for each of the fiscal years 2004 through 
        2008 to carry out the provisions of section 5.
            (4) $1,000,000 for each of the fiscal years 2004 through 
        2008 to carry out the provisions of section 6.
            (5) $3,000,000 for each of the fiscal years 2004 through 
        2008 to carry out the provisions of section 7.
                                 <all>